B'z are a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba, known for their energetic hard rock tracks and pop rock ballads. B'z is one of the best-selling music artists in the world and the best-selling in their native Japan, having released 49 consecutive No. 1 singles, 25 No. 1 albums, 3 No. 1 EPs on the Oricon music charts and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
First Love is the debut Japanese-language studio album by Japanese-American recording artist Utada Hikaru, released on 10 March 1999 on Toshiba-EMI.
Toshinobu "Toshi" Kubota is a Japanese singer, songwriter, musician, music producer, and radio personality. He has produced six million-seller records and thirty-three Top 40 singles during his career. Kubota is currently part of Sony Music Japan. In addition, he has composed and written songs for many singers including Hiromi Iwasaki, Misia, Toshinori Yonekura, Kyōko Koizumi, and many other recording artists.
Wands (ワンズ) is a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 and active until 2000 under the label B-Gram Records. In 2019, the band reunited with a new vocalist, Daishi Uehara, and two former members, Shibasaki and Kimura, under the D-Go recording label. In the span of 29 years, the band has had three lead vocalists and changed instrumental members five times.
Koshi Inaba is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a successful solo career, with five studio albums and five singles topping the Japanese music charts. He collaborated with Slash on single "Sahara" which was released in 2009. In 2017, he released a collaborative album, Chubby Groove, with Stevie Salas under the name "Inaba/Salas".
Duty is the third studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on September 27, 2000 by Avex Trax. Duty is Hamasaki's first studio album inside the 2000 decade, and her third consecutive studio album to be fully produced by Japanese musician and businessman Max Matsuura. The album's composing and arrangement was handled by several music collaborators, such as Ken Harada, Kazuhito Kikuchi, Dai Nagao, HΛL, among many others. Hamasaki contributed to the album as the primary and background vocalist, and songwriter to every song. Three different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital download. The cover sleeve has Hamasaki wearing a leopard-print cat suit.
The 7th Blues is the seventh album released by Japanese hard rock band B'z, released on March 2, 1994.
Flow is a Japanese rock band formed in 1998 as a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist. They are signed to Sacra Music. As of January 2021, the band has released 36 singles, 2 collaboration singles with Granrodeo and 11 studio albums. Their songs have been featured in the opening sequences of several anime and Japanese drama series.
Bad Communication is the first mini-album by the Japanese rock duo B'z, released in 1989. The song was the first hit song for B'z. The album also includes the band's first two "E-Style" versions of previous hits—in this case "Out of the Rain" and "Dakara Sono Te Wo Hanashite", both from their debut album. It charted on number 12 at the weekly albums chart list by Oricon, and by 1992 was certified as a million seller by RIAJ.
Japanese rock duo B'z has released twenty-one studio albums, twelve compilation albums, eight extended plays (EP), fifty-seven singles and nineteen live albums. With more than 82 million sales in Japan, the duo is the best-selling artist in Japan and with 100 million sales one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Be There is the fourth single by B'z, released on May 25, 1990. The song initially peaked at #7 at Oricon Charts in 1990, and later peaked at #3 in 2003 during its re-release. It was the band's first song recorded specifically as a single not connected with any album. The song appears on 1998's Best "Pleasure" and 2008's Best "Ultra" Pleasure compilations. To date, it has sold over 348,000 copies.
Ai no mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi dake wo Kizutsukenai is a song by B'z, released as their twelfth single, on March 17, 1993. This song is one of B'z many number one singles in Oricon chart. The single was re-released in 2003, and re-entered at #5. The single sold over two-million copies according to Oricon. According to Oricon, the song was their best-selling single in Japan. The song won "the best five single award" at the 8th Japan Gold Disc Award. It was released in the best-of album B'z The Best "Pleasure".
"Ultra Soul" is the thirty-first single by B'z, released on March 14, 2001. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. As B-Sides, the single features "Rock Man" and "Suima-Yo 2001!!", a remix of the song "Suima-Yo!!" previously released on the album Survive. "Ultra Soul" was featured in the arcade drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin 2, sequel to the first version of the game that featured another B'z song, "Atsuki Kodō no Hate". This Song was featured in the International Television Intro of 2001 FINA World Aquatics Championships.
"Splash!" is the forty-second single by B'z, released on June 7, 2006. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. Splash! was re-recorded in 2012 with English lyrics and released as part of the band's iTunes-exclusive English album
B'z The Best "Ultra Pleasure" is a compilation double-album by the Japanese hard rock duo B'z. It was released on June 18, 2008, and it is part of their 20th anniversary celebration. It peaked at #1 at Oricon charts and Billboard Japan Top Albums.
B'z The Best XXV 1999-2012 is a compilation album by Japanese hard rock duo B'z. It was released on June 12, 2013, simultaneously with B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998, and it is part of their 25th anniversary celebration. It reached #2 at Oricon charts, while B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998 itself reached the top, the same happening at the Billboard Japan Top Albums.
With is the eighth Japanese studio album by South Korean pop duo Tohoshinki, released by Avex Trax on December 17, 2014. The record was released in four physical versions – Version A, a CD+DVD version with music videos and live performances; Version B, another CD+DVD version with off-shot movies; Version C, a CD only version with two bonus tracks; and Version D, a fan club limited edition with a CD-Extra. Recording and writing for the album roughly began in the summer of 2013. With is described to be an album composed of nostalgic dance-pop songs that are influenced by disco and jazz, accompanied by marching drumbeats. Its lyrical content explores the general concept of love and friendship.
Sandaime J Soul Brothers, formerly simply J Soul Brothers and stylized as Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe, are a J-pop vocal and dance group formed by Exile ex-leader and producer Hiroyuki Igarashi in Japan in 1991. Sandaime J Soul Brothers are managed by Hiroyuki's talent agency LDH, and are a part of the supergroup, Exile Tribe. Reformed exclusively by Exile's Vocal Battle Audition in 2010, Sandaime J Soul Brothers released their first single "Best Friend's Girl" in November 2010, which peaked at number three on the Oricon Singles Chart. Their self-titled debut album J Soul Brothers, released in 2011, also peaked at number three. In 2013, they achieved their first number-one record with their third album Miracle.
Epic Day is the nineteenth studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on March 4, 2015, more than 3.5 years after their previous studio effort, C'mon, their longest gap between studio albums. It came after a hiatus in which the members released solo projects, including vocalist/lyricist Koshi Inaba's Singing Bird and guitarist/composer Tak Matsumoto's New Horizon.
The following is an overview of the year 2008 in Japanese music. It includes notable awards, lists of number-ones, yearly best-sellers, albums released, groups established and disestablished, deaths of notable Japanese music-related people as well as any other relevant Japanese music-related events. For overviews of the year in music from other countries, see 2008 in music.
