Mr. Children, commonly referred to by their contracted nickname "Misu-Chiru" (ミスチル), are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki, they made their major label debut in 1992. They are one of the best selling artists in Japan and one of the most successful Japanese rock artists, having sold over 75 million records and creating the "Mis-chil Phenomenon" (ミスチル現象) in the mid-1990s in Japan. They held the record for the highest first week sales of a single in Japan for 15 years, with 1.2 million copies of their 10th single "Namonaki Uta" (名もなき詩), have 30 consecutive number 1 singles, replaced Glay as the all-male band to have the most number 1 albums on the Oricon charts, and won the Japan Record Award in 1994 for "Innocent World" and in 2004 for "Sign". As of 2012, Mr. Children has published fifteen original studio albums and 34 physical singles, along with five compilations, a live album, and fifteen home video releases.
GLAY is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, including progressive rock, punk, electronic, R&B, folk, gospel, reggae, and ska. Originally a visual kei band, the group slowly shifted to less dramatic attire through the years. As of 2008, Glay had sold an estimated 51 million records; 28 million singles and 23 million albums, making them one of the top ten best-selling artists of all time in Japan.
Asian Kung-Fu Generation is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. Starting out as a college band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released a series of independent EPs featuring lyrics mostly sung in English. In 2002, they released their major-label EP debut Hōkai Amplifier, from that point singing their lyrics in Japanese. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal Western alternative rock acts as well as their own local Japanese indie-rock and punk scene. Their songs incorporate various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast tempos and prominent power chord guitar riffs in addition to rhythmic groove and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim. Asian Kung-Fu Generation has been cited as one of the best, most balanced modern rock bands to emerge from Japan in the 2000s.
Misia, commonly stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attended Seinan Gakuin University before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She was signed to BMG Japan in 1997, after auditioning for record producer Haruo Yoda.
Orange Range are a 5-member Japanese rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The band left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, Super Echo.
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a tripartite release of a CD single, album and music DVD on their exclusive record label J-One Records. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts.
Girugamesh was a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in 2003. The name is sometimes stylized with a metal umlaut as girugämesh and is derived from the Final Fantasy character. They disbanded on July 10, 2016.
The discography of Japanese R&B singer Misia consists of nine studio albums, three compilation albums, one extended play (EP), one live album, six remix albums, twenty-six singles, twelve promotional singles, eighteen video albums and thirty-seven music videos. In 1997, Misia signed a recording contract with BMG Japan and joined the then up-and-coming talent agency, Rhythmedia. Under the sub-label Arista Japan, Misia released her first single, "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni..." in February 1998, followed by "Hi no Ataru Basho" in May. In June, her debut album, Mother Father Brother Sister, opened at number three on the Oricon chart. The album peaked at number one three weeks later and stayed in the top five for eleven consecutive weeks. Mother Father Brother Sister was certified double million and won a Japan Record Award for Best Album, as well as a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. In 2000, Misia's second studio album, Love Is the Message, debuted at number one and was certified double million. It won a Japan Record Award for Best Album and a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. The album spawned three top ten hits: "Believe," "Wasurenai Hibi" and "Sweetness." Misia's first remix album, Misia Remix 2000 Little Tokyo, was released three months later and shot to number one. It sold over 800,000 copies and is the second best-selling remix album of all time in Japan.
"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" is the fourteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 7, 2004 as the first and sole single from Misia's sixth studio album Singer for Singer.
"Luv Parade/Color of Life" is the fifteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 5, 2006 as the first single from Misia's seventh studio album Ascension.
"Sea of Dreams: Tokyo DisneySea 5th Anniversary Theme Song" is the sixteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 12, 2006, and was included as a bonus track on the first pressing of Misia's seventh studio album Ascension.
"Any Love" is the seventeenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 4, 2007 as the first single from Misia's eighth studio album Eighth World.
"Royal Chocolate Flush" is the eighteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on December 5, 2007 as the second single from Misia's eighth studio album Eighth World.
"Yakusoku no Tsubasa" is the twentieth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on May 28, 2008 as the second single from Misia's ninth studio album Just Ballade.
"Catch the Rainbow" is the twenty-first single by Japanese recording artist Misia.
"Shinin' " is a song by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released as a digital single on November 22, 2005 and was used in Biore by Kao commercials. The song was written by Misia while the composition and production were handled by singer-songwriter Joi. A 12" single including remixes by Joe Claussell was released on December 21, 2005.
The Tour of Misia 2008 Eighth World was the thirteenth concert tour by Japanese recording artist Misia, in support of her album Eighth World (2008). Comprising a set list of songs from Eighth World and previous albums, the tour visited arenas nationwide and spanned three months. The Tour of Misia 2008 Eighth World was simultaneously announced with Misia's Hoshizora no Live IV Classics summer tour in April 2007. The tour commenced in late December 2006 and concluded in late February 2007. Initially scheduled to run for eleven shows, an additional date at the Yokohama Arena venue was added as the final show. Sponsored by OCN, the tour drew an estimated audience of 150,000.
"Ashita e" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Misia, from her tenth studio album Soul Quest. A live version of the song was released as a charity single to benefit relief efforts following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami through Ariola Japan on April 27, 2011.
The Tour of Misia 2007 Ascension was the eleventh concert tour by Japanese recording artist Misia, in support of her album Ascension (2007). Comprising a set list of songs from Ascension and previous albums, including two hip-hop and house medleys, the tour visited arenas nationwide for a duration of four months. The tour was announced on August 3, 2006, two days prior to the start of Misia's Hoshizora no Live III Music Is a Joy Forever summer tour. The Tour of Misia 2007 Ascension commenced in November 2006 and concluded three days after the release of Ascension, in February 2007. Initially scheduled to run for eighteen shows, an additional date was later added to the itinerary. Sponsored by OCN, the tour drew an estimated audience of 160,000.
Timeless Fly is the fifteenth studio album of Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota, released on February 24, 2010. The album charted at number 9 on the Oricon Albums chart and remained on the charts for total of 26 weeks. The album sold over 16,063 units in Japan.
