Speed (Japanese band)

Last updated
Speed
Origin Okinawa, Japan
Genres
Years active
  • 1995–2001
  • 2003
  • 2008–2012
Labels
Past members Hitoe Arakaki
Takako Uehara
Eriko Imai
Hiroko Shimabukuro
Website www.avexnet.or.jp/speed/
www.visionfactory.jp/artist/speed/

Speed (stylized in all caps) was a Japanese female vocal/dance group comprising Hiroko Shimabukuro, Eriko Imai, Takako Uehara and Hitoe Arakaki. The age of all two vocals is 11 to 12 year old, the average age of all four members is 12.5 year old. All four members are former students of the Okinawa Actors School [1] which also trained popular artists Namie Amuro and MAX.

Contents

Speed made their major label debut on August 5, 1996, and became an immediate success. They would eventually become the most successful girl group anywhere in Asia with sales of over 20 million singles and albums in just three years and eight months. [2] They disbanded on March 31, 2000, to pursue solo careers and to study. [3]

Following their disbandment, the group reunited several times for charity, but on August 20, 2008, they officially announced plans to reunite permanently. [3] They made their comeback on November 12, 2008, with the single "Ashita no Sora."

History

1995–1997: Early success

The performers who would become Speed met at the Okinawa Actors School and formed a group containing seven to nine rotating members. [1] The group was trimmed down to four when Nippon Television show Yoru mo Hippare [4] (Night of the Hit Parade) requested them to come to Tokyo to perform in December 1995.

Introduced as the younger sisters of Namie Amuro, they requested the audience to give the band a name. Rejecting suggestions such as "The Habus and Mongooses," "Ryukyu Girls" and "Okinawa Girls," the quartet unanimously decided on "Speed." [1]

Unlike most artists from the Okinawa Actors School which were signed to the Avex record label, Speed were signed up by Toy's Factory, which the group stated allowed them more creative freedom and expression. [1] Their sole producer during their time together was Hiromasa Ijichi and the members hoped to emulate U.S. R&B group TLC. [1]

Upon forming, Speed recorded a few songs, however "Body & Soul" was chosen to be their debut single. The video for the song was filmed in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the single sold an impressive total of over 638,000 copies. "Body & Soul" was also Speed's longest charting song, lingering in the charts for 31 weeks.

Body & Soul was quickly followed up by the ballad single "Steady" which was their first million-selling single (1.27 million copies). Following Steady, Speed decided to go with a more upbeat song and released "Go! Go! Heaven". The video for the song was filmed on location in New York and Miami. The song sold over 665,000 copies and became the group's first single to hit No.1 on Japan's Oricon weekly charts. Following "Go Go Heaven", Speed released their debut album Starting Over . The album contained a mix of upbeat songs mixed with soft ballads. Their debut album became their first No.1 album on the Oricon charts. [5] The album's third track, "Luv Vibration", has a music video.

After the release of Starting Over, Speed followed on with their upbeat genre and released the single "Wake Me Up!". The video for the song was filmed on location in the Philippines and sold approximately 671,000 copies (total shipment: 890,000) when it was released. It was also during this time that Speed decided to have their debut concert. The concert titled 'Speed – First Live' was staged outdoors on location in Odaiba and featured an impressive stage with pyrotechnics and acrobatic stunts.

1997–1998: Rise to the top

In October 1997, they released "White Love". Their style saw a change from dance music to a ballad for the single. [6] The Winter-themed single became the smash hit single of that year's holiday period. By the time the single exited the charts it had already sold an impressive 1.845 million copies. [7] After White Love, Speed continued on with their more mature style and released the anthem-like song "My Graduation". The single sold 1.475 million copies and became famous as Japan's highest-selling single on the subject of graduation. [8]

After "My Graduation", Speed finally released their highly anticipated second album Rise . Rise introduced a change in their musical style and took on a much more futuristic sound compared to their original album. Apparently, the single "Wake Me Up!" received a remix just so it could fit in more appropriately with the other tracks on the album. Rise was highly successful, entering the Oricon chart in the top spot [9] and sold over two million copies. [8]

After Rise, Speed decided to give acting a try with the members starring in the Takashi Miike directed Sci-Fi thriller Andromedia . To accompany Andromedia, they recorded a theme track titled "Alive". The single was shot in location in Hawaii and became one of Speed's most popular singles. Despite the single's popularity, the song slightly failed to cross the 1 million mark in sales (total 967,000 copies).

Following Andromedia and "Alive", Speed began what was to be one of their incredible feats – their Rise Tour. They began their tour first by visiting most of the major cities throughout Japan. All of their concerts immediately sold out. They followed up their Japanese tour with what can only be achieved by the most formidable artists in Japan – the Dome Tour of (Tokyo Dome, Nagoya Dome, Osaka Dome, and Fukuoka Dome). Speed are the only female group in J-Pop to achieve the Dome Tour and had an average age of 15.25 at the time, thus they also hold the record for the youngest performers to complete the feat. [6]

During the Dome tours Speed released another single titled "All My True Love", a fast upbeat song shot on location in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was considered a turning point for Speed as it contained the first official solo tracks sung by the two members, Hiroko and Eriko. Hiroko's song was titled Mitsumete Itai and Eriko's Tsumetaku Shinaide (under the name, 'Eriko with Crunch', a dance troupe). Both songs also contained their solo music videos shot in Universal Studios, Hollywood. The single was also Speed's first Maxi single to be released on a regular 5" CD, all previous singles having been released on the fashionable 3" Mini CD single format. The single topped the charts again and went on to sell over 1.22 million copies.

After the release of "All My True Love", Speed followed up by releasing their greatest-hits album: Moment , which topped the charts and shipped over 2.3 million units. Moment contained all of Speed's released singles at that time along with a couple of popular album and single tracks. The album also contained a critically acclaimed Christmas version of the single "White Love" and a hidden instrumental track of the song. The first print edition of the album came with flip book showing their trademark dance moves. Three random versions were available – "Body & Soul", "White Love", and "My Graduation".

1999: Solo projects

Following Moment , Speed released the single "Precious Time". The single's video was shot on location in Los Angeles and the single itself also featured a coupling track to celebrate the cartoon character Doraemon's 40th anniversary. The single went on to sell over 623,000 copies.

Shortly after the release of "Precious Time", news broke that Takako of the group will be releasing a solo single in March. More surprisingly, the producer will not be Hiromasa Ijichi, but instead Ryuichi Kawamura of Luna Sea. Takako's debut single "My First Love" was highly anticipated and came in at number 1, selling over 530,000 copies. The video for the single was shot on location in Hawaii.

Following Takako's solo debut, it was revealed that another Speed member, Hitoe would also be releasing a solo single. For her debut Hitoe decided to go with a much more adult look, appearing in her video wearing mini skirt & bikini with a short coat. The single titled "Inori" was more RnB in nature and showcased Hitoe's impressive dance moves. In fact for the single, Hitoe adopted the pseudonym Hitoe's 57 Move (57 meaning Go-Na – gonna in Japanese). Hence Hitoe's 57 Move. The shock value of her image may have worked against her as Hitoe's debut single sold approximately 230,000 copies – nonetheless an impressive figure for a debut single.

After "Inori", Speed was back on track again and released another upbeat maxi single, this time titled "Breakin' Out the Morning". The single also contained another solo track by Eriko with Crunch titled – "Everyday, Be With You". The single sold over 582,000 copies and at the time was actually Speed's worst selling single. It was also the first single by Speed which was not an original release but a cover.

Following Breakin' Out to the Morning, the time came for Hiroko to show case her solo talents. Her single titled "As Time Goes By" was produced by Hiromasa Ijichi and was the theme song of the drama series Tengoku no Kiss. The video for the single was shot on location in New York (mainly Brooklyn). "As Time Goes By" was an instant hit, high charting at no. 2 selling close to 900,000 copies.

After Hiro's single, Takako released her second single titled: "Come Close to Me". The single was again produced by Ryuichi Kawamura and sold over 200,000 copies.

2000: Disbandment

In October 1999, Speed announced that they would disband. [2] The news shocked many fans and artists alike as they appeared to be breaking up at the peak of their career. The reason offered was that they have grown up and would like to pursue their own solo paths and interests. [1] The date announced for the disbandment was the following year – March 31, 2000. This date was chosen because it was the time when the Sakura would bloom in Japan, thus signaling new life.

Following the news, on November 3, 1999, Speed released their final single titled "Long Way Home", which had an R&B vibe to it. [10] The single did not debut at no. 1 on the Oricon charts despite first week sales of over 366,000 copies, due to competition from boy-band Arashi's debut single "Arashi" which sold 557,000 copies. [11] Long Way Home eventually sold over 613,000 copies.

Speed then released their final album Carry On My Way containing a variety of tracks from soft-tone ballads to R&B songs and even a couple of rock songs. Overall the album sold 880,000 copies. Their summer tour Speed Tour 1999 Real Life visited arenas and halls before a final dome tour, titled Speed Dome Tour 1999 Real Life, took in 6 shows with their very final concert being held in the Fukuoka Dome on Christmas Day.

A few weeks prior to the disbandment of Speed, hiro release her 2nd single "Bright Daylight" and Eriko finally released her own solo CD under the stage name Eriko with Crunch. Eriko's single titled "Red Beat of My Life" was a fast-paced song produced by Hiromasa Ijichi with a video filmed in New Mexico, USA. The single debuted at no. 3 and sold over 240,000 copies.

On March 29, 2000, Speed released two greatest-hits albums titled Speed the Memorial Best 1335days Dear Friends 1 and Speed the Memorial Best 1335days Dear Friends 2 . The albums contained all their hit singles along with previously unreleased tracks and other popular songs from their single b-sides and albums. Dear Friends 2 contained their break-up theme song "April." The albums also contained a program that when installed displayed small virtual images of the members on a computer screen.

On 31 March 2000, Speed attended Music Station and performed a final 30-minute mini-live singing a few of their hit songs. The last song they sang together was "Starting Over", in which Takako cried during singing.

2001–2007: Post break-up and reunions

On October 6, 2001, Speed held a one-night outdoor live concert at Kobe Awaji for an earthquake charity, attracting more than 24,000 fans. The concert featured past Speed hits, solo songs from individual members and a new single One More Dream.

Subsequently, One More Dream and a live recording album of the concert Speed Memorial Live "One More Dream" + Remix were released on December 12 and December 19 respectively. After being under Toy's Factory record label for 6 years, Speed officially switched to Avex's sub-label, Sonic Groove, at the end of 2001.

On December 2, 2001, all Speed members attended the wedding of their long-time producer Hiromasa Ijichi at which they sang Two of Us from their final studio album, Carry On My Way

On July 17, 2002, all Speed members attended TV Asahi's Suisupe! together as solo artists.

On April 8, 2003, Speed held a press conference in which they announced they would be temporarily reuniting for another charity Save the Children. The charity aims to raise money for unfortunate children in Asia. The temporary reunion lasted until 31 December of the same year. During this period, Speed released their 13th single, Be My Love on 27 August 2003 and all of their past VHS releases to DVD formats, which included Speed Spirits 1 and 2, and their 3 concerts. From 29 September to 14 November, Speed held 19 "Speed Save the Children Live 2003" nationwide concerts.

On 27 November 2003, Speed released their 14th single Walking in the Rain / Stars to Shine Again and 4th studio album Bridge . This was also the first single that was not produced by Hiromasa Ijichi.

On Christmas Day 2003, Speed released a DVD of their charity concert, Speed Save the Children Live 2003 which also included the promotional videos of Be My Love and Walking in the Rain. During the temporary reunion, Speed visited Vietnam to get to know more about the living situations of children over there.

Speed attended their last TV program Japan Record Awards 2003 on 31 December 2003, to receive a special award before ending their status as ambassadors of Save the Children. The charity raised approximately 146,445,469 yen during this period.

On January 9, 2004, Speed released a photo book Bridge consisting of photographs from this temporary reunion. On 11 February 2004, Speed released a live album Best Hits Live: Save the Children Speed Live 2003 .

On 1 August 2006, Toy's Factory opened a Speed 10th anniversary website. On 5 August 2008, the 12th Anniversary of Speed, digital downloads became available for all the group's songs. [12]

2008: Full return of Speed

On 19 August, breaking news was released of all four members of Speed attending the annual NTV charity show named 24 Hour Television on 30 and 31 August, [13] a 3rd public reunion after 4 years and 8 months. The appearance was inspired by Eriko Imai who announced that her son suffered from a hearing disability and that she hoped to convey the songs of Speed to her son somehow. [1] Speed performed a medley of White Love, Steady, All My True Love, Alive & Body & Soul, nine years since they last hosted 24 Hour Television in 1999. After the appearance, Speed's management company received many calls asking whether Speed would reform fully.

On 23 September, an official statement was made by Speed's management company that they would be back officially and permanently, and a new, 15th, single was announced to be released on 12 November 2008 titled Ashita no Sora (あしたの空) (Sky of Tomorrow).

2009: New single, album and nationwide tour

On 1 January, Speed's new fanclub "Speed Way" was opened. Speed released their 16th single on May 27, 2009, titled S.P.D. [14]

Speed won The Best Jeanist Award on 19 October, one of many bizarre end-of-year award shows commonly used to promote Japanese brands towards the end of the year. [15]

Their 'best-of' album, Speedland: The Premium Best Re Tracks , released on their 13th Anniversary, 5 August, charted at number-two on the Oricon charts. One month after the release, Speed began a nationwide tour "Welcome to Speedland Speed Live 2009" which visited 10 cities with 16 shows. This was their first nationwide tour in six years. The tour ended on 1 November.

On 18 November, Speed released a photo-book titled "Welcome to Speedland" which recorded various stages of their tour. The live DVD was released on 30 December. Also on the same day, they received an award from The Japan Record Awards for "Speedland: The Premium Best Re Tracks"

2010: Second nationwide tour after reunion

Soon after the end of the "Welcome to Speedland" tour, a new tour "Speed Live 2010: Glowing Sunflower" was announced on 1 February. The tour ran from 24 April to 16 July, visited 13 cities, and ran for 21 shows. The tour ended at Nippon Budokan and the DVD recording took place at the Osaka-jō Hall.

On 21 April, two days before the tour, Speed's 17th Single "Himawari: Growing Sunflower" was released. The single was again produced by their long-time producer, Ijichi Hiromasa. The single included a track "My Street Life" which was an extended, re-sung and re-arranged version of "Street Life" from their 2nd album "Rise".

During the tour, Speed gave a rare interview to English media, speaking to Metropolis about their comeback coming during a vastly different period of J-Pop than in their heyday, with no other mainstream girl-groups to speak of. [1] In the interview, Shimabukuro stated that they the group were enjoying "starting all over again from zero... and considering what we want to do more this time.” Arakaki stated that "I made up my mind to continue being a member of Speed until I become an old lady."

On 1 September, Speed released their 18th single, a mid-tempo ballad titled "Yubiwa", produced by indie band "Octopus" (producer of GreeeeN, JIN, and Nishi-Ken). This was also the first time after their reunion that no choreography was given to their single PV.

On 2 September, Speed attended a press conference for "Aeon Heat Fact," to announce that they would be endorsing the woman's clothing brand. This was their first CM in 7 years and featured their 19th single "Let's Heat Up!". Two weeks later, on 24 November, the group released their live DVD "Speed Live 2010: Glowing Sunflower".

2011~2012

On 27 April 2011, Speed releases "Bible-Speed Best Clips", a compilation of their music videos.
On 10 August 2011, Speed released their 20th single "Little Dancer". The single included a track "Pride" featuring Ohga.
On 3 September 2012, Speed announced on their official website a new album "4 Colors" to release on 14 November. The album will include 13 songs, 7 Single songs (from 2008 to 2011), "Pride", and 5 new songs. [16] They disbanded again after Arakaki Hitoe didn't renew her contract.

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'z</span> Japanese rock duo

B'z is 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 by certifications, having released 49 consecutive No. 1 singles, 25 No. 1 albums, and 3 No. 1 EPs on the Oricon music charts, and have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Arc-en-Ciel</span> Japanese rock band

L'Arc-en-Ciel, stylized as L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and abbreviated as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist Tetsuya and vocalist Hyde. Following the departure of original members Hiro and Pero, guitarist Ken and drummer Sakura were recruited to replace them in 1992 and 1993, respectively. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, L'Arc-en-Ciel have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994. Sakura left the band in 1997 and was replaced by Yukihiro in January 1998, completing the current line-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai Kuraki</span> Japanese J-pop singer (born 1982)

Mai Kuraki is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. After releasing her US debut single "Baby I Like" in 1999, Kuraki signed with Giza Studio and released her Japanese debut single "Love, Day After Tomorrow" in 1999. In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2.2 million copies in its first week. The album has spawned four top-three singles, "Love, Day After Tomorrow", "Stay by My Side", "Secret of My Heart", and "Never Gonna Give You Up". Eventually, the album sold over 3.5 million copies nationwide and became the best-selling album in Japan in 2000, and has been the ninth best-selling album in Japan of all-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Every Little Thing (band)</span> Japanese musical duo

Every Little Thing is a pop/soft rock duo from Japan who debuted in August 1996 with the release of their first single called "Feel My Heart". Their name is usually written in English, and only rarely in katakana. They gained massive popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As of 2013, Every Little Thing has sold over 23 million copies of singles and albums throughout Japan. Their second studio album, Time to Destination, is the best-selling album of the band with over 3.5 million copies sold, and became the 10th best-selling album of all time in Japan.

KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Smile-Up 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.

<i>Mizérable</i> (EP) 1999 EP by Gackt

"Mizérable" is the debut extended-play or mini album of Japanese singer-songwriter Gackt, released on May 12, 1999, by Nippon Crown. It marked his solo debut, four months after he left Malice Mizer, immediately gaining success reaching second position on the Oricon Albums Chart.

NEWS is a Japanese boy band consisting of Keiichiro Koyama, Takahisa Masuda and Shigeaki Kato. Formed in 2003 by Johnny Kitagawa as a nine-member group under the label Johnny's Entertainment, NEWS released a promotional single "NEWS Nippon", which was used for the World Cup of Volleyball Championships. In 2004, Takahiro Moriuchi left the group and the remaining eight members released their debut single, "Kibō: Yell", which debuted atop the Oricon charts.

Noriko Kamachi, known professionally as Seiko Matsuda, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, winter dinner shows, high-profile TV commercials and movies, and makes frequent TV appearances and radio broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eriko Imai</span> Musical artist

Eriko Imai is a Japanese pop singer, actress and politician. She made her debut in the early 1990s as part of the group Speed, which disbanded in March 2000. Eriko began her work away from Speed during 1998, performing "Tsumetaku Shinai de", under the stage name "Eriko with Crunch", on the Speed single "All My True Love". After the group disbanded, Imai continued her career as a solo artist until Speed's reformation in 2008.

<i>Dahlia</i> (album) 1996 studio album by X Japan

Dahlia is the fifth studio album by Japanese rock band X Japan, released on November 4, 1996, by Atlantic Records. It is the band's last album before breaking up the following year, and the last to feature new work by guitarist hide, due to his death two years later. The album is composed largely of ballads, with only a few tracks retaining the band's heavier musical traits seen on previous releases. It topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for only 15 weeks, but managed to sell over half a million copies. Seven, nearly all, of the album's songs were released as singles, most of which also topped the singles chart and sold well.

<i>Jealousy</i> (X Japan album) 1991 studio album by X Japan

Jealousy is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then known as simply X. The album was released on July 1, 1991, by Sony, as the band's second major label release. Jealousy is the band's best-selling album, having sold more than one million copies, it topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for 50 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top three on the chart. It is their last album under the name "X", before changing to "X Japan", and the last to feature Taiji on bass, who would be replaced by Heath.

Uverworld is a Japanese rock band consisting of six members and originating from Kusatsu, Shiga. They have released eleven studio albums and over thirty singles and have sold over three million records worldwide.

<i>Complete Best</i> (Celine Dion album) 2008 greatest hits album by Celine Dion

Complete Best is the second English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released exclusively in Japan on 27 February 2008. It reached number three on the Oricon Albums Chart, was certified Gold by the RIAJ and has sold 173,100 copies in Japan in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kana Nishino</span> Musical artist

Kana Nishino is a Japanese singer and songwriter signed with SME Records' Newcome Inc. She debuted on February 20, 2008 with the single "I".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daesung</span> South Korean singer (born 1989)

Kang Dae-sung, better known mononymously as Daesung and his Japanese stage name D-Lite, is a South Korean singer and television personality who made his musical debut in 2006 as a member of the South Korean boy band Big Bang. He debuted as a solo artist in South Korea with the number one trot song "Look at Me, Gwisoon" in 2008. Since the inception of the Gaon Digital Chart in 2010, Daesung achieved two Top 10 songs, the digital single "Cotton Candy" and "Wings" from the BigBang album Alive (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Love (Alisa Mizuki song)</span> 1997 single by Alisa Mizuki

"Forever Love" is the thirteenth single by Japanese recording artist Alisa Mizuki. It was released on April 23, 1997 as the fourth single from Mizuki's third compilation album Fiore II. The song was used in commercials for Kafeo canned coffee by Asahi Soft Drinks. "Forever Love" is Mizuki's last single released under Nippon Columbia. The single also marks the first release to credit Mizuki as Alisa Mizuki, rather than Arisa Mizuki.

<i>Live Tour 2007: Black Cherry</i> 2008 video by Koda Kumi

Live Tour 2007 ~Black Cherry~ Special Final in Tokyo Dome, is Koda Kumi's seventh concert video. It reached No. 1 on the Oricon DVD charts and remained on the charts for twenty-four weeks. It sold a total of 105,712 copies in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandaime J Soul Brothers</span> Japanese vocal and dance group

Sandaime J Soul Brothers, formerly simply J Soul Brothers and also known 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.

"White Love" is a single by Japanese girl group Speed. It was released on October 15, 1997. The song marked a point in Speed's career when their style shifted from dance music to other genres, such as ballads. It was number-one on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. It was the 10th best-selling single in Japan in 1997, with 1.164 million copies sold and it has sold a total of 1.845 million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get Smile</span> 1988 song by Chisato Moritaka

"Get Smile" is the third single by Japanese singer Chisato Moritaka. Written by Hiromasa Ijichi and Ken Shima, the single was released by Warner Pioneer on February 25, 1988.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robert Michael Poole (2010-07-08). "Speed – The comeback queens are all grown up". Metropolis (free magazine) . Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  2. 1 2 Herskovitz, Jon (1999-10-11). "Top Japanese girl group Speed coming to a halt". Variety . Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  3. 1 2 "Speed gets back together". Tokyograph. 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  4. "Yoru mo Hippare – Official Site"
  5. "Starting Over" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  6. 1 2 "『わたしたち、もっとビッグになります』--快進撃Speedに特別インタビュー" (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. 1998-12-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  7. "アーティストのブレイクにひと役買う、資生堂CM30年のパワー" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  8. 1 2 ""卒業"ソング、売上No.1シングルは?" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2006-02-22. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  9. "Rise" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  10. "Long Way Home" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  11. "Oricon Weekly Single Charts for the third week of November 1999" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  12. "Speed、デビュー日に初の全楽曲配信開始" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  13. "Speed、『24時間テレビ』で3度目の"復活"決まる!" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  14. "Speed" (in Japanese). Vision Factory. 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  15. Robert Michael Poole (2010-10-07). "Japan's silly award season begins with 'Best Jeanist'". CNN. Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  16. "Speed" (in Japanese). Vision Factory. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2012-09-04.