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.
Hideto Takarai, known by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1991, he is also the lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career.
"Hot Stuff feat. KM-MARKIT" is Kumi Koda's 15th domestic single and features rapper KM-MARKIT. It was limited to 30,000 copies and, since its release, has sold over 29,000 copies. It managed to chart at No. 6 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for ten weeks. The single was only released in CD+DVD format.
Affection is the debut studio album by Japanese pop and R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on March 27, 2002. It has been her only album to not chart in the Top 10, debuting at No. 12 on Oricon and staying on the charts for six weeks, making it her lowest-charting studio album. During its run, it had only sold 91,360 copies. The limited editions of the album contained remixes for "Take Back" and "Trust Your Love", which had previously been released on her North American release of the singles.
Faith is the third album by Hyde, released on April 26, 2006. The limited edition included a DVD with the music video for the two singles: "Countdown" and "Season's Call". The overseas version of the album was released on June 27, 2006. All songs were arranged by Hyde and K.A.Z, his future Vamps bandmate. It peaked at number 2 on the Oricon weekly chart.
Fake? is a Japanese rock musical project led by vocalist Ken Lloyd. Originally a duo, guitarist Inoran left in 2005. Lyrics are mainly in English and sometimes in Japanese.
Oblivion Dust is a Japanese rock band first active from 1996 to 2001; they reunited in 2007. Although they were originally largely influenced by early 1990s American grunge bands, since reuniting their music has become straight alternative rock. They stand out in the Japanese scene as most of their songs are written and sung in fluent English.
"Season's Call" is the Japanese singer, Hyde's seventh single and second single from his album Faith, released 22 February 2006. This is the second single co-produced by Hyde and K.A.Z and has a bonus track "Unexpected (Dist.)", a rock version of the first track from Hyde's first solo album Roentgen (2002).
Vamps is a Japanese rock duo formed in 2008 by Hyde and K.A.Z. Only a year after their founding, Vamps performed its first international tour, ten dates in the United States, and in 2010 they went on their first world tour. Originally signed to Hyde's own record label Vamprose, every release the band has had to date has reached the top ten on the Oricon music chart. In 2013, the group changed labels to Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records and produced their worldwide debut release. After several tours and collaborations with Western acts, Vamps worked with outside producers and songwriters for the first time on the 2017 album Underworld before temporarily ceasing all activities at the end of that year.
"Anytime" is the 39th single released by Japanese artist Koda Kumi. It was released on January 23, 2008, a week prior to the release of her sixth studio album Kingdom. It charted at No. 4 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for five weeks. It was released in both CD and CD+DVD and was of a limited release.
"Love Addict" is the debut single by Japanese rock duo Vamps, released on July 2, 2008. It reached number 2 on the Oricon Singles Chart and was certified Gold by the RIAJ for sales over 100,000.
Vamps is the debut album by Vamps, released on June 10, 2009. The limited edition includes a DVD with the music videos for the album's three singles: "Love Addict", "I Gotta Kick Start Now", and "Evanescent", as well as the video for "Trouble", which features Anza.
"Memories" is the seventh single by Vamps, released on December 15, 2010. The limited edition came with a DVD that includes the music videos for "Piano Duet" and "Memories". The single reached number 4 on the Oricon chart.
"She's Back" is a song released by the South Korean boy band Infinite. The song is the second single from their debut mini album First Invasion and it was released as a digital single on August 4, 2010. The song was later re-recorded in Japanese and will be used as the group's third Japanese single, released on August 29, 2012.
Boys Meet U is the second Japanese studio album by the South Korean boy band SHINee, released on June 26, 2013, in Japan by EMI Records Japan.
"Thank You Summer Love" is the ninth Japanese single by South Korean girl group Kara and the second single from their fourth Japanese album Fantastic Girls. It was released on July 24, 2013 with seven editions. It debuted at number 2 in the Oricon Daily Singles Chart selling 48,479 copies, the group's highest first day sales in the chart.
"Halloween Party" is the debut single released by special 2012 Halloween project unit Halloween Junky Orchestra, led by Hyde and K.A.Z from Vamps. The group contains over thirteen well-known Japanese musicians. It was released on October 17, 2012, in two CD+DVD versions and the limited edition includes a bonus booklet. The single debuted at #3 on the Oricon weekly singles chart. The single charted at #80 on the Oricon yearly singles chart for 2012 and is certified Gold in Japan.
"Hey What's Up?" is the third physical solo single by Japanese singer-songwriter Jin Akanishi, released on August 7, 2013.
Bloodsuckers is the third studio album by Japanese rock band Vamps, released on October 29, 2014. The album reached number 5 on the Oricon chart. Its release followed in Europe on March 23, 2015, and in the United States on March 24. The album's production was done by Josh Wilbur collaborating with Vamps, and Japanese artist Rockin’ Jelly Bean designed the cover artwork.
"Get Away/The Jolly Roger" is the ninth double A-side single by Vamps, and the second single from album Bloodsuckers released on August 20, 2014. The single reached number 3 on the Oricon chart.
