Rankings - Top 100 Artists
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Preview 01. Ayumi Hamasaki
With a string of successive hits, live and television appearances, model and spokesperson gigs, and interviews, Ayumi Hamasaki has reigned as Japan's undisputed queen of pop since before the turn of...
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Preview 02. Dir en grey
Dir en grey are one of the newer generation of "visual-kei" bands, and a leading contender to be the first to break internationally in a major way. The band formed in February 1997 from the...
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Preview 03. Gackt
One of the best-known figures in Japanese history is Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the brave but doomed 12th-century warrior who exemplifies the archetype of the bishonen - a young man of extraordinary,...
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Preview 04. Haruna Ono
Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture Blood type: A Height: 153 cm
HARUNA, the eldest among the group and also serves as the leader. A girl who had a passion for dancing and dreamed of...
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Preview 05. Mami Sasazaki
Sasazaki Mami has the best guitar skills among the girls, and serves as the lead guitarist in SCANDAL. She often amazes fans that come to see them live with her dexterity and skill with the electric...
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Preview 06. Rina Suzuki
RINA, the youngest among the group and serves as the drummer. A girl that always has a smile painted on her face when performing – showing that performing and music is nothing but love. She’s...
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Preview 07. Malice Mizer
Depending on your point of view, Malice Mizer were either one of the most ridiculous or most brilliant of Japan's "visual-kei" bands. The group, whose name is said to be based on the notion...
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Preview 08. Tomomi Ogawa
Birthplace: Hyogo Prefecture Blood type: A Height: 157 cm
TOMOMI, the bass and writer of majority of their songs. Like HARUNA, she also dreamed of becoming a dancer but rock n’ roll opened...
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Preview 09. Yutaka Ozaki
Death sells. That's the cynical conclusion one reaches when looking at the career of tragic Japanese rock 'n' roller Yutaka Ozaki. Since he died at age 26 on April 25, 1992, Ozaki has become mythologized...
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Preview 10. One Ok Rock
One Ok Rock (stylized as ONE OK ROCK) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2005, composed of four members, Taka, Toru, Ryota, and Tomoya. It originally contained a fifth member, Alex, but...
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Preview 11. Maximum the Hormone
Maximum the Hormone live up to their name, a full-on punk band with feral, provocative music. Maximum the Hormone was formed in 1998 in the suburbs of Tokyo. The group currently consists of Ryo-kun...
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Preview 12. Kyu Sakamoto
Kyu Sakamoto has the distinction of being the only Japanese artist to ever to score a #1 hit internationally. His song "Ue o Muite Aruko", known outside Japan as "Sukiyaki", went...
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Preview 13. Chage and Aska
Chage and Aska were THE J-pop success story in the late '80s and early '90s. The two natives of Fukuoka Prefecture first came to the public's attention by winning the 1979 Yamaha Popular Song Festival,...
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Preview 14. Aya Hirano
Aya Hirano is a seiyū and J-pop singer who has had roles in several anime, visual novels, and TV commercials in Japan. She is contracted to Space Craft Produce, a branch of Space Craft Group for her...
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Preview 15. Polysics
The matching jumpsuits and spaceman shades immediately recall Devo, but Polysics pump out music in a bionic new wave punk style that has mutated into something uniquely their own. Founded in Tokyo...
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Preview 16. L'Arc~en~Ciel
L'Arc-en-Ciel is not a "visual-kei" band. Repeat - not a "visual-kei" band. Not at all. Just a straightahead rock band. That message bears repeating because the band vehemently...
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Preview 17. Scandal
Proclaiming themselves "The Most Powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock", the band Scandal comprises four high school girls from Osaka: Haruna Ono (vocals, guitar), Tomomi Ogawa (bass, vocals),...
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Preview 18. BoA
South Korean female vocalist BoA, who made her Japanese debut in May 2001 with the single "ID; Peace, is unusual in that she's a star both in her home country and in Japan. BoA was born on Nov....
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Preview 19. Tokyo Jihen
Tokyo Jihen, officially translated as Tokyo Incidents, is the vehicle of iconic singer/songwriter/guitarist Ringo Shena. Aggressively billed as a "real band", and including Shena's accomplished...
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Preview 20. Glay
Glay is possibly the most popular of Japan's "visual-kei" acts (rivaled only by Luna Sea, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and X ), and are definitely one of the most successful rock groups in the country....
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Preview 21. LM.C
LM.C was founded by maya, a support guitarist for musician Miyavi in the support band Ishihara Gundan (Ishihara being Miyavi's real last name, Gundan means 'brigade' or 'army' in Japanese) and a guitarist...
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Preview 22. Asian Kung-Fu Generation
The quartet Asian Kung-Fu Generation plays high octane guitar rock with emo and powerpunk influences. The group was formed in 1996 when Kensuke Kita (guitar, vocals), Hideyo Yamada (bass, vocals),...
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Preview 23. Judy and Mary
Comprising Yuki Isoya (vocals), Yoshihito Onda (keyboards), Kohta Igarashi (drums), and Takuya Asanuma (guitar), Judy and Mary played pop punk that was defined by Yuki's distinctive vocal style, superb...
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Preview 24. The Peanuts
The Peanuts were one of Japan's first pop sensations, and one of the few that has become well known internationally. The duo comprised identical twin sisters Emi and Yumi Ito, born Hideyo and Tsukiko...
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Preview 25. HYDE
HYDE is the singer for the Japanese rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel. Hyde keeps his personal information secret. He confirmed his birthdate in an interview for the 2002 March issue of Rockin On Japan. ...
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Preview 26. Char
Along with Tomoyasu Hotei, Char is one of Japan's few bona fide guitar heroes, and after a long and eventful career he has become firmly ensconced as one of the Japanese music scene's elder statesmen....
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Preview 27. Momoe Yamaguchi
"Living legend" is a term loosely thrown around; often an exaggeration or an indication only that somebody once did something spectacular. However to call Momoe Yamaguchi a living legend is...
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Preview 28. Sketch Show
Sketch Show is the current vehicle for former Yellow Magic Orchestra members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The band was formed in 2002, when Hosono approached Takahashi with the idea. Similar...
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Preview 29. Cymbals
The Cymbals are a perfect illustration of a band that looked good on paper but which didn't live up to its initial promise. Like Hermann H. & the Pacemakers, Clammbon and similar bands that emerged...
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Preview 30. The Mods
Despite the name, The Mods were one of Japan's first high profile punk bands. In their earliest days they were mod-geared, but during their heyday their musical and fashion influences were primarily...
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Preview 31. Saori Yuki
Saori Yuki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saori Yuki (由紀さおり Yuki Saori?,...
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Preview 32. Ellegarden
Ellegarden are Takeshi Hosomi on vocals and guitar, Shinichi Ubutaka on guitar, Yuichi Takada on bass, and Hirotaka Takahashi on drums. In their tenth year as a band, 2008, they announced they would...
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Preview 33. Crystal Kay
Crystal Kay was born Crystal Kay Williams on February 26, 1986 in Yokohama, the daughter of a bass playing African American father and a singing Korean mother. She began singing at a very young age,...
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Preview 34. Kenji Sawada
Kenji Sawada has been one of Japan's top entertainers for nearly 40 years, and is a prototype of the seemingly gay male entertainer, the concept of which has long fascinated Japanese. Sawada debuted...
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Preview 35. Cornelius
One of the few Japanese artists to make a significant impact overseas, Keigo Oyamada (a.k.a. Cornelius) has played a leading role in the development of Japanese music, art, and fashion since the early...
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Preview 36. Sowelu
To students of ancient Irish runes, the word "Sowelu" means "sun", but to music fans in Japan it generally connotes R&B tinged pop with an upbeat, positive vibe and message....
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Preview 37. Ami Suzuki
Ami Suzuki's disappearing act is one of the Japanese music scene's more depressing stories. Until 2001, girl-next-door Suzuki was one of the J-pop scene's most visible faces, with a plethora of TV appearances...
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Preview 38. Aya Ueto
In Japan's "chew 'm up and spit 'm out" idol culture, Aya Ueto has had a run longer than most. The Tokyo native, born in 1985, has been a force on the radio and television, and in theaters...
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Preview 39. Minako Honda
Minako Honda was born Minako Kudo in 1967 in a suburb of Tokyo, and grew up largely in nearby Saitama. She liked singing as a youngster, and got her break into the entertainment world when she was scouted...
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Preview 40. Akina Nakamori
Akina Nakamori was born July 13, 1965 in Tokyo. She began taking ballet lessons at age four, and at the age of six penned a school essay about her desire to become a singer. Both athletic and artistic...
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Preview 41. Kenji Ozawa
Kenji Ozawa began his professional music career along with Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, in cult favorite Flipper's Guitar. After a two year gap following the band's breakup, Ozawa resurfaced to high...
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Preview 42. Go! Go! 7188
Go! Go! 7188 are an alternative rock trio who have built up a strong following by writing strong melodic songs and delivering solid rockin’ live shows. Go! Go! 7188 (pronounced Go Go Nana Ichi...
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Preview 43. MOW MOW LULU GYABAN
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Preview 44. Sandii & The Sunsetz
Sandii is a colorful veteran of the Japanese music business, who has gone through a number of stylistic changes over time, yet still maintained a substantial audience. Born Sandii Suzuki in Hawaii,...
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Preview 45. Ringo Shena
One of the Japanese music scene's most interesting and consistently creative artists is Ringo Shena, a hard-rocking singer-songwriter who has carved out a unique niche for herself ever since her debut...
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Preview 46. Pizzicato Five
Luminaries of the much-hyped Shibuya-kei scene, the Pizzicato Five's music combines Burt Bacharach songcraft with go-go kitsch; chanteusy murmurings backed by an updated pastiche of everything that...
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Preview 47. Yo Hitoto
Born in 1976 to a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother, popular singer Yo Hitoto spent most of her pre-kindergarten life in Taiwan. After the unfortunate death of her father to lung cancer, Hitoto...
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Preview 48. The 5.6.7.8's
The 5.6.7.8's formed in Tokyo in 1986. Since then the line-up has changed many times, with the constants being singer/ guitarist Ronnie "Yoshiko" Fujiyama, and drummer Sachiko. The band embraces...
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Preview 49. The Lead
The Lead were a band of foreigners residing in Japan, and were an anomaly as the only successful geijin rock group in the GS scene. The initial lineup of the band was Phil Trainer (aka Phil Steele) ...
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Preview 50. Keiji Haino
Keiji Haino is an unconventional guitarist with a noisy, intense, squalling, feedback drenched sound that has made him a cult artist in Japan and an underground favorite around the world. He describes...
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Preview 51. Ken Ishii
Ken Ishii is among the most innovative and respected artists in the modern techno genre. While loosely categorizable as Detroit style due to its dancefloor orientation, Ishii's music draws on a wide range...
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Preview 52. Stereopony
Following in the footsteps of Orange Range and High and Mighty Color, guitar rockers Stereopony just might be the next Okinawa band to hit it big in the fickle world of Japanese pop. Formed in...
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Preview 53. Modern Girl & Sniper
Modern Girl & Sniper is a techno-pop duo formed by Michiko Yoshinari and Juri Goto. Their brand of electronica is a hyperkinetic soundscape of varying styles, heavy on breezy, playful lyrics and...
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Preview 54. Yellow Magic Orchestra
Seminal is an overused word in the rock critic's lexicon, but it certainly applies to Yellow Magic Orchestra. The pioneering electro-pop band was formed in 1978 by classically-trained keyboardist Ryuichi...
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Preview 55. Luna Sea
Luna Sea was one of the biggest ever "visual kei" bands, active between 1989 and 2000. The band first formed in May 1989 as Lunacy but changed their name to Luna Sea in November 1990. The band played...
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Preview 56. Maia Hirasawa
Maia Hirasawa was born in stockholm Sweden, her father is Japanese, and mother is Swedish. In 2007 she made her debut with the album "Though, I'm Just Me" was acclaimed as Gold...
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Preview 57. Hibari Misora
Two famous Japanese died in 1989. One was Emperor Hirohito, now known posthumously as Emperor Showa. The other was enka singer Hibari Misora (which translates as "beautiful skylark" - the...
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Preview 58. Dorlis
The artist known as Dorlis swings with an ease and lack of pretense that bely her age - 23 years old at the time of this writing. Born and raised in Okayama, Dorlis began studying classical guitar...
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Preview 59. Ken Hirai
Ken Hirai stands out from the rest of the J-pop pack - literally, since he's 183 cm tall. He stands out in a musical sense, too, since talented male vocalists like Hirai are almost an endangered species...
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Preview 60. The GazettE
The GazettE is a Japanese visual kei[1] alternative metal band formed in early 2002, currently signed to PS Company, King Records and CLJ Records. In March 2002, Ruki, Uruha, and Reita (all former band...
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Preview 61. Ai Otsuka
Generally viewed as "the next Ayumi Hamasaki" for Avex, Osaka-born Ai Otsuka has strung together an impressive series of hits in a short period of time, making her a strong contender not only...
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Preview 62. hide
Hideto Matsumoto was born in St Joseph's Hospital, Midorigaoka, Yokosuka, on December 13, 1964. He entered kindergarten in 1968, studying English for three years, followed by...
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Preview 63. Yuki
Yuki Isoya, commonly known simply as Yuki, is one of Japan's more notable female vocalists. Best known as the front-woman and lead vocals of the former rock band Judy and Mary, she has also been part...
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Preview 64. Eikichi Yazawa
Eikichi Yazawa, born September 14, 1949 in Hiroshima, is a veteran rock music figure, with such an incredibly devoted following that it is tempting to call him the Japanese Elvis. He first burst onto...
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Preview 65. Kana Nishino
Nishino Kana emerged as the winner from among 40,000 participants of the Miss Phoenix Audition held by Sony in 2005. She then signed with Sony Music Entertainment and started vocal...
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Preview 66. Janne Da Arc
Janne Da Arc is currently signed on the motorod record label, a subsidiary of avex trax. They have released three indies albums, nine major-label albums (including single collections), 26 singles,...
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Preview 67. Orange Range
Formed in Okinawa in 2001, Orange Range is known as a "mixture hip-hop" band. A sextet, the band comprises Ryo (low range vocals), Hiroki (mid range vocals), Yamato (high range vocals), Naoto...
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Preview 68. sakanaction
Sakanaction is a five-piece rock band. Their style is a mixture of techno-electronica and live rock sounds. Formed in 2005 by Ichiro Yamaguchi (vocals + guitar) and Motoharu Iwadera (guitar) in...
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Preview 69. The Pillows
Despite the sleepy image their name might suggest, The Pillows have been relentlessly rocking for over 20 years, and handling many of the details of their careers themselves. The group formed in 1989,...
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Preview 70. Linda Yamamoto
Women all have their own special qualities and allures. Audrey Hepburn is known for her neck, Marilyn Monroe for her cleavage, J. Lo for her ample bottom, and Japan's veteran pop star Linda Yamamoto...
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Preview 71. Beni Arashiro
Born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1986 to a Japanese mother and half-Japanese father, Beni Arashiro is the first member of the all-girl Bishojo Club 31 to simultaneously pursue a career as a solo artist....
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Preview 72. PYG
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Preview 73. Kotaro Oshio
Kotaro Oshio was born in Osaka in 1968, and started playing guitar in a folk singer/songwriter style at age 14. After high school he attended a music school in Tokyo, and then headed back to Osaka where...
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Preview 74. Yumi Matsutoya
In the fast-paced, fickle world of J-pop, Yumi Matsutoya is a constant reliable presence. You could almost set your watch by her. Just about every fall she releases a new album, and most years she does...
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Preview 75. Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto is Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, two Japanese girls based in New York. The group was formed in 1993, and soon demonstrated an intriguing ability to mix odd combinations of influences into...
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Preview 76. chatmonchy
Chatmonchy is an all-girl guitar rock trio originally hailing from Tokushima Prefecture. The current lineup is Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and Kumiko Takahashi (drums,...
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Preview 77. Shunsuke Takai
Shunsuke Takai is a Tokyo-based singer-songwriter, born in Hamamatsu Shizuoka. He was inspired by the sounds of the 80s and mixture...
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Preview 78. DJ Krush
Like many gifted musicians, the music of DJ Krush defies simple classification. To call him a hip-hop artist, for example, would be to focus on only one aspect of his complex musical personality. Club...
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Preview 79. iLala
iLala is the RnB based pop unit formed with MC Takatsuki & Amy. the debut single"Primavera no akai hana" from 1st mini album was even introduced as a free download tune...
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Preview 80. Camisama
Camisama are a band born out of teenage rebellion, and a deep feeling that the world is damaged and needs to heal. As a teen, founding member Elly found parental control and school stifling, often...
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Preview 81. Pinky & Killers
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Preview 82. Akiko Yano
Akiko Yano was born Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo, and grew up in Aomori. She became Akiko Yano when at a young age she married producer Makoto Yano, who produced her debut album Japanese Girl. She...
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Preview 83. Captain Straydum
Captain Straydum originally began in 1999 when two friends in the Utsunomiya University music circle, Seiya Nagatomo and Keisuke Umeda, decided to form their own band. Lack of a band name didn't...
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Preview 84. Audio Active
Audio Active's shimmering brew of dub reggae and club music influences, has created fans all over the world, while at home in Japan establishing out a solid if non-mainstream following. The band have...
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Preview 85. Dreams Come True
Unlike all-too many J-pop chanteuses, Dreams Come True lead vocalist Miwa Yoshida can actually sing. In fact, she sings incredibly well. The combination of Yoshida's bright, assured vocal style and...
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Preview 86. The Spiders
The Spiders were usually considered the biggest of the "Group Sounds" bands. The term "Group Sounds", often shortened to "GS", was coined as after a huge buzz was created...
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Preview 87. Mari Iijima
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Preview 88. Petty Booka
Petty Booka is an engaging, if unusual, concept - two women singing and playing different genres of music on ukuleles. The duo first formed from the ashes of the all-girl punk band Flamingo A Go Go,...
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Preview 89. Loudness
The kings of Japanese heavy metal are unquestionably the group Loudness. The band was formed in 1981 from the ashes of Lazy, which had contained guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi....
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Preview 90. ka-yu
Kazuyuki Matsumoto (bassist from Janne Da Arc) born January 21, 1975 in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, blood type A. Favorite artists include CRAZY COOL JOE (ex DEAD END bassist) and BOOWY. ka-yu is like a...
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Preview 91. The Tempters
The Tempters first formed in the Tokyo suburb of Omiya, Saitama. The founders of the band, guitarist Toshio Tanaka and bassist Takaku Noburo, were high school buddies. The two started playing together...
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Preview 92. Hikaru Utada
Hikaru Utada holds the distinction of having Japan's all-time top-selling album: her 1999 debut set, First Love has sold about 10 million copies. Including First Love, Utada has so far...
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Preview 93. Boredoms
Japan has a reputation for being unique, wacky, weird, mysterious, and extreme. These same words also help attempts to describe the musical madness, the inspired insanity, the Jello-flavor genius that...
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Preview 94. Dataspeaker
Dataspeaker is a one-man electronica wonder, launched in 1999 by the artist known as Ainee, a seasoned, eclectic...
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Preview 95. Emy Jackson
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Preview 96. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
There is no shortage of bands with wacky names in Japan, and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is up there with the best of them. The band, which broke up at the end of 2003, excelled at incredibly high-energy...
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Preview 97. Blue Comets
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Preview 98. AKB48
AKB48 is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. AKB48 is theater-based and has its own theater in Akihabara (a district in Tokyo) where the group...
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Preview 99. cune
cune is the 4-piece pop rock band formed by Ryouzo Kobayashi(Vo&Gtr), Kouji Ikuma(Gtr), Taizo Nakamura (Bs), Kimito Ookita(Dr) in1999. In 2001 They made their debut with the single “Hoshi...
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Preview 100. Scha Dara Parr
Like the Beastie Boys, their default western counterparts, Scha Dara Parr masterfully balances mass public appeal with strong credibility among kids and artists alike - a balance which has helped them...
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