Kumi Koda : 倖田 來未, コウダ クミ : こうだ くみ

A tried-and-true J-pop promotional tactic is to get some overseas exposure for an artist and then tell the often credulous Japanese media that he or she has really made a splash in the U.S., Britain, Botswana or wherever. That's what Avex did with Kumi Koda back in 2000. The label decided to license an English-language remix of a track Koda had recorded called "Take Back" to U.S. dance label Orpheus in November of that year. "Take Back" peaked at No. 18 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. The Japanese media lapped it up, and true to form, gave the Japanese public the impression that Koda had reached that position on the overall Hot 100 singles chart, which wasn't the case. In any event, "Take Back" was released as Koda's debut single in Japan in December 2000, and since then Koda has steadily developed into a major J-pop act, releasing her first album, Affection, in March 2002. Her music is slick, R&B-influenced J-pop, and her voice is earthier than, say, Ayumi Hamasaki, although Koda favors the same kind of mannered - you might say exaggerated - vocal style typical of many J-pop singers. The shapely Koda is very image-conscious, and changes her look with each album like a "kawaii" chameleon. Born in Kyoto in 1982, Koda grew up in a musical environment. Her grandfather was a shakuhachi master, and her mother was a koto teacher who took her daughter to karaoke boxes from an early age. Having decided that her ambition was to be a professional singer, Koda entered Avex's Dream Audition nationwide talent search in her second year of high school, and came second out of 120,000 entrants. Like many other Japanese artists, Koda has recently become popular among American fans of Japanese anime and video games. Her song "Real Emotion" was the theme song for one installment of the Final Fantasy video game series, which led to Koda being invited to perform at the Ushicon anime convention in Austin, Texas, in January 2004. Koda's 2004 album, Secret, peaked at No. 3 on Oricon's album chart. Released in both CD and DVD formats, it's Koda's fourth album, and is a slick, engaging slice of R&B-flavored J-pop.

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 objects to being tagged with the visual-kei label, so much so that they once walked off the stage during a TV broadcast when the MC had the temerity to use the dreaded "V" word when introducing L'Arc-en-Ciel. The band's management also demands apologies from journalists who dare to describe L'Arc-en-Ciel as visual-kei. L'Arc-en-Ciel were in fact identified with the whole decadent/glam visual-kei scene when the band was formed in Osaka in 1991 by vocalist Hyde, guitarist Hiro, bassist Tetsu and drummer Pero. The band's name, by the way, means "rainbow," in French, reflecting the visual-kei scene's fascination with things Gallic, which they associate with fin-de-siecle decadence. L'Arc-en-Ciel's fans, however, refer to the band simply as "Laruku." After gigging extensively throughout western Japan, L'Arc-en-Ciel released their first album, Dune on an independent label in 1993, and their first single, "Blurry Eyes," in October 1994. They soon became one of Japan's biggest rock acts and continue to sell truckloads of CDs. L'Arc-en-Ciel's lineup has changed over the years, starting with the replacement of guitarist Hiro by Ken (the band doesn't seem to go in for surnames much). And at the beginning of 1998, then-drummer Sakura left the band after a drug bust and was replaced by Yukihiro. 1998 also saw the band release three singles on one day - July 8. One of them, "Shinshoku - Lose Control", went to No. 2 on the singles chart. On July 1, 1999, L'Arc-En-Ciel made history by releasing two albums (Ark and Ray) simultaneously in Asia and Japan - an industry first. Those two albums, plus Neo Universe/finale, were among the 17 winners in the Recording Industry Assn. of Japan's Rock Album of the Year category at the 2000 edition of the RIAJ's Gold Disc Awards show. In 2002, Hyde released an all-English version of his solo album, Roentgen (the Japanese edition featured songs in English and Japanese), in Asia. The idea was to get around South Korea's ban on Japanese-language vocals, which was still in force at the time. In contrast to L'Arc-en-Ciel's in-your-face brand of rock'n'roll, Hyde's first solo effort was a collection of quiet songs featuring his plaintive, understated vocals set against lush orchestral backdrops. The singles from the album were released in coffin-shaped jewel boxes. In 2001 Sony released the best-of album Clicked Singles Best 13 in the U.S. L'Arc-en-Ciel started to build up a steady overseas following as anime fans became familiar with the band's music though the use of tunes such as "Blurry Eyes", "Driver's High" and "Ready Steady Go" as TV-animation show theme songs. L'Arc-en-Ciel made their U.S debut on July 31, 2004, in front of an audience of 12,000 fans at the Otakon anime convention in Baltimore, Md. The band received a rapturous reception there when they played "The Fourth Avenue Cafe", the theme song to Japanese samurai anime series Rurouni Kenshin.

Ayumi Hamasaki : 浜崎 あゆみ, ハマサキ アユミ : はまさき あゆみ

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 the century. The country's closest thing to Madonna in terms of her influence on pop culture and music industry clout, Hamasaki peers down from monstrous Shibuya billboards, train car and television advertisements, and magazine covers displayed in thousands of convenience stores and train platform kiosks across Japan. Focusing on Hamasaki's music, which spans several subgenres within the J-Pop spectrum, but which is arguably unspectacular when separated from its creator, would be missing the point of what Hamasaki is all about. Born in 1978 in Fukuoka, Hamasaki was still a toddler when her father left. Raised by her mother and grandmother, she began modelling locally at age seven, in part to help make ends meet. She moved to Tokyo at 14 to pursue modeling and acting, where she found work and some limited success, but knowing that her diminutive size would count against her when going for the high paying modeling jobs, and unsatisfied with acting, Hamasaki drifted away from work, hanging out in Shibuya during the day and dancing at Avex's Velfarre nightclub in Roppongi at night. Adrift, Hamasaki had the good fortune to meet Avex producer Masato "Max" Matsuura, who suggested that she try singing, later paying for vocal training and urging her to write her own songs - an unusual concept for the majority of Japan's "idols". In 1998, Hamasaki released her first two singles, the first stalling at number twenty on the Oricon charts, with the second climbing into the top ten. But in 1999, her third single Love-Destiny shot to the top of the charts, starting an unprecendented run of hit records that continues today. More than the music, though, Hamasaki's real allure lies in her influence, her success, and her status as a cultural icon. Despite starting out as just one in a long line of manufactured pop stars, Hamasaki has pulled off the trick of wresting back control her of her career - another reason that her army of fans adores her and her label indulges her. Everything that the public sees or hears, including songs, costumes, makeup, promotional materials, concert planning, requires her stamp of approval, and many times she directly supervises the creative work. Her work as a spokesperson further magnifies her larger-than-life persona, and she has pitched products for companies including Aube Cosmetics, Honda Motors, Kose Cosmetics, Lycos Japan, Morinaga, Panasonic, and mobile phone company TU-KA. In addition, she continues to appear on countless magazine covers including multiple appearances on Cawaii, the fashion and lifestyle bible for the legions of young Hamasaki fans. More and more, there are rumblings in the industry that she may retire, or at least scale back her full-scale onslaught on the consciousness of Japan, but there is little indication that this is going to happen in the near future.

Official Site (Japanese)

Hikaru Utada : 宇多田 ヒカル, ウタダ ヒカル : うただ ひかる

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 sold more than 17 million albums and 16 million singles. Born and raised in New York, "Hikki" has music in her blood: her parents are music producer Teruzane Utada, and Junko Utada, who in the 1970s was one of Japan's top singers, under the name of Keiko Fuji. Utada's music, although basically pop, has more of an R&B feel than most J-pop. And girl-next-door Utada is less in thrall to the whole "geinokai" Japanese showbiz system compared with idol-style stars like Hamasaki - Utada's TV appearances are few and far between, for example. Utada also writes her own songs, which also sets her apart from many other luminaries of the J-pop scene. In 2002 she signed with Island Def Jam, part of the giant Universal Music Group, as an English-language performer, while still under contract to Japanese label Toshiba-EMI as a Japanese-language artist. The unprecedented Island Def Jam deal resulted in Utada's English-language Exodus album in autumn 2004, which unfortunately failed to click with American music fans, proving once again just how hard it is for Japanese acts to break Stateside.

Official Site

The Pillows : ザ・ピロウズ : ざぴろうず

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, with Sawao Yamanaka on guitar and vocals, Shinichiro Sato on drums, Yoshiakai Manabe on guitar, and Kenji Ueda on bass. The Sato and Ueda rhythm team had previously played together in the popular rock band Kenzi & the Trips. After leaving that band, they drafted Yamanaka, who brought strong songwriting skills in addition to a powerful voice, and lead guitarist Manabe from the visual-kei leaning group Persia. At the start, they called themselves the Coinlocker Babies, recording a five song demo under that name. The band played over 70 shows a year, developing a tight but passionate brand of alternative rock. Their hook-filled, guitar driven sound, matched with Yamanak's spirited singing, has recieved a wide range of comparisons including the Jam, Oasis, REM and Weezer. After nearly three years of playing clubs, The Pillows signed to the indie Captain Records where they re-recorded their demo songs and released an EP under the name The Pillows. In 1991 the band moved up to the larger Pony Canyon Records, where they made their first full album Moon Gold.

Official Site (Japanese)

Namie Amuro : 安室 奈美恵, アムロ ナミエ : あむろ なみえ

Namie Amuro, born September 20, 1977, (real name Namie Maruyama, said to be one quarter Italian), was a huge sensation in the 90's and has gone on to be one of the most successful Japanese pop artists of all time. While she is generally considered an idol, her staying power suggests that she is at least a special breed of idol. Her strong points are generally regarded as her tough-but-sexy attitude, her gutsy voice, her R&B dance moves and her trend-setting dress style. Her tinted hair, platform shoes with miniskirt, tweezed eyebrows, flower in hair, and to a lesser degree her barcode tattoo, have all been widely copied. Amuro's legions of her fans have been dubbed "amura" (a mix of Amuro and admirer) by the media, and influence on fashion can be seen throughout the country.

Stereopony : ステレオポニー : すてれおぽにー

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 2007, the all-girl trio, still in highschool, got their first break on the rock radio program School of Lock!, a Tokyo FM radio program whose name plays on the 2003 Jack Black movie School of Rock, and where the radio personalities are known as senseis, or teachers. The band was soon pegged as a potential big player, and their first single, "Hitohira no hanabira", was granted the slot as the seventeenth ending theme for the anime series Bleach, bringing them more recognition. Their second single, "Namida no muko", was released in February 2009, serving as the second opening theme to the second series of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. A chance encounter with idol Yui in an Okinawa recording studio led to the single "I do it", yet another Bleach theme song.

Official Site (japanese)