Boa : ボア : ぼあ

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. 5, 1986, and was signed to South Korean record label SM Entertainment in her early teens. She came to the attention of Avex, Japan's biggest independent label, after scoring a top-10 album in South Korea with her debut set, ID: Peace B, and in 2001 signed a recording deal with Avex. Her success as a chart-topping J-pop artist can be seen as part of the overall "Korea boom" in Japan that was triggered by Japan and South Korea co-hosting the 2002 soccer World Cup tournament. Unlike many Japanese-Korean celebrities, who hide their ethnic origins for fear of discrimination, BoA has been billed as Korean from day one. "BoA," by the way, is a stage name - which stands for "Beat of the Angel" - based on her real name, Kwon Boa. BoA's 2002 album, Listen to My Heart, hit No. 1 on the Oricon album chart, making BoA is the first artist from Asia ever to have a No. 1 album in Japan, according to Japanese music industry magazine Oricon. Her music lies somewhere between Avex's trademark dance-pop (for example, Ayumi Hamasaki) and the more American R&B-influenced type of music that's proved so successful for Hikaru Utada. BoA has become a "tarento" (talent) in the classic J-pop mold, with endless media appearances and scads of product endorsements.

Official Site

Rize : ライズ : らいず

Rize were formed in June of 1997 with Jesse, son of Japan's super guitarist Char, on vocals and guitar, Nobuaki Kaneko on drums and Tokie on bass. Jesse and Nobuaki had grown up as childhood friends. The band started play around the Shimokitazawa area, and soon built up a strong following, with their aggressive rock meets hip-hop sound.

Official Site (Japanese)

Maximum the Hormone : マキシマムザホルモン : まきしまむざほるもん

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 on guitar, Daisuke-han on screaming vocals, Ue-cyan on bass, and Nao on drums and vocals. Nao, the younger sister of Ryo, plays the drums adroitly and ferociously despite her petite size, and her high voice adds a distinct contrast to the bellows of the front men. Their bass player Ue is also an exceptional musician, and says he is most influenced by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His bass style (and his hair), if influenced by Flea, is so only in that it is wild yet solidly cool. However Maximum the Hormone does not play to show off their chops; they seem more bent on venting their feelings and having a good time. Ryo is the group's main songwriter, and he lists as amongst his inspirations System Of A Down, the Ramones, Mike Patton, NOFX, Suicidal Tendencies and Snot.


Official Site

Orange Range : オレンジレンジ : おれんじれんじ

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 (guitar), Yoh (bass), and Katchan (drums), all acquaintances since childhood, and plays tight, melodic tunes overlaid with the rap of the group's three MCs. The band gigged aggressively from its inception, playing over 70 gigs a year in tiny Okinawa alone, during which time the members honed the chops that would eventually help win them a major label contract.


Official Site (japanese)

Dir en Grey : ディル・アン・グレイ : でぃる・あん・ぐれい

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 ashes of a band called La:Sadies. The group has a five piece, all male cast who all go by single word stage names. Their real names are kept secret, but fans have dug them up, although some are disputed. The members are Kyo (Toru Nishimura), vocalist, lyricist and poet; Kaoru (Kaoru Niikura), guitarist, oldest member, the leader of the group and main composer; Die (Daisuke Ando) guitar; Toshiya (Toshimasa Hara) bassist, his playing one of the most distinctive parts of Dir en grey's sound, and Shinya (Shinya Terauchi) drummer, the most girlish of the bunch, who is said to be shy and love dearly his dog Miyu. All of the members come from different cities, but how they came together is not part of their official history. The band's name, another mystery, is thought by some to be derived from Latin for "grey or silver coin", but seems more likely a pun on Oscar Wilde's character Dorian Grey.

Official Website