Rankings - Top 100 Artists
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Preview 01. Kiyoshiro Imawano
Known as "King of Rock", and sometimes "King of Live (performance)", Kiyoshiro Imawano was one of the Japan music scene's most revered and prolific figures for forty years, working...
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Preview 02. Chara
With her wild earthy look and distinctive voice, Chara is one of the most easily identifiable artists on the music scene. Making music that is at the same time innocent and mature, clean and dirty,...
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Preview 03. Puffy
Puffy (comprising Yumi Yoshimura and Ami Onuki) debuted in 1996 with the single "Asia No Junshin (Pure Heart of Asia)", which sold more than 1 million copies. The duo specialize in an upbeat...
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Preview 04. Kodo
Drumming group Kodo has taken the art of playing Japanese taiko drums to new heights both musically and as spectacle, achieving international fame in the process. Kodo traces its origins to Ondekoza, which...
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Preview 05. 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 06. 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 07. 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 08. 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 09. 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 10. 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 11. 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 12. Asuca Hayashi
Jaws dropped when Asuca Hayashi began singing at Toshiba-EMI's Music Talks showcase event in Tokyo in late 2002. Just 13 at the time, the diminutive (154 cm tall) Hayashi displayed an amazingly mature,...
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Preview 13. 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 14. 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 15. hitomi
hitomi (always in lower case) is a very cute and sexy girl. Oh, and she also happens to sing. Born Hitomi Furuya on January 26, 1976 in Tochigi prefecture, hitomi has been a popular idol singer now...
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Preview 16. 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 17. 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 18. Bonnie Pink
Kaori Asada, better known as Bonnie Pink, got her first break in the music industry when Pony Canyon scouts caught one of her gigs when she was still a college student in Kyoto. Her first album, Blue...
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Preview 19. 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 20. The Brilliant Green
The Brilliant Green is one of Japan's premier power pop bands. The band was formed in 1995 by guitarist Ryo Matsui and bassist Shunsaku Oda, who brought in singer Tomoko Kawase (Tommy) after seeing...
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Preview 21. Aqua Timez
Aqua Timez formed in 2000 after two of the original members, the vocalist and bass met on the internet and discovered that they attended the same university. At their formation with all their...
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Preview 22. 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 23. Kinki Kids
Kinki Kids are Koichi Domoto (born January 1, 1979) and Tsuyoshi Domoto (born April 10, 1979). While the two share a surname and have a TV show called Domoto Kyodai (Domoto brothers), they...
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Preview 24. Namie Amuro
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...
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Preview 25. Toddle
When the mighty Number Girl called it quits in 2002, leader Shutoku Mukai wasn't the only member who put together a new band. By the end of the year, female guitarist Hisako Tabuchi had the beginnings...
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Preview 26. tetsu
Tetsuya Ogawa (born October 3, 1969, at Osaka in Kansai, Japan), known professionally as tetsu, is the leader and bassist of the Japanese rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel....
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Preview 27. Base Ball Bear
Figuring out Japanese band nomenclature can be frustrating, and Base Ball Bear is a case in point. It seems that the band's four members really liked a song by Japanese female singer Chocolat called...
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Preview 28. 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 29. 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 30. The Mad Capsule Markets
The Mad Capsule Markets were formed in Tokyo in 1990, consisting of Kyono on vocals, Takeshi Ueda (who early on called himself Cray) on bass, Motokatsu...
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Preview 31. Mai
Mai is pop singer form Hokkaido, Japan. On December 2002, she debuted as Ruppina, for the anime One Piece 9th ending theme "Free Will", although she only officially debuted as Ruppina...
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Preview 32. 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 33. 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 34. Tommy heavenly6
After a performance as Tommy february6 in 2003, Kawase took off her glasses and donned a much more alternative look to create Tommy heavenly6, a brand new character with a modern rock sound....
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Preview 35. 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 36. Guitar Wolf
Decked out in head to toe black leather, shades, greased up hair and delivering a devastating cherry bomb guitar attack, Tokyo's Guitar Wolf are cooler than you are. Like the Ramones - an obvious influence...
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Preview 37. Flipper's Guitar
By the time Keigo Oyamada became a worldwide phenomenon as Cornelius, he had already conquered Shibuya and the rest of Japan as half of pop duo Flipper's Guitar. Along with bandmate Kenji Ozawa (nephew...
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Preview 38. 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 39. RENI MIMURA
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Preview 40. 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 41. High and Mighty Color
High and Mighty Color, known to fans as "haikara", is a sextet that juxtaposes well-executed hard rock overlaid with clear, melodic vocals. Hailing from Okinawa, High and Mighty Color follows...
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Preview 42. YUI
YUI is a Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress. She is currently signed to Studioseven Recordings and attached to the talent agency Stardust Promotion. ...
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Preview 43. 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 44. girugämesh
Formed in 2003 in Chiba, Shuu and Nii had been friends since elementary school, the earliest incarnation of the band made its first performance while the members were still in high school....
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Preview 45. 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 46. Love Psychedelico
Formed by vocalist Kumi and guitarist Naoki Sato in 1997, Love Psychedelico remains a unique voice in the world of J-Pop. Drawing heavily on music from the 60s and 70s, Kumi's nuanced mix of Japanese...
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Preview 47. 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 48. Dragon Ash
Dragon Ash has been one of Japan's most successful bands of the last decade, and influential in helping establish Japanese hip-hop and "mixture-kei". The group was originally formed by high...
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Preview 49. 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 50. 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 51. Hitomi Kuroishi
Hitomi Kuroishi is a female singer-songwriter and composer, born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. While she is sometimes credited as Hitomi (with a capital H) for...
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Preview 52. Morning Musume
Morning Musume, literally "morning daughter", is a pop culture phenomena that launched in 1997. While in some ways reminiscent of Onyanko Club (or in American terms something like a cross...
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Preview 53. The Blue Hearts
The Blue Hearts were a punk rock band, who managed to be both credible to punk fans and achieve mainstream popularity. The band consisted of Hiroto Komoto on vocals, Masatoshi "Marcy" Mashima...
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Preview 54. Koshi Inaba
Koshi Inaba, born Hiroshi Inaba, is the vocalist and lyricist for the Japanese hard rock band, B'z. Before becoming a rock star, Inaba graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National...
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Preview 55. Shokichi Kina
Shokichi Kina is to Okinawan music what Bob Marley was to reggae: The Man. Kina, born in Okinawa in 1948, is perhaps best known as the composer of "Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana wo (Blooming...
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Preview 56. Seiko Matsuda
Seiko Matsuda, the most super of all super idols, and is still going strong in the entertainment business even though she is now in her 40's. Of course many American and European rock bands carry on...
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Preview 57. 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 58. Mika Kato
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Preview 59. Tommy february6
Tommy february6 is one of several side projects (including the similarly named Tommy heavenly6) by The Brilliant Green vocalist Tomoko Kawase, with the curious name being a reference to the date of...
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Preview 60. Ua
Ua is not a Japanese name - it's a Swahili word that means "flower" or "kill." Despite the name, Ua is from Osaka and is Japanese. She made her debut in June 1995 with a four-song...
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Preview 61. Advantage Lucy
Advantage Lucy plays songs influenced by 60s janglepop, Swedish pop, and pretty much anything else that makes people feel good. Presently comprising vocalist Aiko and guitarist Yoshiharu Ishizaka, the...
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Preview 62. Kaname Kawabata
- Kawabata Kaname (川畑要) is a Japanese pop-R&B singer and member of CHEMISTRY (ケミストリー) with his partner Dochin Yoshikuni (堂珍嘉邦 born November 17, 1978). They were...
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Preview 63. Takako Minekawa
Creating a mix of electronica, ambient, bossa nova, and cute Japanese girl pop, Takako Minekawa has cultivated a significant following both at home in Japan and abroad. A child movie and TV star in...
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Preview 64. Gutevolk
Gutevolk is the solo project of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Hirono Nishiyama. Gutevolk's music, generally accompanied by Nishiyama's whispery, childlike vocals, is a mix of ambient...
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Preview 65. Kiyoharu
Kiyoharu Mori (森 清治, born 30 October 1968), better known by his given and stage name, Kiyoharu (清春) is a Japanese singer, songwriter,...
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Preview 66. 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 67. 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 68. 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 69. Thelma Aoyama
Pop/R&B singer Thelma Aoyama, often romanized from katakana to Teruma Aoyama, was born in 1987 in Nara, Japan. Her love for music started early, and at the tender age of three she became a huge...
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Preview 70. Downy
Rock bands have been using images to spice up their live performances ever since the psychedelic light shows of the '0s. But Downy is probably unique among rock bands in having one member (Zakuro) whose...
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Preview 71. Kyaripamyumamyu
Caroline Charonplop Kyarypamyupamyu, better known as "Kyarypamyupamyu" began her life as a model to be interviewed on the streets of Harajuku when her was a high school student.
When...
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Preview 72. Teruhiko Saigo
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Preview 73. Isao Tomita
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Preview 74. 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 75. The Wild Ones
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Preview 76. Inoran
Inoran (birth name Kiyonobu Inoue but sometimes also referred to as Shinobu Inoue, as both readings are possible) is a Japanese rock musician from Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture. He was the rhythm guitarist...
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Preview 77. 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 78. Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was formed in 1992 by vocalist and leader Aiha Higurashi, and named after the band had already played several small gigs. The name, lifted from a track by the same...
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Preview 79. 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 80. Rize
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....
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Preview 81. 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 82. The Cro-Magnons
The hard rocking Cro-Magnons are the next chapter in the story of Hiroto Kōmoto and Masatoshi Mashima, previously of The Blue Hearts and The High-Lows. Also in the group are bassist Masaru Kobayashi...
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Preview 83. 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 84. Versailles
Versailles is a visual-kei band noted for their quick rise to international notoriety. The group was formed in March 2007 by singer KAMIJO and guitarist HIZAKI. Bassist Jasmine You, who had previously...
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Preview 85. Yumiko Ishijima
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Preview 86. Raychell
Raychell’s career as a singer began in 2009 under the pseudonym LAY (changed to Raychell in 2012). She released her debut single “Kono ai de aruyouni” in...
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Preview 87. 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 88. Moi dix Mois
Moi dix Mois is a Japanese musical project founded by Malice Mizer's front, Mana. As part of the visual kei movement it is marked by Mana's selection of guest...
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Preview 89. 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 90. 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 91. 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 92. 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 93. 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 94. Every Little Thing
Every Little Thing generally walks the right side of the fine line between forgettable fluff and well-crafted pop. Presently a collaborative effort between vocalist Kaori Mochida and producer/programmer/keyboardist...
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Preview 95. 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 96. 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 97. Anzen Chitai
While Anzen Chitai (safety zone) officially came together in 1978, their roots are in a high school garage band called the Invaders, who were active in Ashikawa, Hokkaido as far back as 1973. In their...
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Preview 98. Akiko Kobayashi
For a mainstream pop artist who is not well known outside of Japan, Akiko Kobayashi has had a rather odd career path, and one that has seen her work with an impressive list of international stars. ...
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Preview 99. Chihiro Onitsuka
Employing a mix of folk rock and heartfelt ballads in her guitar and vocal driven delivery, Chihiro Onitsuka fits into the singer/songwriter category of artist. Growing up on the island of Kyushu,...
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Preview 100. 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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