Rankings
Most Viewed Artist Profiles
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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. 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 03. 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 04. 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 05. 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 06. 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 07. 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 08. 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 09. 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...
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Preview 10. 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 11. m-flo
m-flo are one of the biggest names in Japanese hip-hop, and became such by bringing together foreign influences and Japanese sensibilities. The group's nucleus of composer/ trackmaker/producer Taku...
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Preview 12. Capsule
More of a lifestyle accoutrement than a band, Capsule creates music to complement the Eames chair in your corner and the Motherwell on your wall. The brainchild of composer, lyricist, designer, cinematographer,...
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Preview 13. Tomomi Ogawa
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Preview 14. 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 15. 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 16. Rina Suzuki
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Preview 17. 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 18. 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 19. 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 20. 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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