Japanese rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel recently launched one of the nicest MySpace pages I’ve seen in awhile, just before they kicked off their current world tour. Although the international leg of the tour is over, you can still catch them at the Tokyo Dome May 31, June 1, and 3, and at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome June 7, and 8.
Tag Archive for 'j-pop'
Chaos would be an understatement at Odaiba Mall (Tokyo) recently, as it was the surprise location for a reunion video shoot for quite possibly the greatest band in Japanese history..X-Japan. Many would have accepted their beloved bands fate long ago, but not THIS band’s fans. Want to see how fast 3 shows at the Tokyo Dome sell out? Just wait and see..
Arriving home to Japan to much more press than the last time around, Ochi Yosuke is asking the media to believe he’ll win the next World Air Guitar Championship 3 times straight. Even with his unorthodox playing style, he still manages to mesmerize the Finnish judges quite handily. And seeing that he puts about as much passion into the contest as his own comedy career, who should doubt him?
X-Japan’s Yoshiki, made an interesting new blog post recently, in which he talked about a particular night right before his L.A. JRock extravaganza. Apparently, he was driving past the venue a few evenings before the show, and noticed a bunch of people camped outside. Intrigued by the sight, he phoned one of his personal assistants to find out what all the fuss was about. He was gently reminded that it was non other than HIS show that they were all awaiting for! After learning that some had been there for several days, he returned minutes later, shocking everyone with coffee and hot chocolates to help ease their wait..
Even though she’s quite new to the Japanese music scene, pop singer Ayaka is turning more than a few heads, after the incredible selling success of her debut album “First Message.” The album sold 300,000 copies the first week, and 1 million shortly thereafter, earning her a “Best New Artist” nod at the “2006 Japan Record Awards.” She’s currently rumored to be working with a top secret Asian producer, all in hopes of creating just the right single to capitalize on her incredible new-found popularity.
This month, my hat goes off to a special group of fans, fans willing to wait an astonishing 17 years to see their favorite band play live again. I’m speaking of those dedicated to the Japanese group D’Erlanger. Many were willing to fly any distance, paying any price to see the group, and their hopes finally became reality after an announcement came that D’Erlanger would perform live again in late April. Playing before 3 thousand of their most dedicated in central Tokyo, many were ecstatic, many were in tears, their long wait was over, but one question remained. When will their beloved band ever play again?
Hello Kitty announced that they will be offering a Ayumi Hamasaki figurine to their already extensive lineup of unique designs. Luckily, Ayumi couldn’t be happier, commenting in the press that she’s adored the brand since childhood, and is quite excited by the honor. The figurine will be a cute caricature of Ayumi holding a white cat, and will cost fans the equivalent of $5 to purchase. So far, it’s mainly on sale during her current Asian tour, but is expected for a wider release sometime in the next several weeks.
Popular Japanese group Morning Musume, are mixing things up for the first time in their long illustrious history, by adding the first non-Japanese members to their lineup. This comes, after several semi-secret auditions were held throughout China, in which the entire Chinese countryside was scoured, looking for just the right girls that fit the Morning Musume mold. The two lucky girls, 16 year old Qian Lin, and 19 year old Li Chun were handpicked from the most promising of the lot, and both have been sent for intensive training in dance, singing, and the Japanese language. Producers are wanting them primed and ready as quickly as possible, as they’re gearing them up for a national Japanese debut sometime very soon.
Korean pop singer BoA’s enormous success in Japan, has made it all but impossible for her to spend time promoting, or performing just about anywhere else. This of course, has caused many grumblings back home, with Korean fans complaining that it’s virtually impossible to see her live without incurring the expensive costs of flying back and forth to Japan. After hearing about these issues for so long, BoA decided to take matters into her own hands, and arranged for a special one night only performance earlier last month. After the audience’s not surprising enthusiasm for the show, there was talk of adding a few more, but with her Japanese popularity being what it is, and the responsibilities that come with that, it may not be realistic to expect something like that to materialize anytime soon.
Producers for one of Japan’s most popular televised specials, “The Red and White Song Contest”, had a lot of explaining to do this month, after more than two hundred of the shows viewers called in to to complain about several nude dancers splashed across their TV sets. The producers, as well as broadcaster NHK, had to apologize profusely for what they termed, “a very serious misunderstanding.” The “misunderstanding” in question, turned out to be nothing more than an optical illusion, as the flesh colored bodysuits worn by the shows dancers, fooled Japanese viewers into thinking they were performing without any clothes on. As the complaints mounted, producers reportedly called emergency meetings in which wardrobe designers, and production staff, had to promise that nothing like this would happen again.
