Japanese music is distinguished by its exquisite melody and romantic orientation, and this applies to both female and male groups. The Japanese love for drama is manifested in general in all forms of art, which attracts such an extensive and motley audience to their work. We will begin our review of the list of j-pop groups with a very distinctive team, successful and beloved all over the world.
Do As Infinity (DAI)
The group was formed back in 1999 and exists to this day. This is the work of the talented vocalist Tomiko Wang, guitarist Owatari Re and composer Nagao Dai. Already the first live performance took place on the largest stage in Japan "Nippon Budokan", after which the group achieved stunning success. Their songs can be heard in television shows, in anime and movies, which allowed the rating of the team in the list of j-pop groups to soar to unprecedented heights. However, after 5 years of a successful career, the team broke up. All the participants took up a solo career, and fans have already put an end to the team, when without a preliminary announcement the group suddenly performed at A-nation. To date, the band’s latest album is called Alive and was released in February of this year.
Laruku (L'Arc ~ en ~ Ciel)
On the list of men's j-pop groups, Laruku stands out separately, who has sold over 13 million copies of her albums over her entire career. The style of the group is classified as a mixture of j-pop, goth rock and folk, and this very unusual combination attracted an international audience to the work of the team. The group has existed since 1991 and has 8 members. In 2012, Laruku had a world tour for their 20th anniversary. The last release took place in December 2016 and was called Don't be Afraid, and this year the group released a live album with recordings of the most hit songs from the anniversary world tour.
Kalafina
The list of female j-pop groups is rightly headed by the majestic Kalafina. This is perhaps the most famous and talented group in Japan today. Kalafina group consists of 3 vocalists with unique data: angelic soprano Wakana Ootaki, velvety deep viola Keiko Kubota and universal mezzo-soprano vocalist Hikaru. Material for girls is composed by composer Yuki Kajiura, who also leads the women's group Fiction Junction. During their career, the girls performed dozens of songs for the most famous anime, including The Dark Butler, and also repeatedly performed in the USA at the largest anime festivals.
The last full-length album "Calafins" was released in 2015 and was called Far on the Water, the next year an acoustic album dedicated to Christmas was released, after which the group went on a long tour. Then, after releasing several singles in 2017, the group announced the end of their career. The last concert was held in Tokyo, where the girls almost cried, saying goodbye to the grateful and devoted audience. All three vocalists promised to start a solo career.
Perfume
Perfume girls are on the list of j-pop groups with a twist. This is an electro-pop group from Hiroshima, which also consists of 3 beautiful girls: A-chan, Kashiyuka and Nochchi. The team was formed in 2005 and gained nationwide popularity only after 2 years with the single Polyrythm, which was used in the advertising of the recycling campaign. To date, the band is on tour with their latest Cosmic Explorer album. During their careers Perfume performed at leading anime festivals and in the legendary Nippon Budokan Hall.
Orange range
If you are interested in a blend of hip-hop and rock music, listen to the Orange Range, they occupy one of the first lines in the list of world-wide j-pop groups. The group was formed in 2001 and consists of 5 people: 2 vocalists, drummer, guitarist and bass player. At first, the guys played in small clubs, and the group came in popularity with the single Viva Rock, which became the ending of the famous anime "Naruto". This was followed by a series of successful albums and singles, which won first places in Japanese charts. In 2005, the band released an opening for the Bleach anime called Asterisk. Incendiary and rock'n'roll songs of the group each time are perceived by the audience with enthusiasm and enthusiasm.