News tagged as "Musician"
ALI Enters Indefinite Hiatus Following Drummer's Arrest
Tokyo-based multinational funk band Alien Liberty International (ALI) announced on Friday that they are entering an indefinite hiatus. The news comes after the two arrests and indictment of the band's drummer Kahadio (born Kadio Shirai). The band's management has rescinded its contract with Kahadio, effectively dismissing him from the band. On April 4, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Kahadio for participating in a refund scam. He was arrested again on April 23 for another frau...
Singer, Voice Actress Minori Chihara Suspends Music Career
Singer and voice actress Minori Chihara announced on her official blog on Friday that she will take a break from her musical activities. She will continue her voice acting career. "Reaching the age of 40 during the coronavirus pandemic was a major turning point for me to reconsider my future. Reflecting on myself, I began to think that the path as a musical artist may not be all of me," Chihara wrote. "To live more like myself, I would like to continue taking on challenges in works that bring sm...
Idol Group AOP to Disband in March
The official website for the AOP (Anime "Katte ni" Ouen Project) idol group announced on Monday that the group will end activities on March 31, 2021. Nikkei Entertainment! and AT-X established AOP in 2012. Their goal was to form an idol group that would promote anime in Japan and overseas, with members who were genuinely passionate about anime. A rotating cast of idols have worked toward this goal in numerous ways—including performing anime theme music, releasing albums and touring, making tele...
Singer T.M.Revolution Announces Marriage
The multitalented Takanori Nishikawa, also known as T.M.Revolution, announced his recent marriage to a woman outside the entertainment industry via his Twitter on Saturday. Nishikawa stated that he will continue to work hard publicly and privately, and expressed gratitude to his fans for their unwavering guidance and encouragement. His career as T.M.Revolution began in 1996, as did his career in anisong. His third single of that year, "HEART OF SWORD ~Yoake Mae~," was used as an ending theme for...
Voice Actress Ari Ozawa and Musician Hige Driver Announce Marriage
Voice actress Ari Ozawa and chiptune musician Hige Driver announced their marriage on Friday. Hige Driver released his statement through Twitter and Ozawa posted on her Ameba blog. Ozawa's joint Twitter account with voice actress Maria Naganawa tweeted a congratulations message shortly after, presumably from Naganawa. The announcements—released on Ozawa's 28th birthday—were full of affection. Hige Driver is charmed by Ozawa's carefree, "sunflower-like" smile, and Ozawa wants to continue running...
Singer Masayoshi Ooishi Announces Marriage
Singer Masayoshi Ooishi announced his marriage to a woman outside the entertainment industry via Twitter on Thursday. Ooishi disclosed that while this is a private matter, he wanted to announce the marriage and asked for continued support from his fans. He also expressed that he wishes to continue to work hard on his music and entertainment career. Ooishi debuted under the stage name Vo.Gt in the rock/jazz band Sound Schedule in 2001, which then disbanded in 2006. He went solo in 2008 and has si...
Voice Actress and Singer Nana Mizuki Announces Marriage
Voice actress and singer Nana Mizuki announced her marriage on her official blog on Tuesday. On her blog, Mizuki apologized for the personal report, disclosing that her husband is someone she met and worked alongside in the music industry for a long time. She further expressed that she cherishes her everyday life and hopes everyone would continue to support her as she gives her voice and music everything she's got. Mizuki debuted as a voice actor in 1998 as Chisato Kadokura in the game Noël: La...
Music Composer Ai Kamachi Dies at 48
Various media outlets reported on Monday that pianist and music composer Ai Kamachi died on May 30. She was 48. A private wake and farewell ceremony was held by the bereaved family. Kamachi followed in the footsteps of her jazz pianist father, studying composition under Toshi Ichiyanagi at the Kunitachi College of Music. She officially started her career alongside recording engineer Tatsuo Nagami (Nagie) under the alias "aikamachi+nagie" in 2002. They released the album "radiant garden" in the s...
Interview: Miku Ito Charms 'BanG Dream!' Fans at Anime NYC
Miku Ito is a rising star, finding success as a voice actress, musical artist, and performer over the better part of a decade. Her breakout performances include portraying Kokoro Tsurumaki of multimedia franchise BanG Dream!'s idol group "Hello, Happy World!" and Misuzu Moritani in last year's Fragtime OVA. In 2013 Ito landed her first voice acting role, and debuted as a solo singer in 2016. Her sixth single, "Plunderer," was released on February 12, and a blu-ray release of her fifth live perf...
Interview: J-Rock Band BRATS Makes North America Debut at Animé Los Angeles
BRATS is a Japanese band formed by sisters Rei Kuromiya and Aya Kuromiya. They debuted in August 2011 with Rei as the vocalist and Aya playing bass. The sisters were later joined by Aya's friend Hinako, who became the group's official guitarist in 2015. Contrary to the name, the trio aren't brats—vocalist Rei was actually inspired by the fictional band Black Stones (BLAST) from the manga Nana. They wanted a name that sounded just right, and it fits their music, too. BRATS express themselves thr...
Singer LiSA, Voice Actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki Announce Marriage
Singer LiSA announced her marriage to voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki via her official website and Instagram on Wednesday. Suzuki's agency, I'm Enterprise, also reported the news. In LiSA's message on Instagram, she said she will continue to deliver the best music and the best live performances. LiSA's career began as the vocalist for the independent punk rock band, Chucky, in 2005. Her breakout performance as one of the two vocalists in Girls Dead Monster, the fictional band from Angel Beats!, led...
Interview: ZAQ Breaks the Anisong Mold
ZAQ began playing the piano at three years old. Her passion and talent for music would lead to the pursuit of a College of Music degree, where she studied classical music in the Piano Department. After graduation, ZAQ would then leave the refined rooms of Beethoven and Mozart to enter the chaotic world of anime song (anisong) writing. This may seem like a big leap, but for the artist ZAQ, we've come to learn chaos comes as natural as breathing. A classics and hip-hop person, ZAQ was attracted t...
Interview: Guilty Kiss Rocks Lantis Matsuri at Anime NYC
When the Love Live! Sunshine!! multimedia project launched in April 2015, Love Live! fans eagerly awaited the next step for the franchise's newest school idol group, Aqours—the introduction of subunits. In October 2015, fan voting opened for a variety of subunit configurations, and by March of the following year, three trios were named and formed. Guilty Kiss, comprised of the characters Riko Sakurauchi, Yoshiko (Yohane) Tsushima, and Mari Ohara are visually represented as the darkest of the su...
Focus: A Glimpse of MYTH & ROID at Animax Musix
© ANIMAX MUSIX 2019 Animax Musix is one of many anisong events in Japan, but few share its inclusive spirit. Artists appear at Animax Musix not only to represent themselves, but to come together with fellow musicians and fans to celebrate their passion for music. Fans play a central role in voting for their favorite artists, and get a rare opportunity to see those favorites collaborate together on stage. The spirit of Animax Musix can be seen in the image above: while commemoration photos with...
Composer Satoru Kousaki Releases 20th Anniversary CD Collection
Music composer Satoru Kousaki is releasing a collection of his theme songs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut as a composer. A standard edition and limited edition box set of the collection, titled "Dawn," will be released in Japan on March 18, 2020. "Dawn" was curated by Kousaki and includes tracks such as "God Knows..." from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" from Lucky☆Star, and "Ren'ai Circulation" from Bakemonogatari. The stan...
Manami Numakura Ends Music Career in February 2020
Singer and voice actress Manami Numakura announced on her official blog on Monday that she will be ending her solo music career after her last live performance on February 16, 2020. At the same time, she announced that her last album "Complete Best Minna de!" will release on February 12, 2020. The live performance at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo, titled "Minna de!" (All Together!), will be a collaborative event in which fans can request Numakura to perform original songs, character songs, and covers. Th...
Japanese Rock Band NICO Touches the Walls Breaks Up
The official website for the Japanese rock band NICO Touches the Walls announced on Friday that they are disbanding after 15 years. Their group statement explained that they have cherished the past 15 years, and now they wish to go their separate ways. The band formed in 2004 with vocalist and guitarist Tatsuya Mitsumura, guitarist Daisuke Furumura, bassist Shingo Sakakura, and drummer Shotaro Tsushima. In February 2006, they released their first independent mini album Walls Is Beginning, follo...
Interview: Minori Chihara Reflects on 15 Years in the Industry
Referred to as Minorin by her fans, Minori Chihara has been active in the industry as both a voice actor and musical artist for over 15 years. In that time, Chihara has amassed over 50 insert and theme song credits and has appeared in over 100 different anime. She is most well-known for her early breakout role as Yuki Nagato in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise, but her emotional ending theme for last year's Violet Evergarden quickly became one of her most beloved songs to date. Minori Chihara was i...
Interview: nano Reflects on her Career and Identity as an Artist
Singer/songwriter nano began her career posting covers of Vocaloid and anime songs online, before being signed by major label Flying Dog in 2012. Thanks in part to her fluency in English and Japanese, nano has built a reputation for her bilingual blends of high-energy rock and roll that make fans cry "rock on!" Over the last seven years, nano has performed nearly 20 theme and insert songs for anime, most notably "No pain, No game" from Btooom!, "Savior of Song" from Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars...
Interview: Composer Yoshihiro Ike Talks Industry Experience and Career
With over 100 soundtracks for anime, film, television, and video games to his name since debuting in 1995, Yoshihiro Ike is one of Japan's most prolific composers. In 2000, his career in anime took off when he composed the soundtrack for Blood: The Last Vampire. Ike was a Guest of Honor at Anime Expo 2019, where he made his international concert debut with Yoshihiro Ike: Anime Soundtrack World. The performance included selections from Tiger & Bunny, Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary, Shingeki no...
'Beastars' Anime Series Receives Sequel
'Isekai Shokudou 2' Reveals Additional Staff, Teaser Promo
'Megaton-kyuu Musashi' Reveals Cast, Staff, Fall 2021 Debut
