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L'Arc-en-Ciel
L'Arc-en-Ciel (Japanese: ラルク アン シエル, Hepburn: Raruku an Shieru; French for "The Rainbow"), stylized as L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and abbreviated as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist Tetsuya and vocalist Hyde. Following the departure of original members Hiro and Pero, guitarist Ken and drummer Sakura were recruited to replace them in 1992 and 1993, respectively. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, L'Arc-en-Ciel have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994. Sakura left the band in 1997 and was replaced by Yukihiro in January 1998, completing the current line-up.
With a reported 40 million records sold, L'Arc-en-Ciel are one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. Their 1999 simultaneously-released albums Ark and Ray are each one of the best-selling albums of all time in Japan. L'Arc-en-Ciel have had seven number one studio albums and 21 number one singles. They were ranked number 58 on a 2003 list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan, and were the first Japanese act to headline Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In February 1991, bassist Tetsuya (then known as TETSU) recruited vocalist Hyde (then known as HIDE), guitarist Hiro and drummer Pero. Together, they formed a band and named themselves L'Arc-en-Ciel. A year later, after gaining popularity in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro left the band on June 12, 1992. Tetsuya then convinced his friend Ken to quit his university studies and join the band as guitarist. However, Pero then left the group on December 30, 1992. The following year, Sakura joined as L'Arc-en-Ciel's new drummer.
On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune on the independent, but well-known, record label Danger Crue. The album was a success and ranked number one on the Oricon indies charts. This caught the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed a contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Ki/oon division. They released their major debut album Tierra that same year. Their third album Heavenly followed in 1995. In 1996, their fourth album, True, became their first to sell over a million copies.
On February 24, 1997, drummer Sakura was arrested for violating the Stimulants Control Law. In May, he received a two year prison sentence suspended for three years. When news of the arrest became public, the group's CDs were removed from the shelves in record shops. Their song "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" was replaced as the fourth ending theme of the Rurouni Kenshin anime after only four episodes and its single release was halted. (It was eventually released in 2006.)
Over the next few months, the group continued to be featured in magazines as a trio. On October 17, the single "Niji" was released without Sakura. Instead, it features former Zi:Kill and Die in Cries drummer Yukihiro as a support member. Sakura officially announced his departure from L'Arc-en-Ciel on November 4. The remaining members formed "The Zombies", which was advertised as a "copy band" singing L'Arc-en-Ciel songs. The end of their hiatus was marked by a concert at the Tokyo Dome on December 23, 1997, entitled Reincarnation. It was the band's first performance at the venue and had an attendance of 56,000 people, with the tickets sold out in a record-breaking four minutes.
Yukihiro officially joined L'Arc-en-Ciel as their drummer on January 1, 1998. The single "Winter Fall", which was released at the end of the month, became the group's first number one on the Oricon Singles Chart. They subsequently released their album Heart on February 25, 1998. The band's song "Lose Control" was included in the Japanese and Philippine releases of the official movie soundtrack of Godzilla, released on May 19, 1998, through Epic Records.
On July 1, 1999, the group released two albums, Ark and Ray, simultaneously. These two albums became the first Japanese albums to be released simultaneously in other Asian countries outside Japan. Both albums topped the Oricon music charts, with Ark occupying number one and Ray number two and each selling over two million copies. This, along with the 1999 Grand Cross Tour which united over 650,000 people in 12 concerts, marked the commercial high point of the group's career.
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L'Arc-en-Ciel
L'Arc-en-Ciel (Japanese: ラルク アン シエル, Hepburn: Raruku an Shieru; French for "The Rainbow"), stylized as L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and abbreviated as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist Tetsuya and vocalist Hyde. Following the departure of original members Hiro and Pero, guitarist Ken and drummer Sakura were recruited to replace them in 1992 and 1993, respectively. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, L'Arc-en-Ciel have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994. Sakura left the band in 1997 and was replaced by Yukihiro in January 1998, completing the current line-up.
With a reported 40 million records sold, L'Arc-en-Ciel are one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. Their 1999 simultaneously-released albums Ark and Ray are each one of the best-selling albums of all time in Japan. L'Arc-en-Ciel have had seven number one studio albums and 21 number one singles. They were ranked number 58 on a 2003 list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan, and were the first Japanese act to headline Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In February 1991, bassist Tetsuya (then known as TETSU) recruited vocalist Hyde (then known as HIDE), guitarist Hiro and drummer Pero. Together, they formed a band and named themselves L'Arc-en-Ciel. A year later, after gaining popularity in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro left the band on June 12, 1992. Tetsuya then convinced his friend Ken to quit his university studies and join the band as guitarist. However, Pero then left the group on December 30, 1992. The following year, Sakura joined as L'Arc-en-Ciel's new drummer.
On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune on the independent, but well-known, record label Danger Crue. The album was a success and ranked number one on the Oricon indies charts. This caught the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed a contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Ki/oon division. They released their major debut album Tierra that same year. Their third album Heavenly followed in 1995. In 1996, their fourth album, True, became their first to sell over a million copies.
On February 24, 1997, drummer Sakura was arrested for violating the Stimulants Control Law. In May, he received a two year prison sentence suspended for three years. When news of the arrest became public, the group's CDs were removed from the shelves in record shops. Their song "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" was replaced as the fourth ending theme of the Rurouni Kenshin anime after only four episodes and its single release was halted. (It was eventually released in 2006.)
Over the next few months, the group continued to be featured in magazines as a trio. On October 17, the single "Niji" was released without Sakura. Instead, it features former Zi:Kill and Die in Cries drummer Yukihiro as a support member. Sakura officially announced his departure from L'Arc-en-Ciel on November 4. The remaining members formed "The Zombies", which was advertised as a "copy band" singing L'Arc-en-Ciel songs. The end of their hiatus was marked by a concert at the Tokyo Dome on December 23, 1997, entitled Reincarnation. It was the band's first performance at the venue and had an attendance of 56,000 people, with the tickets sold out in a record-breaking four minutes.
Yukihiro officially joined L'Arc-en-Ciel as their drummer on January 1, 1998. The single "Winter Fall", which was released at the end of the month, became the group's first number one on the Oricon Singles Chart. They subsequently released their album Heart on February 25, 1998. The band's song "Lose Control" was included in the Japanese and Philippine releases of the official movie soundtrack of Godzilla, released on May 19, 1998, through Epic Records.
On July 1, 1999, the group released two albums, Ark and Ray, simultaneously. These two albums became the first Japanese albums to be released simultaneously in other Asian countries outside Japan. Both albums topped the Oricon music charts, with Ark occupying number one and Ray number two and each selling over two million copies. This, along with the 1999 Grand Cross Tour which united over 650,000 people in 12 concerts, marked the commercial high point of the group's career.
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