Glay

Formed in 1988 in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Glay is one of the best-selling rock bands in Japanese history. Takurō Kubo and Teruhiko Kobashi launched the group as high school students, with guitarist Hisashi Tonomura joining the band shortly thereafter and bassist Yoshihito Wayama (AKA "Jiro") completing the lineup after Glay's move to Tokyo. After signing with Extasy Records, Glay released its debut album, Hai to Diamond, in 1994. The record was a modest success in Japan and spawned a Top 20 single, "Freeze My Love." During the years that followed, Glay sold more than 50 million albums and singles combined, becoming one of the most successful acts in all of East Asia. Speed Pop, the group's second album, was released in 1995 and peaked at Number 8 on the Oricon Albums chart, followed by Glay's first chart-topping album, Beat Out!, in 1996. Another studio album, Beloved, was released later that year and also peaked at Number 1. The following May, "Kuchibiru" became Glay's first single to reach Number 1 on the Oricon Singles chart. The band released six additional Number 1 hits before the decade's end, with "However," "Yuuwaku," "Be With You," "Winter, Again," "Survival," and "Kokodewanai, Dokoka e" all topping the Japanese charts. Glay's success continued during the new millennium, with "Happiness: Winter Mix" peaking at Number 1 on January 1, 2000. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Glay continued to release chart-topping albums and singles, with highlight including 2002's genre-jumping Unity Roots and Family, Away, 2017's Summerdelics, and 2021's Freedom Only. One year after Freedom Only's release, Glay earned a Top 5 hit with "Only One, Only You," which peaked at Number 4 on the Oricon Singles chart.

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