, stylised as sakanaction, are a Japanese rock band from Sapporo, Hokkaido. Their music is a fusion of
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
, and new wave styles. The band consists of five members: Ichiro Yamaguchi, Motoharu Iwadera, Ami Kusakari, Emi Okazaki, and Keiichi Ejima.
The name Sakanaction is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsOfficial Site Profile retrieved 2009-01-03 Their records consistently reach the top 10 positions on Japan's
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
charts.
Members
*
** Born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, September 8, 1980
** Vocalist and guitarist
** Responsible for writing the band's lyrics and music
*
** Born in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous ci ...
, Hokkaidō, March 11, 1981
** Guitarist
** Nicknamed ''Mocchi''
*
** Born in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, April 30, 1980
** Bassist and keyboardist
** Nicknamed ''Neesan''
*
** Born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, October 5, 1983
** Keyboardist
** Nicknamed ''Zakki'' or ''Zakioka''
*
** Born in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous ci ...
, Hokkaidō, July 8, 1981
** Drummer
** Nicknamed ''Ejii''
History
Formation
Ichirō Yamaguchi, Sakanaction's frontman, originally started a band called Dutchman, in 1998 with his fellow high school mates, including Motoharu Iwadera. It was an indie rock band that was heavily inspired by British indie bands. From 2000 to 2003, they released one maxi single titled ''Fly'', one album titled ''demonstration'', and a single titled " Mikazuki Sunset" that was only sold at live performances. The band did not gain much recognition. In 2004, the members disbanded, leaving Yamaguchi to continue on alone as Dutchman. Yamaguchi began performing as a DJ at night clubs.Lights, camera, Sakanaction! ''
The Japan Times Online
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
''. Retrieved 2011-10-05
Sakanaction was finally created in 2005. When Yamaguchi was working in a record store, he heard the song "Owari no Kisetsu" by Rei Harakami and it became a great motivation for him to create Sakanaction.御礼。 Retrieved 2011-10-05. Yamaguchi founded the band together with Iwadera. In the spring of 2006, the rest of the members joined. Kusakari had just left another band then and was asked to join Sakanaction, Ejima was introduced by a mutual friend, and Okazaki was Yamaguchi's colleague from the record store.
The name "Sakanaction" was created by Yamaguchi and was met with initial resistance from Iwadera. When Yamaguchi asked him what he thought of the name Sakanaction, Iwadera said he hated it but Yamaguchi forced it. Shift Japan. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
Rise to popularity
Sakanaction first attracted attention at the 2006 Rising Sun Rock Festival.北海道発の新種バンド、サカナクションがデビュー・アルバム『GO TO THE FUTURE』をリリース bounce.com, Retrieved 2009-01-03. The band's first physical release was '' Go to the Future'' in 2007. Three songs originally from Dutchman were rereleased as Sakanaction releases - ''Mikazuki Sunset'' and ''Inner World'' were included in ''Go to the Future'' while ''Word'' was part of a digital download release, and later made it to ''
Night Fishing Night Fishing may refer to:
* ''Night Fishing'' (album), 2008 album of Japanese rock band Sakanaction
* ''Night Fishing'' (film), 2011 South Korean short film
{{disambig ...
''.
Some time after the release of ''
Night Fishing Night Fishing may refer to:
* ''Night Fishing'' (album), 2008 album of Japanese rock band Sakanaction
* ''Night Fishing'' (film), 2011 South Korean short film
{{disambig ...
'', the band made a decision to move from Hokkaido to Tokyo where they could reach out to more people.2011 山口一郎、サカナクションのアルバム5作品をすべて語る！ 特集 , ''
Rockin'On Japan
''Rockin'On Japan'', often stylized in all caps, is a monthly magazine that covers the Japanese music scene and various cultural events in Japan, such as art venues and culinary expos.
History
The magazine was founded in 1972, and focused on pr ...
''. Retrieved 2011-10-05. They were also moved from Victor Entertainment's BabeStar label to the main label.
On August 9, 2008, Sakanaction performed as one of the main acts on one of Japan's top music stations, ''Music On!'' in the event called Summer Sonic '08. Sakanaction performed alongside
Paul Weller
Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/ mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...
,
The Fratellis
The Fratellis are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli. Their ...
,
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...
Band of Horses
Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also incl ...
, Blood Red Shoes, and These New Puritans. The show aired just three days before the New Year, on December 29, 2008.
On December 26, 2008, they made it to #9 on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
's
Japan Hot 100
The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by '' Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thu ...
list with their single "
Sen to Rei
() is a song by Japanese band Sakanaction. It was released as a digital download on November 12, 2008, and on December 10 was released as the band's first physical CD single.
Background and development
''Shin-shiro'' was the band's first alb ...
" beating out MAYS's "Kiss (Koi ni Ochite... Fuyu)" and coming in just after Greeeen's "Tobira". Over a course of 4 weeks the single moved from #91 to #9. This was a big accomplishment for Sakanaction as they moved forward in the Japanese music industry.
Mainstream success
In December 2008, the band announced their third album, '' Shin-shiro'', which was released in January, 2009. The album includes their debut single, "Sen to Rei", The album debuted at #8 on
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
weekly charts, the first time they got into the Top 10. The band held a national promotional tour, ''Sakanaquarium 2009'', in February and March 2009.RO69 News /ref>
On January 13, 2010, the band released the single "
Aruku Around
(), also known as "A Look Around", is a song by Japanese band Sakanaction. It was initially released as a digital download on January 6, 2010, before a wide release on January 13 as the band's second physical single.
The song was praised by cr ...
", which hit #3 on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
weekly charts. On August 8, 2010 they made appearances at both the Summer Sonic and the World Happiness 2010 rock festivals in Tokyo.
Sakanaction next released on March 16, 2011, a new single titled "Rookie". Almost seven months since their last single "Identity", "Rookie" centered on club music, pop, and rock. It peaked at #6 on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
weekly charts, although sales were affected by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six m ...
.
On March 22, the music video for "Aruku Around" picked up awards for Best Rock Video and Best Video of the Year from the 2011 Space Shower Music Video Awards, earning the band more recognition.
On July 20, 2011, Sakanaction released their second single of the year, " Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu.". This release helped them to gain even more popularity through Sakanaction's first ever live performance on the popular music variety show,
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...
.
Their fifth album, '' Documentaly'', was released on September 28, 2011, reaching a peak of #2 on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
weekly charts, the highest the band has ever charted. The band also embarked on the ''Sakanaquarium 2011 DocumentaLy'' tour beginning October 1. The Makuhari Messe leg of the tour was later documented on a live DVD and Blu-ray released on March 28, 2012.
In February, the band played live overseas for the second time, in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
Hip Land Music Corp.
, a subsidiary of small entertainment conglomerate Hip Land Group, is a Japanese record label formed in 1988.
Sublabels
Its sublabels include:
*RD Records,
*Monte Bleu,
*on the beach,
*basque,
*GrindHouse Recordings,
*MirrorBall,
*Plants Lab ...
On March 20, 2012, Sakanaction took home awards for Best Rock Video and Best Video of the Year at the 2012 Space Shower Music Video Awards for "Bach no Senritsu o Yoru ni Kiita Sei Desu." This was the band's second consecutive year winning the coveted Best Video of the Year award. Starting April, the band also started to host their own regular radio show, ''Sakana Locks!!'' on popular radio station Tokyo FM.
Continued national success
Their sixth single, " Boku to Hana", was released on May 30. The title track was used as the theme song of primetime medical drama ''37-sai de Isha ni Natta Boku: Kenshui Junjō Monogatari'', the first time the band has collaborated with a drama, thus giving them more exposure. Sakanaction continued to garner more attention as vocalist Yamaguchi composed and wrote the song "
Moment
Moment or Moments may refer to:
* Present time
Music
* The Moments, American R&B vocal group Albums
* ''Moment'' (Dark Tranquillity album), 2020
* ''Moment'' (Speed album), 1998
* ''Moments'' (Darude album)
* ''Moments'' (Christine Guldbrand ...
" for the popular veteran boyband
SMAP
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a ...
, who were label mates. The song was used as the theme for 2012 Summer Olympics broadcasts on television channel TBS, and was released in a single on 8 August 2012.
On 29 August 2012, their seventh single "Yoru no Odoriko" was released. The song was used in Mode School commercials as well as a station ID for Space Shower Television. In addition, Sakanaction was allowed to perform again for the second time on Music Station. Their eighth single "Music" was tied up with
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
primetime drama, ''dinner'', with the title track as its theme song, making it the second time the band's music was used for a drama. The single was released on 23 January 2013, for the first time selling at 500 yen, compared to their usual singles being priced at 1000 yen and above.
Again, for the third year running, Sakanaction managed to grab an award at the 2013 Space Shower Music Video Awards. They were awarded Best Artist, with their representative works being the music videos for "Boku to Hana" and "Yoru no Odoriko".
The band released on 13 March 2013 their self-titled sixth album, which clinched the top spot on Oricon Weekly Charts, their first release to do so. For the album, Sakanaction went on a sold-out nationwide tour starting 30 March. They also included a supplementary tour in Taiwan to play there for 2 days. The band released their first vinyl record, titled ''Inori EP'' on 26 June 2013, containing remixes of two songs from the album.
With their sixth album and accompanying tour's success in 2013, they were invited to perform for the first time on NHK's prestigious music show ''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK ne ...
'' on 31 December.
Sakanaction went on tour in early 2014. They have also announced the release of a new single, "Goodbye" / "Eureka", for 15 January 2014. "Eureka" is tied-up with the film "Judge!" as its ending theme song.
Singles from their album entitled 834.194 have also found success on Youtube. For example, the single " Shin Takarajima" has 147,000,000 views, and "Wasurerarenaino", released on June 21, 2019, has enjoyed over 23 million views. In videos, many of the albums' serious topics are offset by vivid and playful situations such as cheerleading, retro celebrity appearances, and people who transform into other objects.
In late 2021, they announced their eighth and ninth studio albums, アダプト (''Adapt''), and アプライ (''Apply''). Adapt was released on March 30, 2022. It was preceded by two singles, プラトー (''Plateau''), and ショック! (''Shock!'').
Night Fishing Night Fishing may refer to:
* ''Night Fishing'' (album), 2008 album of Japanese rock band Sakanaction
* ''Night Fishing'' (film), 2011 South Korean short film
{{disambig ...
kikUUiki
''Kikuuiki'' (''Mixing Airspace''; stylized as ''kikUUiki'', ) is the fourth studio album by Japanese band Sakanaction. It was released on March 17, 2010, through Victor Entertainment. In January, the album was preceded by the single "Aruku Aroun ...
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music E ...