were a

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...

duo consisting of

Hideaki Takizawa , also known professionally as , is a Japanese businessman, record producer and former singer and actor. He is the president of the Japanese talent agency Tobe. Takizawa debuted as an actor in 1995, and in 2002, he made his musical debut as the ...

and

Tsubasa Imai is a Japanese singer, actor and dancer formerly in the Japanese agency Johnny & Associates. He joined Johnny & Associates in 1995 and officially debuted in 2002 in the duo Tackey & Tsubasa with Hideaki Takizawa. They are signed to the record labe ...

from the Japanese talent agency

Johnny & Associates was a Japanese talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which managed groups of male idols known as The company had a significant impact on pop culture with male idols and boy bands in Japan since the 1980s. Until 2019, the company w ...

. Takizawa, nicknamed "Tackey" (sometimes spelled as its literal romanization, ), is best known for his

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

works, and Tsubasa for his dancing ability. They have also been musically successful with hit singles such as "Venus" and "Yume Monogatari". Their works are produced by

Avex Trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...

Career

Pre-debut

Before their debut, Tackey and Tsubasa were the top "Juniors" in the

, a company which specializes in male

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...

s led by

Johnny Kitagawa John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name ; October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as , was a Japanese business magnate, promoter, record producer. He was best known as the founder of Johnny & Associates, a talent agency for numerous ...

. They started out as backdancers for better known teen idols in their label such as

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates). Domoto was formed in 1993 as Kinki Kids and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 m ...

(who also had not yet debuted at the time) in 1995, when both were 13 years old. They have hosted the Japanese variety shows, ''Gakibara Teikoku 2000'' and ''Music Enta''. Besides hosting, the two have starred together in dramas such as ''Kaiki Club Ghost Stories'' and ''Genroku Ryoran''. Initially, both of them did not get along well but during the filming of the

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

series ''Genroku Ryoran'', which aired in 1999, they became best friends. Before their official debut, the two performed together many times. In 1999, Tackey asked Tsubasa to join him in their first duet during the "Johnny's Juniors First Concert" in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. In April 2000, at the "Johnny's Juniors Spring 2002 Concert", the two performed their second duet together on stage. For this duet, the two designed their outfits, choreography and even their unit symbol (a tarantula). It was after this time that they hosted the two variety shows, ''Gakibara Teikoku 2000'' and ''Music Enta'', from 2000 to the beginning of 2001. In February 2001, it was announced that the two would be headlining their first tour, called "Takki and Tsubasa 21st-century Showdown with all Johnny's Juniors". Tsubasa designed the costumes and Tackey designed the setting for this very successful tour, and for the first time in JE history, two Johnnys were distinguished in the title of a Junior tour. This led to many people believing that the two would debut as a duo like the

. Instead, at the end of this tour, Johnny Kitagawa announced the two would debut as solo artists in 2002. They were planned to officially debut when they reached 20-years-old due to their popularity. For the 2002 "Johnny's Junior concert" the two were again announced to be the headliners of the tour, and it was during this tour that Tackey mentioned he wanted to debut as a duo with Tsubasa. Tackey asked his fans to organize a letter campaign to Johnny & Associates to let them debut as a duo. The fans then launched a campaign asking people who wanted them to debut together to send postcards and letters to

, imploring Kitagawa to debut the two boys as a duo instead of as solo artists. The campaign has lasted for about a year, but then on August 1, 2002, Johnny announced that they would debut solo. Their debut solo songs would be entitled "Get Down" (Tsubasa's) and "Kiseki" (Tackey's). Yet, as a surprise instead, where the official announcement of their debut was to take place, the two announced they would be debuting as a duet after all. The two solo songs of theirs along with the duet song "True Heart" were the first releases from their debut mini-album,

Hatachi ''Hatachi'' ("Twenty Years Old") is Tackey & Tsubasa's debut mini-album, released under Avex Trax on September 11, 2002. Overview ''Hatachi'' is the debut mini-album released by duo singers Tackey & Tsubasa. The title of the album refers to the ...

(meaning 20-years-old in Japanese), which was released on September 11, 2002.

Post-debut

To date, Tackey & Tsubasa have released 10 singles, 3 albums and 3 DVDs: a significantly smaller number compared to their counterparts in the company. They have been quite successful; their most recent CD releases have reach the top position on the Japanese music charts. The two also share a very close friendship, being best friends; this aspect of their relationship is obvious through their interactions and interviews and is a very important part of the dynamic between them. Each has incredible strengths and skills, and as a result they complement each other very well. The Japanese theme song to

Son of the Mask ''Son of the Mask'' is a 2005 superhero comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. A sequel to '' The Mask'' (1994), it is the second film in ''The Mask'' franchise, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Dark Horse Comics ...

is "Mask" by them. Their songs "Crazy Rainbow" and "Mirai Koukai" were one of the opening and ending theme songs respectively for popular Japanese anime ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

''. They were also featured in the opening animation of One Piece episode 303, added into the opening segment to their song that was used since episode 284. Also, their song "One Day, One Dream" was on the soundtrack of the Japanese anime '' Inuyasha''.

Hiatus and break-up

On 3 September 2017, shortly before their 15th anniversary, the duo announced a hiatus. The hiatus began on 17 September, after they performed on ''

Music Station , stylised in all caps, 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 sy ...

Ultra Fes 2017''. Tackey & Tsubasa disbanded on 10 September 2018.

Discography

In several cases, the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

romaji The romanization of Japanese is the use of Latin script to write the Japanese language. This method of writing is sometimes referred to in Japanese as . Japanese is normally written in a combination of logogram, logographic characters borrowe ...

titles are given first, followed by the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

titles underneath.

Singles

Albums

Compilation albums

DVD

* "" (February 2, 2005) * "Tsubasa Imai 1st tour 23 to 24" (August 16, 2006) * "Hideaki Takizawa 2005 concert ~~" (August 30, 2006) * "" (March 7, 2007) * "Tackey and Tsubasa Premium Live DVD -5th Anniversary Special Package-" (March 3, 2008) * "Tsubasa Imai Dance and Rock Tour'09" (August 2009)

References

External links

Tackey & Tsubasa Official WebsiteTackey & Tsubasa Oricon Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tackey and Tsubasa Japanese-language singers Avex Group artists Japanese idol groups Japanese pop music groups Japanese boy bands Johnny & Associates Japanese musical duos Musical groups from Tokyo