Pop Japan

Promising to bring another set of electrifying and show-stopping performances, the Japanese rock band, ONE OK ROCK, returns to take the center stage as they kick off their 2018 Ambitions Asian Tour in early January.

From setting up small-scale acts to packing out concert venues in Japan and holding sold-out concerts worldwide, the band has definitely come a long way since their rise to global stardom.

The Beginning

Formed in 2005, ONE OK ROCK started out as a five-people band, comprised of Takahiro Moriuchi (vocals), Toru Yamashita (guitar), Ryota Kohama (bass), Tomoya Kanki (drums), and Alex Onizawa (lead guitar).

Their first single ‘Naihishinsho’, was released in early 2007, followed by their debut album ‘Zeitakubyo’ later in the same year. From then on, the group toiled harder on creating their own music, developing their own sound and taking on Japanese rock to the next level, which earned them a steady and loyal fanbase all over Japan.

However, even their well-deserved popularity was not an easy one to achieve, especially when Alex left the band in 2009, making it difficult for ONE OK ROCK—even going as far as cancelling their supposedly next single and nationwide tour.

Staying strong and forming around what’s left of the group, Toru took Alex’s place as lead guitarist and the band re-arranged and adjusted their songs to be played by a single guitar.

The following year, ONE OK ROCK came back stronger than ever, with the single ‘Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer.’ The song hit the Oricon charts for 9 weeks.

Slowly, the band regained their career, and on August 2012, they released a song which catapulted the band into a steady success. It was truly The Beginning.

The song was then used as the official soundtrack for the live-action movie of Rurouni Kenshin, a widely popular movie that was played in theatres around the globe. It received a Gold digital download certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, and has peaked at #2 on Billboard Japan Hot 100, staying there for 45 weeks. It also reached the 5th place on the Oricon chart and continued to chart for 20 weeks.

Rise to Global Stage

Following the release of ‘Mighty Long Fall’ in 2014, ONE OK ROCK  held a 2-day concert at the Yokohama Stadium wherein they played more than twenty songs in front of 60,000 people. They also announced their United States, South American, and European tours later that year.

The following year, the band revealed their first English album, 35xxxv, produced by American musician and producer, John Feldmann. The album helped the band pierce through the international music scene, and helped them achieve a steady following from all over the world.

Since then, the band spent their time touring the West as headlining artists, as well as opening acts for All Time Low and Sleeping with Sirens.

In 2015, up until the early 2016, One OK Rock held a world tour to promote their album 35xxxv in Europe and Asia.

Ambitions

After signing with Fueled by Ramen in 2016, the band released their lead single Taking Off for their eighth album, Ambitions. It featured collaborations with established Western artists such as Canadian singer-songwriter, Avril Lavigne (Listen); All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth (Jaded); and Australian Band Five seconds of Summer (Take What You Want).

To promote Ambitions, ONE OK ROCK toured across North America and Europe during the second half of 2017 and is kicking off its Ambitions Asia Tour 2018 with their first act held in Bangkok at the Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani on January 18.

The Asian Tour will include Singapore, Shanghai, Taiwan, Philippines, Hong Kong, and South Korea, before coming home to Japan where the band will hold a two-day concert apiece in Osaka, Tokyo, and Fukuoka.