Pop Japan

L'Arc-en-Ciel is a four-piece Japanese pop punk rock band composed of the lead vocalist Hyde, the guitarist Ken, the bassist Tetsuya, and the drummer Yukihiro. Their name means "Rainbow" in French. 

The band was formed in 1991 by Tetsuya. They then released their debut album, DUNE, under the independent label, Danger Crue. Only 10,000 albums were produced, released through mail order. They released their first major label album, Tierra, in 1994 under the Ki/oon division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Their fourth album, True, was released in 1996 and it was the first to top the charts in Number 2. Their 1998 single, Winterfall, topped the Oricon charts. 

Their hard Jrock music earned them as one of the top rock bands in Japan. They were the first Japanese act to headline a show at the Madison Square Garden. They celebrated their 25th anniversary with two shows at the Tokyo Dome. 

Photo by May S. Young. Licensed under Creative Commons. 

Tags: Music, LArc en Ciel, JRock, hyde, ken, tetsuya, yukihiro, DUNE, Danger Crue, Tierra, Ki/oon, Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Winterfall, rock band, Madison Square Garden, Tokyo Dome