Ikimonogakari

Ikimonogakari is a pop rock band from Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture, formed by Yoshiki Mizuno, Kiyoe Yoshioka, and Hotaka Yamashita in February 1999. Childhood friends Mizuno and Yamashita decided to start making music together and invited the musically experienced Yoshioka to join them. Named Ikimonogakari—referencing a group of children in Japanese elementary schools who take care of plants and animals—the trio released their debut independent album, Makoto ni Senetsu Nagara First Album wo Koshirae Mashita, in 2003. As the group honed their performance skills and built a grassroots fanbase, they released their first single, "SAKURA," under Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Epic Records label in 2005. This song peaked at Number 17 on the Oricon chart. Their ever-growing success led to the release of their first major-label album, Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari (2007), which debuted at Number 4 on the Oricon weekly album charts. As Ikimonogakari's popularity soared, they regularly topped the Oricon weekly ratings and their music was featured in TV commercials, anime shows, dramas, films, and even the 2012 Olympic broadcast. Releases like My Song Your Song (2008), Hajimari no Uta (2009), Newtral (2012), I (2013), and Fun! Fun! Fanfare! (2014) all topped the Japanese charts and helped the group carve a niche of their own. Despite a hiatus in 2017, the group resumed their activities in 2018, hosting a tour exclusively for fan club members in early 2019, followed by numerous television and music festival appearances. In 2021, Hotaka Yamashita left the group, transforming Ikimonogakari into a duo. That same year, they released their ninth studio album, Who? In 2023, Ikimonogakari returned with the ballad "STAR."