CHEMISTRY

The R&B-influenced J-pop duo Chemistry (styled as CHEMISTRY) first hit the scene in 2001 with their single "Pieces of a Dream," which they recorded after winning the 2000 Asayan audition – a show similar to American Idol – organised by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Comprising Yoshikuni Dōchin (堂珍 嘉邦, born November 17, 1978) and Kaname Kawabata (川畑 要, born January 28, 1979), the duo scored a string of chart-topping hits in the '00s, shooting to the top of Japan's Oricon chart an impressive five times for their first run of albums: 2002's The Way We Are, 2003's Second to None and Between the Lines, 2004's One X One, and 2005's Hot Chemistry. They made waves in South Korea with their anthem "Let's Get Together Now," picked as the official local song of the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan, and for their collaboration with Korean singer Lena Park on "Dance with Me", the B-side to their "Kimi ga Iru" single. CHEMISTRY took a break from music in 2012 but returned in 2017 with new single, "Windy," which was used as the second ending theme song for the anime adaptation of Altair: A Record of Battles. A self-titled album arrived in 2019, which took the pair to number 12 in Japan, while a best-of LP, The Best & More 2001–2022, hit the shelves in 2022.