Queen Bee

Formed in 2009 in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, Queen Bee – Japanese name: Jooubachi – is an alternative rock group founded by vocalist Av-chan, bassist Yashi-chan, and drummer Ruri-chan. Guitarist Gigi-chan would join later and make the band a quartet. After building a local following thanks to their string of live shows, they released their first two mini albums – Princess Madness and Great Wrath of the Royal Family – independently in 2010. Queen Bee performed at the Fuji Rock Festival 2010 in July, which helped to build their reputation and fanbase. In March 2011, the group released their debut album, Witch Hunt, which featured the single “Curse of the French Doll.” That same year, they performed the theme to the film Moteki and appeared in the movie as well. After the release of their album, Snake Princess, Gigi-chan left Queen Bee and the band began a year-long hiatus in February 2013 after a final live show held at the Shibuya-Ax in Tokyo. A year later, they returned with a live performance at the same venue. In 2015, the band announced that guitarist Hibari-kun had permanently joined Queen Bee and released their album Kirei, which featured the single “Venus” and was quickly followed by the EP Shisshin. The group’s next album, Q., was their most successful yet, climbing to Number 12 on the Japanese Albums chart. Their sixth album, Ten, which was named for their 10th Anniversary as a band, reached Number 5 on the albums chart and was followed by BL (2020), which charted at Number 6. After a three year wait, Queen Bee released the album Twelve Dimensions (2023), which included the single “Violence.” During their career, Queen Bee’s music has been featured in many films and television shows including Love Strikes, Sadako, Dororo, and Chainsaw Man.