Globe (band)
Encyclopedia
Globe is a dance-oriented Japan
ese pop
band, formed in 1995 by producer and songwriter Tetsuya Komuro
. Originally consisting of Komuro, Keiko Yamada and Marc Panther
, the group's singles
consistently hit the charts. In late 2002 Yoshiki, former drummer and pianist for X Japan
, joined the group, but he left the band about a year later.
Their 1996 debut album, Globe
, sold over 4 million copies, and their 1998 single "Wanna Be a Dreammaker" won the grand prix award at the 40th Japan Record Awards
, the Japanese record industry's highest honor. Komuro also mentioned there will be some collaboration work with other artists with the artist title of Globe Featuring, and Globe Extreme for collaborations with Yoshiki.
Globe Extreme
Support musician
organized one of his castings, searching for new singers in 1994, (especially one that was called Eurogroove Night). The young girl Keiko Yamada assisted there, encouraged by her friends, and her voice undoubtedly got the attention of Komuro instantly. He chose her initially for a solo career. Another one of the careers that TK was thinking about producing at that time was that of the model and MTV
VJ Marc Panther
, who knew English and French apart from Japanese. Komuro finally had the idea to make a band using Keiko and Marc in main vocals and himself as keyboardist (and also some vocals).
The band signed with label Avex in 1995, creating their own sub-label called Avex Globe. In August of the same year they released their first single, entitled "Feel Like Dance
". Little by little the band was becoming more popular. Their 4th single, "Departures", released in 1996, sold more than 2 million copies. The band's first studio album Globe, also released in 1996, became a sensation, managing to sell more than 4 millions copies according to Oricon
. The album was also the best selling one of that year. After having obtained such explosive sales in only two years of work, with more than 12 million singles sold (only in Japan) and 13 million copies of albums, the band was established as a premiere pop band inside the Japanese culture.
The band released their second studio album Faces Places
on March 12, 1997. To promote the album Faces Places, the band began their first large scale tour called Globe@4Domes in which they performed at the four biggest Japanese domes: Osaka
, Fukuoka
, Nagoya
, and Tokyo
. All of them were amazing successes. A few months later they began their first overseas tour around Asia alongside another artist from the Komuro family where they shared the stage with Namie Amuro
and TRF
. In 1998 they released 4 different singles in about one month in a project called the Brand New Globe 4 Singles. One of those songs, "Wanna Be a Dreammaker", won the grand prix award at the Japan Record Award
.
), the band started to experiment with their music, exploring new musical areas. The first big step in this new era was the Globe Featuring project of 2000, in which each member of the band released one single as solo artists. The most successful of the 3 singles was Keiko's "On the Way to You," and the singer went on her first solo nationwide tour of Japan because of the success.
As new music influences were being received in Japan, electronic music like trance
became one of the main styles that Globe decided to try. However, this new style was not so well received by Globe's fanbase. Their 4th studio album, Outernet, sold poorly compared to previous works; Globe went from selling millions of copies of an album to selling a mere 100 thousand. But Komuro was not at all willing to give up his new style of music for the pop tunes that made Globe so popular in the early nineties.
In 2002 Globe got even more into the trance style, releasing 2 studio albums in that year: Lights and its sequel, Lights2. In July of that year Globe and Belgian DJ Push collaborated on the single "Dreams From Above" for the set of Avex's Cyber Trance series. On September 1 Yoshiki, former drummer and pianist for X Japan
, joined Globe as its fourth member. Meanwhile, the band was appearing in A-Nation, and the news of the change spread throughout Asia and the world quickly. Then on November 22, it was announced that Tetsuya Komuro and Keiko were marrying. The ceremony was televised live, causing considerable controversy. The new era of the band, known as Globe Extreme (now with Yoshiki), began some weeks later, with the single "Seize the Light", a song created by Yoshiki and produced by Komuro. A second "best of" album was also released to commemorate the first 8 years of Globe's musical career, entitled 8 Years: Many Classic Moments (#2 at Oricon
).
and "Get It On feat. Keiko" (the only works with Yoshiki), the band went on a 2 year hiatus, and its members pursued solo interests. Keiko was the first one to go solo, releasing her first single "KCO" in December 2003. Months later in 2004, Marc started his solo project under the pseudonym of 245, a project that has plans for international projection beyond Japan. Later it was announced that the Globe Extreme era had ended and that Yoshiki was leaving the band. The band went back to having three members: TK, Keiko and Marc. Yoshiki's departure from the group was not completely clarified, but apparently the musician had other work-related commitments. The only release from Globe during 2004 was their complete singles collection, Globe Decade: Single History 1995-2004, which included all of the band's singles from "Feel Like Dance" to "Get It On feat. Keiko" (a limited edition deluxe box contained every single, album, and DVD ever released by the band).
In 2005, after the two year hiatus, Globe returned to the musical scene with a new single called "Here I Am" (used as the opening theme of the Black Jack
anime), and in August of that year released their 9th studio album Globe2 Pop/Rock to commemorate their 11th anniversary. This album was supposed to be a continuation of the band's first album; the hard electronic music was replaced by pop and rock
influences. They also released their first online single through iTunes
Japan called "Judgement".
In 2006 it was announced that Globe was about to release their 31st single "Soldier" on March 1. Later that release was cancelled, and as its replacement the band released a new studio album on March 23, entitled Maniac. The album didn't have any single or music video promoting it. Only "Soldier" was used in ads, using a few incomplete scenes from the shooting of the PV in TV spots because the full music video was never finished. A few months later they went to Latin America
to record new material for their first mini album, New Deal, released on August 9, 2006. Latin American music
al influences were the main theme of the mini album, in which Spanish-language phrases were added to songs for the first time.
's songs "Get Wild" and "Self Control." However, these singles were cancelled by Avex because of Tetsuya Komuro's fraud controversy. All of their music was removed from digital downloads, such as iTunes (in both Japan and US).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band, formed in 1995 by producer and songwriter Tetsuya Komuro
Tetsuya Komuro
, also known as TK, is a Japanese keyboardist, guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer born on November 27, 1958 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. He is recognized as being the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced dance music to the Japanese mainstream...
. Originally consisting of Komuro, Keiko Yamada and Marc Panther
Marc Panther
, real name , is a French-Japanese rapper, singer, and co-producer born on February 27, 1970 in Marseille, France. His father is French and his mother is Okinawan, and he goes by Marc Jule Pinsonnat in France. He is a member of the pop group globe and 245...
, the group's singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
consistently hit the charts. In late 2002 Yoshiki, former drummer and pianist for X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
, joined the group, but he left the band about a year later.
Their 1996 debut album, Globe
Globe (album)
Globe is the first studio album released from Globe on March 31, 1996. The album sold over four million copies, becoming the best-selling album of Japan in Oricon charts history at that time.- Album information :...
, sold over 4 million copies, and their 1998 single "Wanna Be a Dreammaker" won the grand prix award at the 40th Japan Record Awards
40th Japan Record Awards
The 40th Annual Japan Record Awards took place on December 31, 1998, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Tetsuya Komuro & globe for "Wanna Be A Dreammaker"...
, the Japanese record industry's highest honor. Komuro also mentioned there will be some collaboration work with other artists with the artist title of Globe Featuring, and Globe Extreme for collaborations with Yoshiki.
Members
Globe- Tetsuya "TK" KomuroTetsuya Komuro, also known as TK, is a Japanese keyboardist, guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer born on November 27, 1958 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. He is recognized as being the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced dance music to the Japanese mainstream...
– The ex-pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, producer and mastermind of the band. In the Globe Extreme era he played the guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
instead of keyboards. - Keiko Komuro – The main vocalist of the band. Sings in Japanese and English.
- Marc PantherMarc Panther, real name , is a French-Japanese rapper, singer, and co-producer born on February 27, 1970 in Marseille, France. His father is French and his mother is Okinawan, and he goes by Marc Jule Pinsonnat in France. He is a member of the pop group globe and 245...
(real name Ryuichi Sakai) – The rapperRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
of the band. Sings in Japanese, English and French.
Globe Extreme
- Yoshiki Hayashi – Played pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and keyboards. He joined in September 2002, but by August 2005 he was already out of Globe because of work matters.
Support musician
- Jinsei Rikori - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and music programming
Background
1994–1998: Origins and early success
In the climb of his fame, producer Tetsuya KomuroTetsuya Komuro
, also known as TK, is a Japanese keyboardist, guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer born on November 27, 1958 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. He is recognized as being the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced dance music to the Japanese mainstream...
organized one of his castings, searching for new singers in 1994, (especially one that was called Eurogroove Night). The young girl Keiko Yamada assisted there, encouraged by her friends, and her voice undoubtedly got the attention of Komuro instantly. He chose her initially for a solo career. Another one of the careers that TK was thinking about producing at that time was that of the model and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
VJ Marc Panther
Marc Panther
, real name , is a French-Japanese rapper, singer, and co-producer born on February 27, 1970 in Marseille, France. His father is French and his mother is Okinawan, and he goes by Marc Jule Pinsonnat in France. He is a member of the pop group globe and 245...
, who knew English and French apart from Japanese. Komuro finally had the idea to make a band using Keiko and Marc in main vocals and himself as keyboardist (and also some vocals).
The band signed with label Avex in 1995, creating their own sub-label called Avex Globe. In August of the same year they released their first single, entitled "Feel Like Dance
Feel Like Dance
"Feel Like Dance" is the debut single by Japanese band Globe. The single reached number 3 on the weekly Oricon charts and charted for twenty-four weeks, selling 893,490 copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama Hitori ni Shinaide...
". Little by little the band was becoming more popular. Their 4th single, "Departures", released in 1996, sold more than 2 million copies. The band's first studio album Globe, also released in 1996, became a sensation, managing to sell more than 4 millions copies according to Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
. The album was also the best selling one of that year. After having obtained such explosive sales in only two years of work, with more than 12 million singles sold (only in Japan) and 13 million copies of albums, the band was established as a premiere pop band inside the Japanese culture.
The band released their second studio album Faces Places
Faces Places
Faces Places is the second studio album by Globe released on March 12, 1997.- Album information :The singles from the album Faces Places were "Is This Love," "Can't Stop Fallin' in Love," "Face," "Faces Places" and "Anytime Smokin' Cigarette." Globe recorded three songs "Is This Love", "Can't Stop...
on March 12, 1997. To promote the album Faces Places, the band began their first large scale tour called Globe@4Domes in which they performed at the four biggest Japanese domes: Osaka
Osaka Dome
Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka...
, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Dome
The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium can accommodate 35,695 spectators and was Japan's first stadium with a retractable roof....
, Nagoya
Nagoya Dome
Nagoya Dome , constructed in 1997, is a baseball field, located in the city of Nagoya, Japan. The dome has the capacity to seat up to 38,414 people . It is an example of a geodesic dome....
, and Tokyo
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
. All of them were amazing successes. A few months later they began their first overseas tour around Asia alongside another artist from the Komuro family where they shared the stage with Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
and TRF
TRF (band)
TRF is a Japanese pop/dance group. Its members are rapper DJ Koo, lead vocalist Yu-ki, and dancers Chiharu, Etsu, and Sam.-History:...
. In 1998 they released 4 different singles in about one month in a project called the Brand New Globe 4 Singles. One of those songs, "Wanna Be a Dreammaker", won the grand prix award at the Japan Record Award
Japan Record Award
for outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association, is major music awards show held annually in Japan.- Categories :The Japan Record Award are four awards which are not restricted by genre....
.
1999–2002: Experimentation and declining sales
After a regular period of singles and albums, including their massive hit best-of compilation Cruise Record 1995-2000 (#1 at OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
), the band started to experiment with their music, exploring new musical areas. The first big step in this new era was the Globe Featuring project of 2000, in which each member of the band released one single as solo artists. The most successful of the 3 singles was Keiko's "On the Way to You," and the singer went on her first solo nationwide tour of Japan because of the success.
As new music influences were being received in Japan, electronic music like trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
became one of the main styles that Globe decided to try. However, this new style was not so well received by Globe's fanbase. Their 4th studio album, Outernet, sold poorly compared to previous works; Globe went from selling millions of copies of an album to selling a mere 100 thousand. But Komuro was not at all willing to give up his new style of music for the pop tunes that made Globe so popular in the early nineties.
In 2002 Globe got even more into the trance style, releasing 2 studio albums in that year: Lights and its sequel, Lights2. In July of that year Globe and Belgian DJ Push collaborated on the single "Dreams From Above" for the set of Avex's Cyber Trance series. On September 1 Yoshiki, former drummer and pianist for X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
, joined Globe as its fourth member. Meanwhile, the band was appearing in A-Nation, and the news of the change spread throughout Asia and the world quickly. Then on November 22, it was announced that Tetsuya Komuro and Keiko were marrying. The ceremony was televised live, causing considerable controversy. The new era of the band, known as Globe Extreme (now with Yoshiki), began some weeks later, with the single "Seize the Light", a song created by Yoshiki and produced by Komuro. A second "best of" album was also released to commemorate the first 8 years of Globe's musical career, entitled 8 Years: Many Classic Moments (#2 at Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
).
2003–2006: Hiatus, solo interests, and new style
After the release of a new album called Level 4LEVEL 4
Level 4 is a studio album from the Japanese pop-rock/trance group Globe, released on March 26, 2003.It was the only Globe album to feature former X Japan drummer Yoshiki, who joined the band shortly after its previous album, Lights 2. However his only contribution to the album is the single,...
and "Get It On feat. Keiko" (the only works with Yoshiki), the band went on a 2 year hiatus, and its members pursued solo interests. Keiko was the first one to go solo, releasing her first single "KCO" in December 2003. Months later in 2004, Marc started his solo project under the pseudonym of 245, a project that has plans for international projection beyond Japan. Later it was announced that the Globe Extreme era had ended and that Yoshiki was leaving the band. The band went back to having three members: TK, Keiko and Marc. Yoshiki's departure from the group was not completely clarified, but apparently the musician had other work-related commitments. The only release from Globe during 2004 was their complete singles collection, Globe Decade: Single History 1995-2004, which included all of the band's singles from "Feel Like Dance" to "Get It On feat. Keiko" (a limited edition deluxe box contained every single, album, and DVD ever released by the band).
In 2005, after the two year hiatus, Globe returned to the musical scene with a new single called "Here I Am" (used as the opening theme of the Black Jack
Black Jack (manga)
is a manga written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka in the 1970s, dealing with the medical adventures of the title character, doctor Black Jack....
anime), and in August of that year released their 9th studio album Globe2 Pop/Rock to commemorate their 11th anniversary. This album was supposed to be a continuation of the band's first album; the hard electronic music was replaced by pop and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
influences. They also released their first online single through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Japan called "Judgement".
In 2006 it was announced that Globe was about to release their 31st single "Soldier" on March 1. Later that release was cancelled, and as its replacement the band released a new studio album on March 23, entitled Maniac. The album didn't have any single or music video promoting it. Only "Soldier" was used in ads, using a few incomplete scenes from the shooting of the PV in TV spots because the full music video was never finished. A few months later they went to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
to record new material for their first mini album, New Deal, released on August 9, 2006. Latin American music
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
al influences were the main theme of the mini album, in which Spanish-language phrases were added to songs for the first time.
2007–2008: TK's legal controversy and presumed hiatus
Although the band had not released anything since 2006's mini-album New Deal, no official announcement was made by TK that they have disbanded. They were originally set to release two new singles in 2008, covers of TM NetworkTM Network
TM Network is a Japanese pop/rock musical band. The members are Tetsuya Komuro , Takashi Utsunomiya and Naoto Kine...
's songs "Get Wild" and "Self Control." However, these singles were cancelled by Avex because of Tetsuya Komuro's fraud controversy. All of their music was removed from digital downloads, such as iTunes (in both Japan and US).
2009–present: Return from hiatus
On August 30, 2009 Globe officially announced their return at the a-nation music festival. TK appeared first, speaking about the return and end of the legal issues. He played several of his greatest hits (both by Globe and songs he wrote for other artists) on piano. Keiko and Marc then joined him and they sang "Face" and "Many Classic Moments". Their music returned to iTunes (Japan and US) around this date as well.Studio Albums
| Album | Album information | Chart Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
|||
| 1st | Globe Globe (album) Globe is the first studio album released from Globe on March 31, 1996. The album sold over four million copies, becoming the best-selling album of Japan in Oricon charts history at that time.- Album information :...
|
4,136,460 (Japan) |
|
| 2nd | Faces Places Faces Places Faces Places is the second studio album by Globe released on March 12, 1997.- Album information :The singles from the album Faces Places were "Is This Love," "Can't Stop Fallin' in Love," "Face," "Faces Places" and "Anytime Smokin' Cigarette." Globe recorded three songs "Is This Love", "Can't Stop... Faces Places Faces Places is the second studio album by Globe released on March 12, 1997.- Album information :The singles from the album Faces Places were "Is This Love," "Can't Stop Fallin' in Love," "Face," "Faces Places" and "Anytime Smokin' Cigarette." Globe recorded three songs "Is This Love", "Can't Stop... , Anytime Smokin' Cigarette |
3,239,180 (Japan) |
|
| 3rd | Love Again
|
1,657,970 (Japan) |
|
| 4th | Relation
|
1,729,710 (Japan) |
|
| 5th | Outernet
|
149,110 (Japan) |
|
| 6th | Lights
Stop! In the Name of Love "Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number-one position on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States from March 21, 1965... , Genesis of Next, Many Classic Moments |
277,420 (Japan) |
|
| 6.5th | Lights2
|
164,200 (Japan) |
|
| 7th | Level 4 LEVEL 4 Level 4 is a studio album from the Japanese pop-rock/trance group Globe, released on March 26, 2003.It was the only Globe album to feature former X Japan drummer Yoshiki, who joined the band shortly after its previous album, Lights 2. However his only contribution to the album is the single,... |
51,254 (Japan) |
|
| 8th | Globe2 Pop/Rock
|
49,084 (Japan) |
|
| 9th | Maniac
|
28,356 (Japan) |
|
| Mini-Album | New Deal
|
14,003 (Japan) |