is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, "

rad RAD or Rad may refer to: People * Robert Anthony Rad Dougall (born 1951), South African former racing driver * Rad Hourani, Canadian fashion designer and artist * Nickname of Leonardus Rad Kortenhorst (1886–1963), Dutch politician * Radley R ...

" and " wimp". According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, including "excellent weakling" and "superlative coward". Radwimps achieved commercial success in 2006 with their album ''Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan'' and are best known for their later singles " Order Made" (2008) and " Dada" (2011), both of which hit number one on Oricon's single charts. They have also gained recognition for providing the soundtrack to '' Your Name'', one of the highest-grossing Japanese animated films, as well as the soundtrack to 2019's '' Weathering with You'' and 2022's ''

Suzume is the Japanese name for the Eurasian tree sparrow The Eurasian tree sparrow (''Passer montanus'') is a passerine bird in the Old World sparrow, sparrow family with a rich chestnut Crown (anatomy), crown and nape, and a black patch on each pu ...

''.

History

Radwimps formed in 2001 in Kanagawa, Japan during their first year of high school. The five original members had been friends since middle school. Lead vocalist Yojiro Noda first became interested in music after hearing

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

in middle school, when he would try to remember the guitar chords and sing to Oasis songs. The band's activities were initially centred on Yokohama, and their first performance took place on BB Street in Kannai district on 5 February 2002. At this point, guitarist Akira Kuwahara dropped out of high school in order to focus on the band. In September and August 2002, Radwimps partook in the Yokohama High School Music Festival and eventually won the grand prize for the competition with the song "Moshi mo". "Moshi mo" was released as the band's debut single in May 2003, with 10,000 copies pressed and sold for 100 yen each. Following this single, Radwimps toured the Yokohama area, including a performance as the sole act at Yokohama's Club 24West. The band released their debut album, '' Radwimps'', in July through independent label Newtraxx, featuring songs they wrote in middle school. The following August, after a guest appearance at the Yokohama High School Music Festival, the band went on hiatus for Noda and other members to focus on their school exams. Radwimps returned from hiatus in March 2004, though Kei Asō, Yūsuke Saiki, and Akio Shibafumi did not rejoin the group. To replace the musicians, the band added acquaintances, such as drummer Satoshi Yamaguchi and bassist Yusuke Takeda. Radwimps immediately began recording new songs, and by July had released a second single, "Kiseki", and performed a three-month Japan-wide tour. Right after the end of the tour, the band started work on their second album, '' Radwimps 2: Hatten Tojō'', which was finalized by the end of the year and released in March. Directly after the release, the group departed on a five-month and also performed at high-profile summer music festivals, such as Setstock,

Rock in Japan The Rock in Japan Festival is an annual three-day rock festival held during early August at the Hitachi Seaside Park, in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan, organized by '' Rockin'on''. Rock in Japan Festival is the biggest rock festival in Japan in ...

, and Summer Sonic. During this time, the band released a third single, "Hexun / Kanashi", which was their first charting release. In November, the band made their major debut under Toshiba EMI, with the single "Nijūgoko-me no Senshokutai", followed by "EDP (Tonde Hi ni Iru Natsu no Kimi)" in January, both of which rose to the top 50. In shifting to a major label, Noda explained that the band took the same stance as they had as an independent group, and that "If we thought we were bigger on a major label, that would have been a big mistake". The band's third and first major-label album, '' Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai'', regraded 3 in March 2006, was a landmark in establishing their popularity, debuting at number 13 on Oricon's album charts. ''Radwimps 3'' saw a change in the band's musical style, allowing them to be more experimental in their sound. By the end of 2006, the band's popularity had increased significantly: their album '' Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan'', led by the top-20 singles "

Futarigoto is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps, released on May 17, 2006, as the first of three singles from the band's fourth album, '' Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan''. The song was first certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan as ...

" and "

Yūshinron is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps, released on July 26, 2006, as the second of three singles from the band's fourth album, '' Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan''. The song was popular enough to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Associa ...

" and the top-5 "Setsuna Rensa", debuted at number five and had an initial shipment of more than 100,000 copies. At this time, the band's older releases, such as ''Radwimps'', ''Radwimps 2'', and "Kiseki", began charting for the first time, with ''Radwimps'' eventually being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. In the next three years, both ''Radwimps'' and ''Radwimps 2'' charted for approximately 100 weeks, and as of early 2011, ''Radwimps 3'' and ''Radwimps 4'' still continued to chart. In 2008, the band achieved their first number-one single, with " Order Made", on the Oricon charts. Their 2009 album, ''

Altocolony no Teiri is Japanese rock band Radwimps' fifth album, released on March 11, 2009. It was preceded by the single "Order Made" in 2008, which became the band's first number one single. The album was a critical and commercial success, with critics noting the ...

'', sold around 213,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the Oricon charts. The band achieved their second Oricon number-one single, " Dada", in 2011. In 2011, Radwimps released their sixth album, '' Zettai Zetsumei'', which debuted at number two on the Oricon charts and went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAJ. Following this release, the band embarked on their Zettai Enmei Tour throughout Japan from April to August 2011. On 11 March 2012, Radwimps released the single on YouTube, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. On 24 August 2016, Radwimps released the soundtrack album , to the anime film of the same name, directed by Makoto Shinkai. The film was an international success, further boosting the band's global profile and sending them to number two on the ''Billboard'' World Albums chart. The record also charted at number 16 on ''Billboard'' Heatseekers, and number 15 on ''Billboard''s Soundtrack Albums chart. In their home country of Japan, it was certified Double Platinum by the RIAJ, with over 500,000 copies sold, making it the band's best-selling album. It went on to win the Japan Record Special Award, the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music, and Soundtrack Album of the Year at the 31st

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...

s. Three months after that release, Radwimps returned with their ninth studio album, ''

Human Bloom is the ninth studio album by Japanese rock band Radwimps. Released on November 23, 2016, by EMI Records, it topped the Oricon charts in Japan and was certified platinum by the RIAJ. Track listing Personnel Credits are adapted from the alb ...

''. On 19 April 2017, while in the middle of their Human Bloom Tour, Radwimps performed as a guest act for Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams Tour at Tokyo Dome. In the same month, they also added Singapore to their Asian tour. On 10 May 2017, Radwimps released the single "Saihate Ai ni / Sennou". At the end of 2018, they issued their next album, ''

Anti Anti Generation ''Anti Anti Generation'' is the tenth studio album by the Japanese rock band Radwimps. It was released on December 12, 2018, by EMI Records and Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUnive ...

'', featuring Taka of One Ok Rock, singer-songwriter Aimyon, Tabu Zombie of Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, and rapper Miyachi. The record produced three singles: "Saihate Aini / Brainwashing", "Mountain Top", and "Catharsis". The album peaked at number one on both Oricon and Japan's ''Billboard'' charts, receiving a Gold certification from the RIAJ for sales of 100,000 copies. The band followed it with their Anti Anti Generation Tour 2019, from June to August. In 2019, Radwimps provided music for Shinkai's next film, '' Weathering with You'', released on 19 July. The album debuted at number three on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...

before peaking at number two in the following week. It won the 34th Japan Gold Disc Award for Animation Album of the Year, which made it the top-selling anime album of 2019, with more than 128,000 copies sold that year. It also won the

43rd Japan Academy Film Prize The is the 43rd edition of the ''Japan Academy Film Prize'', an award presented by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association to award excellence in filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Film ...

for Best Music and Best Soundtrack at the 24th Space Shower Music Awards. The band launched a world tour with stops in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in July 2020. The tour was cancelled, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a planned Japan tour was postponed. On 22 and 23 November 2020, Radwimps held a special fifteenth anniversary concert at Yokohama Arena. In September 2021, Akira Kuwahara announced that he would go on hiatus for an indefinite period of time, after the weekly magazine '' Shūkan Bunshun'' reported his extramarital affair with a former model. In 2022, Radwimps provided music for the film ''The Last Ten Years'', released on 4 March. The same year, the band also wrote music for Shinkai's film ''

'', making this the third time they collaborated with the director. In October, Kuwahara returned to the band after his year-long hiatus.

Side projects

Radwimps have also released music under the moniker Misoshiru's ("The Miso-Soups"), beginning with the song "Jennifer Yamada-san" from the 2006 single "

". A band with a primarily punk rock sound who perform disguised in Groucho glasses and red T-shirts, Misoshiru's released their debut album, ''Me So She Loose'', in March 2013. In 2008, Yojiro Noda acted as a record producer for the first time, writing and producing the song "Labrador" for singer Chara, which was used as the leading promotional track for her album ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

''. During the recording sessions, Noda collaborated with musicians such as Nobuaki Kaneko ( Rize), Yoshifumi Naoi (

Bump of Chicken is a Japanese alternative rock group from Sakura, Chiba, Japan. The band members are Motoo Fujiwara (Vocalist, vocals, Rhythm guitar, rhythm), Hiroaki Masukawa (guitar), Yoshifumi Naoi (Bass guitar, bass) and Hideo Masu (Drum kit, drums). Since ...

), Susumu Nishikawa ( Diamond Head), and Koichi Tsutaya. In 2010, Radwimps took part in a special project called Terrakoya, a commemorative band formed for the ''EMI Rocks'' 50th anniversary of EMI Music Japan rock concert, featuring Radwimps along with Acidman,

Fujifabric is a Japanese rock band formed in 2000. While their music can be mostly categorized as alternative rock or power pop, their music usually consists of an eclectic mix of genres, including jazz, disco and progressive rock. Name origin Before the ...

, Atsushi Horie ( Straightener), Susumu Nishikawa, The Telephones, and Kazuya Yoshii. The band released the song "Emi" in November, written by Noda in collaboration with Yoshii. Yojiro Noda made his solo debut under the name Illion in 2013 and released his debut album, ''

Ubu Ubu may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The title character of ''Ubu Roi'' (''King Ubu''), an 1896 French play by Alfred Jarry and subsequent plays *Ubu Repertory Theater, New York City, dedicated to presenting French plays translated into Eng ...

'', on 25 February 2013, in the United Kingdom.

Songwriting

Lead vocalist Yojiro Noda writes all of the band's music and lyrics (the only exception currently is the bonus track "Yonaki" from ''Radwimps 4'', written by Akira Kuwahara). Almost all of Noda's lyrics are based on events he has experienced, or nonfictional events. "Enren" from ''Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan'', released in 2006, was the first fictional-themed song Noda wrote since the band formed.

Band members

;Current members * – lead vocals , rhythm guitar * – lead guitar, backing vocals * – bass guitar, backing vocals * – drums, backing vocals ;Former members * – rhythm guitar * – bass guitar * – drums ;Touring members * – drums * – drums * – drums ;Timeline

Discography

* '' Radwimps'' (2003) * '' Radwimps 2: Hatten Tojō'' (2005) * '' Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai'' (2006) * '' Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan'' (2006) * ''

'' (2009) * '' Zettai Zetsumei'' (2011) * ''

Batsu to Maru to Tsumi to is the seventh studio album by Japanese rock band Radwimps is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, " rad" and "wimp". ...

'' (2013) * ''

Your Name. is a 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film produced by CoMix Wave Films. It depicts a high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in the Japanese countryside who suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies. The film was commissi ...

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Weathering with You'' (2019) * ''Forever Daze'' (2021) * ''

'' (with Kazuma Jinnouchi) (2022)

Tours

* (2005) * (2006) * (2006) * (2006) * (2007) * (2009) * (2011) * RADWIMPS GRAND PRIX (2014) * RADWIMPS 2015 Asia–Europe Live Tour (2015) * Human Bloom Tour (2017) * RADWIMPS Asia Live Tour (2017) * Road to Catharsis Tour (2018) * RADWIMPS Asia Live Tour (2018) * Anti Anti Generation Tour (2019)

Awards and nominations

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, rowspan="1", Radwimps, "Moshi mo" , Yokohama High School Music Festival , , - , rowspan="1" align="center", 2007
, rowspan="1", "

" , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2007 — Best Art Direction , , - , rowspan="1" align="center", 2008
, rowspan="3", " Order Made" ,

MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2008 The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards Japan were held on Saturday, May 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Awards Winners are in bold text. Video of the Year Exile — "I Believe" * Mr. Children — "Irodori" * Rihanna featuring Jay-Z — ...

— Best Rock Video , , - , rowspan="5" align="center", 2009
, Space Shower Music Video Awards 2009 — Best Your Choice , , - , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2009 — Best Rock Video , , - , RADWIMPS , FM Festival "Life Music Award 2009" — Life Music of the Year , , - , "Oshakashama" , FM Festival "Life Music Award 2009" — Best Lyric of Life , , - , rowspan="2" , ''

'' , FM Festival "Life Music Award 2009" — Best Album of Life , , - , rowspan="3" align="center", 2010

, The Second

CD Shop Awards The is an annual set of music awards presented in Japan. It is sponsored by All-Japan CD Shop Clerks Union and awarded based on votes by CD shop clerks from all over Japan. It is referred to as a "music edition of Japan Booksellers' Award". Abst ...

, , - , rowspan="2", "Oshakashama" , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2010 — Best Your Choice , , - , MTV World Stage VMAJ 2010 — Best Rock Video , , - , rowspan="3" align="center", 2011
, rowspan="2", "Manifesto" , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2011 — Best Your Choice , , - , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2011 — Best Shooting Video , , - , rowspan="1", " Dada" , 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan — Best Rock Video , , - , align="center", 2012 , "Kimi to Hitsuji to Ao" , MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2012 — Best Rock Video , , - , align="center", 2014 , "Last Virgin" , MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2014 — Best Rock Video , , - , align="center" rowspan="3" , 2016 , RADWIMPS , MTV Europe Music Awards 2016 — Best Japanese Act , , - , RADWIMPS , Space Shower Music Video Awards 2016 — Best Group Artist , , - , RADWIMPS , Japan Record Awards 2016 — Special Award , , - , align="center" rowspan="6" , 2017
, '' Your Name'' , Japan Academy Prize 2016 — Outstanding Achievement in Music , , - , "

Zenzenzense is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps. It was used as one of the four theme songs to the animated film ''Your Name'', and was one of 26 songs the band composed for the film's soundtrack. It reached number-one on the '' Billboard'' Japan Hot ...

" (movie ver.) , Japan Gold Disc Award 2017 — Best 5 Songs by Download , , - , "Nandemonaiya" (movie ver.) , Japan Gold Disc Award 2017 — Best 5 Songs by Download , , - , '' Your Name'' , Japan Gold Disc Award 2017 — Soundtrack Album of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" , RADWIMPS , Space Shower Music Awards 2017 — Best Rock Artist , , - , Space Shower Music Awards 2017 — Artist of the Year , , - , align="center" , 2018 , RADWIMPS , Space Shower Music Awards 2018 — Best Group Artist , , - , align="center" rowspan="4" , 2019 , rowspan="2", RADWIMPS , Space Shower Music Awards 2019 — Best Group Artist , , - , Space Shower Music Awards 2019 — Best Active Overseas , , - , "Catharsis" , Space Shower Music Awards 2019 — Video of the Year , , - , rowspan=4", '' Weathering with You'' , 74th Mainichi Film Awards — Best Music , , - , align="center" rowspan=3", 2020 , 34th

— Animation Album of the Year , , - ,

— Best Music , , - , 24th Space Shower Music Awards — Best Soundtrack , , - , align="center" rowspan=1", 2022 , "Ningen Gokko" , MTV Video Music Awards Japan — Best Cinematography ,

References

External links

* *
Radwimps webcast ''RAD Locks!''
{{Authority control Japanese alternative rock groups Japanese pop rock music groups Japanese emo musical groups Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Kanagawa Prefecture Universal Music Japan artists 2001 establishments in Japan EMI Records artists EMI Music Japan artists Virgin Records artists