WACK () is a Japanese music production company specialising in

alternative idol An alternative idol (also known as an alt-idol or anti-idol) is a term used by overseas J-pop fans to describe idols that differ from the traditional Japanese idol scene typically by having a darker image and performing heavier genres of music. Alt ...

s. The company was founded by Junnosuke Watanabe in 2014, following the first disbandment of Bis and the formation of

Pla2me , stylized as GANG PARADE (formerly known as Pla2me (プラニメ) and POP (ピォピ)) is a Japanese alternative idol girl group formed in 2014. In 2020, Gang Parade split into two groups: Go to the Beds and Paradises. They resumed activities i ...

History

2014–2016: Establishment, formation of Bish, and second generation of Bis

WACK was established by Junnosuke Watanabe on August 3, 2014, after the dissolution of the first generation of Bis and the formation of

. On January 14, 2015, the formation of

Bish is a Japanese alternative idol girl group that was founded in 2015 by their manager Junnosuke Watanabe. The group was conceived as a successor to BiS, an idol group managed by Watanabe that disbanded in 2014. History Bish was initially an ...

was announced. Bish released their debut studio album, '' Brand-New Idol Shit'', on May 27. On July 8, 2016, the relaunch of Bis was announced with the return of original member

Pour Lui is a Japanese singer known for her work as the founder and leader of the alternative idol group Bis. Pour Lui started her career in November 2009 as a solo singer, being promoted as a "new age rock icon". She released her debut album, ''The Wo ...

. The second generation of Bis released their debut studio album, '' Brand-new idol Society 2'', on November 16.

2017–2018: Formation of Empire, shuffle units, and Pedro

On August 23, 2017, the formation of

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, a collaboration group between WACK and Avex, was revealed, their first song "Empire Is Coming" was released on October 6. Empire released their debut studio album, '' The Empire Strikes Start!!'', on April 11. On October 6, WACK's first shuffle unit, Saint Sex, was formed. They released their first single "WACK is Fxxk" on October 18. On December 6, WACK and Scrambles released a joint album entitled ''WACK & Scrambles Works'', in which different artists under the company covered different songs such as Bis' "Nerve" and "Gives", Bish's "Orchestra", and Gang Parade's "Plastic 2 Mercy". On May 28, 2018, WACK launched its trainee unit, Wagg. On July 26, WACK's second shuffle unit, Holy Shits, released their first single "WACK is Shit". On September 19, Bish's Ayuni D debuted in the band

Pedro Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, mean ...

with the EP ''Zoozoosea''.

2019: Bis' third generation and formation of two new groups

On March 30, 2019, WACK's founder announced that he would be holding auditions for Bis' third generation. The second generation of Bis disbanded on May 11 with a concert at Akasaka Blitz. On April 10, WACK's third shuffle unit, Bully Idol, a parody of

Billie Idle Billie Idle (stylized as BILLIE IDLE®) was a Japanese alternative idol girl group founded in 2015. They debuted on April 1, 2015, with the album, ''Idle Gossip''. They disbanded at the end of 2019. History On Juy 8, 2014, during the disbandm ...

, released their version of "Soshite, Mata...". On June 19, a new idol group was announced under the temporary name ''Curry Rouxz'', the group would consist of former Bis members Pan Luna Leafy and Yuina Empire, and Wagg trainee Uruu Ru. Auditions for a fourth member were held and a fourth member Yumeka Naukana? was added to the line-up, which would be named

Carry Loose , stylized as CARRY LOOSE, was a Japanese alternative idol girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States t ...

. They released their eponymous debut album on October 22. The third generation of Bis debuted on August 14, with the album ''Brand-new idol Society'', sharing its name with the first generation of Bis' debut album. From November to December, WACK documented the audition process of forming a new group through the survival reality show, ''Monster Idol'', which aired on TBS'

Wednesday's Downtown is a Japanese variety show hosted by the Japanese owarai duo, Downtown. The show has been broadcast on TBS since 2014. Overview In each episode, a Japanese entertainer is invited to appear on the show as a host and present various trivial t ...

. The group's name,

Mameshiba no Taigun , stylized as MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN, is a Japanese alternative idol girl group formed through the reality survival show ''Monster Idol'' which featured on TBS Television's variety show '' Wednesday's Downtown'' in 2019. They debuted on December 19, ...

, debut single "Restart", and final four member line-up was finalised on December 18. Although a fifth member was added on December 25.

2020: Gang Parade split and Carry Loose's disbandment

On March 28, 2020, Gang Parade split into two groups: Go to the Beds and Paradises. They released the debut split EP, ''G/P'', consisting of three songs per group and Kamiya Saki's final solo song before graduating from Gang Parade and WACK on April 1, 2020, after being an artist under the company since August 2014. On June 1, WACK opened global auditions for a new group. On October 10, WACK began a livestreamed audition event in which WACK trainees, Wagg, would compete to join Paradises, the livestream was titled '. On October 31, Carry Loose disbanded after an attempt to achieve a major label debut through a 24-hour a day livestream lasting almost three months had failed. Shortly after, Pan Luna Leafy and Uruu Ru left WACK. On December 26, the winner of ', Utauuta, joined Paradises. Usagi Tsukino, a current member of Paradises at the time was moved to Wagg for six months alongside former Carry Loose member Yuina Empire.

2021: Formation of ASP and temporary addition of AKB48's Yuki Kashiwagi

On February 3, 2021, Bish's

Aina the End , stylized as AiNA THE END, is a Japanese singer and idol. She is a founding member of the idol group Bish. Career Prior to joining Bish, Aina the End moved to Tokyo and first worked as a singer at a nightclub in Shibuya, then in a backup d ...

debuted as a solo artist with the studio album, ''The End''. On March 27, WACK Audition Camp 2021 ended with Paradises and Go to the Beds gaining a new member each, a new trainee being added to Wagg, and the formation of a new group named ASP. ASP's member were later revealed to be former

member Yumeka Nowkana?, Naayu who was a member of WACK's trainee group Wagg, and two new members who had been pre-selected before the audition camp. ASP released their debut album, ''Anal Sex Penis'', on May 26. On April 9, it was announced that

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with ...

member

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

would temporarily join all seven current WACK groups as a member, with the stage name Yuki Reysole. On August 31, all seven WACK groups were set to release a single each, all of which would feature Kashiwagi. The release of the singles was later delayed following Kashiwagi's diagnosis of

Syringomyelia Syringomyelia is a generic term referring to a disorder in which a cyst or cavity forms within the spinal cord. Often, syringomyelia is used as a generic term before an etiology is determined. This cyst, called a syrinx, can expand and elongate o ...

. On June 16, , a parody of the

Sakamichi Series refers to a Japanese idol group franchise that began with Nogizaka46, an "official" rival group of AKB48. It currently consists of four groups: Nogizaka46, Sakurazaka46, Hinatazaka46, and Yoshimotozaka46. Despite the name, the groups are not ...

of idol groups and a one-off shuffle unit consisting of every idol that was part of WACK at the time, released the single . On October 2, Watanabe announced that all members of Go to the Beds and Paradises would immediately swap groups and release a second split EP on December 15. On October 8, it was announced that a new shuffle unit would be formed of seven WACK members based on votes from fans through a competition named ''Vote! WACK Select 7'', the group are to be produced by Yuki Kashiwagi and the line-up was finalised on December 27. On November 3, Ayuni D debuted as a solo artist under the name Aomushi (青虫). On November 30, all seven WACK groups released a single each featuring Yuki Kashiwagi. The results of ''Vote! WACK Select 7'' which were released on December 27, revealed that the line-up of the new shuffle unit would be Yui Ga Dockson, Tsukino Usagi, Terashima Yuka, Hashiyasume Atsuko, Yamamachi Miki, Yumeno Yua and Cent Chihiro Chittiii. A second shuffle unit formed of three members who ranked low in the competition was also formed of Lingling, Yu-ki Empire and Nameless.

2022: Gang Parade resumes activities, shuffle units, ExWhyZ and Tonai Bousho

On January 2, 2022, Gang Parade, who previously split into Go to the Beds and Paradises, resumed activities with the addition of Kila May, Changbaby and Ca Non as new members. In an audition camp held from February 24 to 27, WACK's first all-male idol group was formed, they would later be known as WACK Boyz. On March 23, the ''Vote! WACK Select 7'' winning group was named Spy, while the losing group was named Innocent Ass. Spy's debut single, , which features two B-sides: a cover of

's "

Ōgoe Diamond is the 10th major single by the Japanese idol group AKB48, the 12th overall and the first on King Records, released on October 22, 2008. It was the first single for Jurina Matsui from SKE48 and also the first AKB48's single to feature a member o ...

" by Spy and Innocents Ass' debut song, "Everyone is Good and Bad", was released on June 1. On March 26, WACK Audition Camp 2022 concluded with Gang Parade gaining two new members, Ainastar (a former Wagg trainee) and Potential, who joined the group on May 13. ASP also gained two new members, CCCCCC (a former member of

HKT48 HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka city of Fukuoka Prefecture, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at ...

) and Riontown, who made their debut with the group on May 7. From August 18 to 21, WACK held its second all-male audition camp in order to finalise the line-up of WACK Boyz. Empire disbanded on June 2. At their final concert Watanabe announced that all of the members of Empire would re-debut as

ExWhyZ ExWhyZ, formerly known as Empire (stylized as EMPiRE), is a Japanese idol, Japanese alternative idol girl group formed between WACK (music company), WACK and Avex Trax in 2017. They have released five studio albums, two EPs, and five singles sin ...

under EMI Records later that year. ExWhyZ released their debut studio album on November 2. WACK's trainee unit Wagg disbanded on October 18. All of the members of Wagg left WACK in November. From December 11 to 14, WACK held audition camp, ', with the aim of finding new members for Mameshiba no Taigun. All existing members of the group, excluding Kaede who would be graduating on December 17, took part in the camp with their position in the line-up at risk. On December 17, audition camp contestants Momoka and Reona joined the group and Kaede graduated. On December 15, Tonai Bousho, a girl group formed through ''Monster Love'' on ''

'' debuted with the single "Cookie".

2023: Boysgroup

WACK Boyz debuted under the name Boysgroup with the album, ''We Are Boysgroup'', in January 2023.

Artists

Groups

* Bis *

Gang Parade , stylized as GANG PARADE (formerly known as Pla2me (プラニメ) and POP (ピォピ)) is a Japanese idol, Japanese alternative idol girl group formed in 2014. In 2020, Gang Parade split into two groups: Go to the Beds and Paradises. They resumed ...

* ASP *

*Tonai Bousho *Boysgroup

Bands

Shuffle units

*Saint Sex *Holy Shits *Bully Idol *Dōgenzaka43 *Spy *Innocent Ass

Soloists

* Aomushi *Cent

Former artists

*This is not a business *Sis *Beat Mints Boyz *

* Go to the Beds * Paradises *

*Wagg

Discography

Studio albums

Concerts and tours

*Going Going WACK Tour (2019) *WACK Fuckin' Party (2020) *To Be Continued WACK Tour (2021) *WACK WACK Shit Tour (2022)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Record labels established in 2014 Japanese record labels Japanese companies established in 2014