is a Japanese

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in se ...

consisting of

DJ Ozma , known professionally as DJ Ozma (stylized DJ OZMA) and legally as , is a Japanese pop singer and musical artist. He is also known as Show Ayanocozey of the rock band Kishidan and Naomi Camelia Yazima of the drag queen pop group Yazima Beauty S ...

and the

owarai is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety shows ...

group

Tunnels A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...

in character and in drag depicting a group of women they found scouting for talent in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The group is on the

Avex is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

label.

Members

;: The 36-year-old matriarch of the Yazima family portrayed by worked as a nude dancer in Las Vegas before being "discovered" by DJ Ozma and the Tunnels. She has been working as a dancer since she was 19. In Japanese, her name is written as . ;: The blond 18-year-old (originally 17-year-old) daughter of the Yazima family portrayed by

who reluctantly worked with her mother as a dancer before being "discovered" by DJ Ozma and the Tunnels. She "mastered" the Japanese language soon within her "arrival" in Japan, unlike her mother. In Japanese, her name is written as although she signs as . ;: The 12-year-old (originally 11-year-old) daughter of the Yazima family portrayed by who constantly seeks out her father by calling out . She is the only flat-chested member of the group due to her "age" but has extensive armpit hair and wears her hair in an

afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

. In Japanese, her name is written as .

Discography

Singles

# - October 29, 2008 #*The group's debut single peaked at #3 on the

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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

Weekly Charts and subsequently was certified as a gold record 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 Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

in November. The song went on to become the #2 requested song in

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

parlors for 2008, between

Shuchishin is a Japanese idol musical ensemble, vocal group formed as part of the variety show ''Quiz! Hexagon II'' produced by Fuji Television, Fuji Television Network Incorporated. Originally meant to be a joke group, the trio has released singles that ha ...

's debut single at #1 and

GReeeeN Greeeen (stylized as GReeeeN) is a Japanese vocal group from Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members: HIDE, navi, 92 (read as "kuni"), and SOH. They made their debut with Universal Music in 2007. Their logo image i ...

's " Kiseki" at #3. The song was also used in a commercial for Lotte's SPASH

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its te ...

and it ranked as the #3 best song to appear in a commercial, after

Orange Range are a 5-member Japanese rock music, rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The band left gr8! ...

's "Oshare Banchou feat. Soy Sauce" for

Glico , commonly known as just Glico, is a Japanese multinational food processing company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. It does business across 30 countries, in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Overview Ezaki Glico's primary b ...

Pocky is a Japanese sweet snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico food company. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and was invented by Yoshiaki Koma. It consists of coated biscuit sticks. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoeic word , which is suppos ...

at #1 and

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...

's "Boku ga Boku no Subete" for

KDDI () is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed on October 1, 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp. (Daini-Denden Inc.), KDD (Kokusai Denshin Denwa) Corp. (itself a former listed state-owned enterprise privatized in 1998), and IDO Corp. It h ...

au BOX Au, AU, au or a.u. may refer to: Science and technology Computing * .au, the internet country code for Australia * Au file format, Sun Microsystems' audio format * Audio Units, a system level plug-in architecture from Apple Computer * Adobe Audit ...

. The song is also included in the " Nanairo no Nico Nico Douga" medley. #* The single sold over 140,000 copies. # - March 25, 2009 #*The highest "SAKURA -Haru o Uta wa Nevada-" reached on the Oricon was #5 for the weekly rankings. It reached #14 for April 2009's monthly rankings. The song is akin to other

sakura A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of Prunus, genus ''Prunus'' or Prunus subg. Cerasus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especia ...

-themed songs released in Japan during the time of the trees' blooming. #* So far the single has sold 34,179 copies. # - July 8, 2009 #*This new single was advertised as a summertime hit, singing about the beach and other summer activities. #*The single was ranked as #9 on the weekly Oricon chart and has sold a total of 25,116 copies. # - February 10, 2010 #*The song is performed in a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

style. On the cover, the three members appear as golden

Liberties Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. #*Peaking at #12, the single sold 9,012 copies according to the Oricon chart. # - April 21, 2010 #*This song is to be used as the theme song for their debut film and features

Seiko Matsuda , known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, win ...

as a featured vocalist and credited as . ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete" ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete (KARAOKE)" ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete () ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete (Margaret de Utaou! ver.)" ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete (Strawberry de Utaou! ver.)" ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete (Naomi de Utaou! ver.)" ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawasete (Yazima Beauty Salon de Utaou! ver.)"

Albums

# - March 3, 2010 #*CD #*#"Nihon no Mikata -Nevada Kara Kimashita-" #*#"Megami no Chikara" #*# #*# #*# #*# #*# #*#"Hamaguri Bomber" #*#"SAKURA -Haru o Utawa Nevada-" #*# #*# #*DVD #*#"Nihon no Mikata -Nevada Kara Kimashita-" Music Video #*#"SAKURA -Haru o Utawa Nevada-" Music Video #*#"Hamaguri Bomber" Music Video #*#"Megami no Chikara" Music Video #*#

Soundtracks

# - April 28, 2010 ##"Land On The Earth" ##"MIRACLE" - Yazima Beauty Salon ##"Place In Your Heart" - Aisa ##"Beautiful Morning" ##"Amazing Angel" - ##"Blow" ##"Waiting For Love" - ##"Sweet Seventeen" - Nine Mackenzie ##"Jealousy" ##"Sweet My Friend" ## - Yazima Beauty Salon ##"Ultimate Choice" ##"Half Moon" -

BRIGHT Bright may refer to: Common meanings *Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness *Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence People * Bright (surname) * Bright (given name) *Bright, the stage na ...

##"Memories" ##"Margaret Starting!" ##"Naomi Run Away" ##"don't cry strawberry" - Strawberry ##"Cocktail for Tonight" ##"Raspberry Starting!" ##"Long to visit Tokyo" ##"Princess SEIKO" ##"Flower of Stage" ##"Naomi Starting!" ##"Daddy! Come Back!" ##"Departure" ##"Second Coming of Strawberry" ## - Yazima Beauty Salon ##"My Best Friend" ##"Sunshine Smile" ##"Nihon no Mikata -Nevada Kara Kimashita-" - Yazima Beauty Salon ##"Idol Mitai ni Utawaste" - Yazima Beauty Salon feat. Princess Seiko (

)

Film

A film titled was released on April 29, 2010. The film describes the "history" of the band as they win a talent contest and then travel to Japan to find Margaret's husband and the girls' father . Other than the band (

Takaaki Ishibashi is a Japanese owarai artist, singer and actor. He is best known as a member of Tunnels and Yaen with his partner Noritake Kinashi. Early life and family Born in Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan, Ishibashi moved to Narimasu, Itabashi after his fathe ...

Noritake Kinashi is a Japanese comedian, actor, singer and artist. He is the short member of the comedy duo Tunnels, with whom he was a member of the pop group Yaen. His partner is Takaaki Ishibashi. He is the executive vice president of the entertainment office ...

), the film also stars

Meisa Kuroki Satsuki Shimabukuro (Japanese: 島袋さつき, ''Shimabukuro Satsuki'', b. 28 May 1988 in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), better known by her stage name Meisa Kuroki (Japanese: 黒木メイサ, ''Kuroki Meisa''), is a Japanese actress, model an ...

Yusuke Yamamoto is a Japanese actor and DJ. He was born in Aichi, Japan. His debut role was as Tsurugi Kamishiro, a.k.a. Kamen Rider Sasword, in ''Kamen Rider Kabuto is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in the ...

, Ayaka Wilson,

Kazuma Sano is a Japanese actor. Sano is represented with Stardust Promotion's Section 3. Biography While he was in his third-year junior high school, Sano was scouted in Shibuya Station. He is a former member of Stardust Promotion's young actor dance unit ...

Dante Carver Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

Kanako Yanagihara (born February 3, 1986 in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress, comedian, and '' tarento'', who has been featured in '' Cartoon KAT-TUN'', the live-action drama ''Otomen'', and collaborated on the music for '' Keroro Gunso the Super Movi ...

, Atsushi Itō,

Kaba.chan , born on June 19, 1969, in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, is a transgender woman who is a Japanese tarento and choreographer. After studying dance in New York City, she returned to Japan and was a member of the musical group Dos with Taeco Nishikawa and As ...

Yutaka Mizutani is a Japanese actor and singer. He was born on July 14, 1952, in Ashibetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan. Biography Mizutani was raised from the age of eight in Tokyo, Japan. He started acting at the age of twelve, when a neighbor introduced him to a childr ...

Ren Osugi , born was a Japanese actor. For his work in ''Cure'', ''Hana-bi'' and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival. He often worked alongside Takeshi Kitano and Susumu Terajima. In the DVD comme ...

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

announcer Toshiyuki Makihara, among others. There were also special

Hello Kitty , also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...

as caricatures of the band produced for the film.

References

External links

Official website
at

Avex Group is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

{{Authority control Avex Group artists Japanese pop music groups Female impersonators Japanese comedy musical groups Bands with fictional stage personas