Behind Aaron Fincke

Aaron Fincke (born April 22, 1978; known professionally as Aaron Fink) is an American musician, best known as the former lead guitarist for the post-grunge/alternative metal band Breaking Benjamin and now the current guitarist of the band Gentleman East.

Before Breaking Benjamin, Aaron Fink and band mate Mark James Klepaski (bass), were members of the band Lifer (Strangers With Candy). They broke away from Lifer in late 2001 to join their old high school friend Benjamin Burnley (vocals/guitar) and Jeremy Hummel (past drummer) in creating Breaking Benjamin. Fink has helped Burnley write many of the band's lyrics and was a strong backbone of the band. Ben has stated the following about Aaron's work on the band's second album, We Are Not Alone, "He's not so much a riff guy as someone who creates atmosphere. His talents really shine through here."
In live performances, Fink currently plays Music Man/Ernie Ball Axis Super Sport Guitars. He used to play his Washburn Idol guitar for live performances, and a Fender Telecaster in earlier years, but has started to play MusicMan instead. He also pulls out his PRS for a few songs in the live set.
Beyond Breaking Benjamin, Fink has played on The Badlees 2009 album, Love Is Rain as well as performed live with the band for several shows during 2009 and 2010.
Fink lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania, United States.

Behind Mark Klepaski

Markus James "MJ" Klepaski (born September 11, 1975) is an American bass guitarist, best known as the former bass player for the American post-grunge/alternative metal band, Breaking Benjamin, as well as formerly playing bass for the band Stardog Champion.

Mark James Klepaski is a bass player known for his work in the band Breaking Benjamin (2001-2012). Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently fronted by vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Burnley. The band released four studio albums, Saturate in 2001, We Are Not Alone in 2004, Phobia in 2006, and Dear Agony in 2010, selling over five million albums in the United States alone.
Before Breaking Benjamin, Mark was the bass guitar player for Lifer (Strangers With Candy). He and guitarist Aaron Fink eventually made the decision to leave Lifer for Breaking Benjamin.

Behind Ben Burnley

Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV (born March 10, 1978) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter, sole constant, and currently the only member of the band Breaking Benjamin. He has written some of the group's most successful singles such as The Diary of Jane, Sooner or Later, Breath, So Cold and many others.

Early days as a musician

Benjamin Burnley was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and grew up there and in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. At 18, he dropped out of high school and moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he became a roommate of former Breaking Benjamin bass player Jonathan Price. He taught himself to play guitar by listening to Nirvana's Nevermind (he cites Nirvana as his biggest influence). Before Breaking Benjamin was formed, Burnley earned money playing cover songs in various coffee houses as a solo artist. It was during this era that his band got its name. After performing a Nirvana cover, Ben knocked over a microphone (in imitation of his lifelong idol Kurt Cobain) and cracked it. The mic's owner walked onstage and said, "I'd like to thank Benjamin for breaking my microphone."

Starting Breaking Benjamin

In 1998, Burnley and former lead guitarist Aaron Fink, got together (along with Nick Hoover and Chris Lightcap) and started the band “Breaking Benjamin.” Eventually Ben wanted to try something different and went out to California to try some new material. The other 3 members went on to form the band “Strangers With Candy.” They recruited old friend Mark Klepaski to play bass and he joined in, and shortly after, Nick Hoover was then asked to leave the band.
In 1999, Ben Burnley moved back to Pennsylvania, and started a band called “Plan 9” with drummer Jeremy Hummel. Originally the band was a 3-piece. The lineup consisted of Ben on vocals and guitar, Jeremy behind the kit, and Jason Davoli on bass. Plan 9 would occasionally open for Lifer at home shows. During one show, Ben said “Thank you, we’re Breaking Benjamin,” and thus reclaiming the name from 1998. Later on, Mark left Lifer and found himself playing bass for Breaking Benjamin. Lifer continued going through struggles, and months later, Aaron sat in for a set with Benjamin. Finally, Aaron left Lifer, and was offered a spot in Ben Burnley's band, and they became a 4-piece.

Behind Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently fronted by vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Burnley. The band released four studio albums, Saturate in 2002, We Are Not Alone in 2004, Phobia in 2006, and Dear Agony in 2009, selling over five million albums in the United States.

In mid-2010, the band started a hiatus due to frontman Burnley's recurring illnesses and inability to tour. Further complications arose in August 2011 when Mark Klepaski and Aaron Fink were fired from the band.

In April 2013, Burnley announced he would press forward with the band name in the future without any of the other previous members, as drummer Chad Szeliga announced his departure from the band.

Formation (1998–2001)

In 1998, Burnley, guitarist Aaron Fink, Nick Hoover and Chris Lightcap formed Breaking Benjamin. Burnley later moved to California to experiment musically. When he moved back to Pennsylvania, he started a band called "Plan 9", playing guitar and singing alongside drummer Jeremy Hummel and bassist, Andy Seal, which was subsequently replaced by Jason Davoli in 2000, and Jonathan "Bug" Price in 2001. Plan 9 occasionally opened for Lifer at home shows. During one show, Burnley said, “Thank you, we’re Breaking Benjamin”, reclaiming the name from earlier in 1998.

Saturate (2002–2003)

 

After a successful independently-released self-titled EP (which sold all 2,000 printed copies), Breaking Benjamin signed with Hollywood Records in early 2002. They then released their full-length major-label debut, Saturate, on August 27, 2002. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart, and at #136 on the Billboard Top 200.

Its first single, "Polyamorous", received moderate radio play but failed to reach mainstream audiences. Three versions of a video for "Polyamorous" were released: one purely live-action footage, one with footage of the video game Run Like Hell and one a variation of the second, but with the Run Like Hell scenes replaced by scenes of people in flirtatious acts. This song was featured on the game WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw and also featured on WWE Day of Reckoning.

The second single was "Skin", which fared worse than "Polyamorous". Burnley has stated his disdain for the song during performances, and encourages the crowd to sing while the band plays. The disdain is because Hollywood Records chose it as the main single instead of the band's choice, "Medicate".

They planned on releasing a studio version of their cover of "Enjoy the Silence" (along with "Lady Bug") on the European version of Saturate, but this version was never released. "Lady Bug" was later released on the So Cold EP, and on the Japanese version of We Are Not Alone.

"Wish I May" is played during the closing credits of the 2003 horror film, Wrong Turn.

We Are Not Alone (2004–2005)

Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone, on June 29, 2004. It featured the lead single "So Cold", which reached #2 on the United States Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Two music videos were made for "So Cold", one a promotional video for the movie Hellboy. "So Cold" spent 37 weeks in the Top 20 of the Billboard charts.

Other singles from the album were "Sooner or Later" and a re-recorded, full band version of "Rain" (only on later pressings of the album). "Sooner or Later" received significant radio play, reaching #2 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. A music video for the song was released. The song was performed live on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

The songs "Rain", "Forget It" and "Follow" were co-written by The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and Burnley over six days in December 2003. Burnley stated he was initially nervous about working with Corgan, but later felt comfortable. He called the experience one of the highlights of his career.

Jeremy Hummel temporarily left the band in August 2004 to spend time with his newborn child, and was replaced by Kevin Soffera, who played with the band on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly. He performed the songs "Away" and "Breakdown" on the So Cold EP. Hummel returned to the band in September 2004 and was later fired. On September 28, 2005, Hummel filed a federal lawsuit against Breaking Benjamin and its management, claiming he was owed money for songs he helped write. The suit sought over $8 million in damages. Hummel did not receive any money for We Are Not Alone, which he co-authored. The band took Ben "B.C." Vaught as its new drummer, until early 2005, when he was replaced by Chad Szeliga.

The song "Firefly" was featured in the WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw video game, released November 2004.

The song "Blow Me Away" was written for and featured in the game Halo 2, released in November 2004. It was later on Halo 2 Original Soundtrack Volume 1, and on the So Cold EP.

We Are Not Alone went platinum in mid-2005. A "platinum edition" of We Are Not Alone was then released, including the full-band version of "Rain".

Phobia (2006–2009)

Breaking Benjamin released Phobia on August 8, 2006, leading with the single "The Diary of Jane", which made it to #4 on the U.S. Modern Rock Charts.

On February 11, 2007, HDNet aired a one-hour Breaking Benjamin concert from Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This concert was included on the re-released Phobia DVD in April 2007, billed as "The Homecoming". The band had their first #1 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks with "Breath". The music video for "Breath" was made of footage from the song's performance at the Stabler Arena show.

They co-headlined a tour of the United States with Three Days Grace, with Red and Puddle of Mudd as openers. The reissued Phobia re-entered the Billboard 100 at number 38 on May 5, 2007.

On June 29, 2007, Breaking Benjamin performed "Breath" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On July 6, they played the song on The Late Show with Craig Ferguson. They toured 36 venues in Fall 2007, with Three Days Grace, Seether, Skillet (first half) and Red (second half).
On October 23, 2007, Breaking Benjamin released all of their music videos on iTunes, in a set titled "Nightmares".

On May 21, 2009 Phobia went platinum.

Behind Christian "CC" Coma

Christian "CC" Coma Mora (born April 21, 1985) is an American drummer, best known for being a member of the American rock band Black Veil Brides He joined the band in September 2010, replacing drummer Sandra Alvarenga, who left Black Veil Brides to join the band Modern Day Escape.

Christian was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, on April 21, 1985. He first played drums at the age of 9 and has been playing drums for over 17 years. He has been in bands since high school. He started his music career playing drums in a jazz band. His favorite genres of music are jazz, metal, trance, electro, and rap, among others.

His musical influences include Pendulum, deadmau5, As I Lay Dying, In Flames, and Rise Against. Christian is also a big fan of Slipknot and another of his influences in drumming is Joey Jordison. In his free time, he enjoys being on the beach with friends and watching his favorite television programs such as Family Guy, Entourage, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. His favorite color is green and his favorite drink is Wild Cherry Pepsi.

When Black Veil Brides announced the departure of drummer Sandra Alvarenga, Christian joined in September 2010. He co-wrote some of the band's songs ever since he joined in and they later released their second album, Set The World On Fire on the same year.

Currently, he is single. He broke up with his girlfriend Lauren Watson in September 2013.

Behind Jinxx

Jeremy Miles "Jinxx" Ferguson (born January 7, 1986 in Webster City, Iowa), is an American guitarist, violinist, pianist, and current violinist, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of American rock band Black Veil Brides.

He joined Black Veil Brides in mid-2009 when Andy Biersack was reforming his band in Hollywood, California. He has also played in the bands The Dreaming, Amen, Team Cybergeist, and The Drastics. He got his first guitar when he was two, and started playing live shows with his father at the age of eight. He is heavily influenced by classical music and classical composers, such as Bach and Beethoven. The first album he ever owned was Metallica's fourth album, ...And Justice for All, and he learned every track from start to finish. He and fellow Black Veil Brides guitarist Jake Pitts won Revolver Magazine's Golden Gods Award for "Best Guitarists 2012".

Behind Jake Pitts

Jake Pitts (born Jacob Mark Pitts; August 21, 1988) is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and engineer best known for being lead guitarist in the American rock band Black Veil Brides.

The song "Carolyn" was written by Black Veil Brides' frontman Andy Biersack about Jake's mother when she was going through a period of illness. On the 18th of January 2014, his mother, Carolyn, passed away.

He received his first guitar when he was 10 years old, but he put it away and didn't play it until 3 years later. He picked it back up when he began listening to Metallica, because he wanted to recreate their sound. He learned music and harmony theory from his mother, who was a classical pianist and composer. He also took a lesson from virtuoso guitarist Eric Cliff from the bands Abriel Way and Blind Fury. Eric taught him many tricks and techniques such as speed picking. Eric is from his home town of Boise Idaho. Jake is also influenced musically by rock and heavy metal artists such as Van Halen, Scorpions, All That Remains, Buckethead, Paul Gilbert, Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Avenged Sevenfold, Mötley Crüe, and Metallica. Before joining Black Veil Brides, he played lead guitar in the bands The Perfect Victim and 80 Proof Riot. He is a certified recording engineer and went to Los Angeles Recording School in 2006.

Behind Andy Biersack

Andrew Dennis "Andy" Biersack (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter, bassist, and pianist. He is the founder and lead vocalist for the American rock band Black Veil Brides.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

For his early education, Biersack attended a Catholic elementary school, which he has spoken of in many interviews. Because of the way Andy dressed and the music he listened to, (i.e. The Misfits, A7X, The Damned, The Dropkick Murphies, etc.), he was the target of bullying at school. This bullying is re-enacted in the "Knives and Pens" music video. In high school, Biersack attended Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts, and majored in drama and vocal music. He left school before graduating to move to Los Angeles to further his potential career, six days after he turned 18. He took vocal training before recording Set the World on Fire to improve what he could do with his voice.

At age 16, Biersack and a few of his friends formed their first band, called "Biersack" (although they only played one show). This project eventually grew into what would later be known as Black Veil Brides. In September 2009 Black Veil Brides signed with the independent label StandBy Records. The writing process for a tour and a record began immediately. In December 2009, the band embarked on their first US tour, titled "On Leather Wings". The group's debut album We Stitch These Wounds was released July 20, 2010 and sold over 10,000 copies in its first week, ranking at No. 36 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Independent chart. The band's second studio album, Set the World on Fire was released on June 14, 2011 through Lava Music/Universal Republic Records.

In May 2014, Biersack announced a solo project, of which he will be releasing new music the same year under an alter ego 'Andy Black', but reassured fans that his primary project remains to be Black Veil Brides.

Biersack has suffered quite a few injuries while performing with Black Veil Brides, most notably his fall from a 15-foot (4.6 m) pillar on June 18, 2011 in Hollywood. In an attempt to jump back onto the stage, he fell forward and hit his chest on the edge, which resulted in 3 ribs shattered (3 lower left), and one displaced. That particular injury caused Black Veil Brides to have to miss the first week of the Vans Warped Tour in 2011. On October 26, 2011, while on another tour in the UK, Biersack broke his nose on the drum riser while performing a gig in Luxembourg, resulting in more missed tour dates. However, two days later, he performed with Black Veil Brides in London.
In an interview with Revolver Magazine, Biersack stated:

“

I never anticipated seeing 40. I smoke two packs a day and drink like a camel. I just don’t really think about death. I know I’m gonna die one day, but if I can achieve all of my goals and live exactly the way I want to before then, I’ll have no regrets when I die. I don’t try to hurt myself like Iggy Pop or Marilyn Manson or anything — it’s just the byproduct of the chaos of being on stage.

”

Behind Black Veil Brides

Black Veil Brides are an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently composed of Andy Biersack (lead vocals), Ashley Purdy (bass, backing vocals), Jake Pitts (lead guitar), Jinxx (rhythm guitar, violin) and Christian "CC" Coma (drums). Black Veil Brides are known for their use of black makeup, body paint, tight black studded clothing, and long hair, which were all inspired by Kiss' and Mötley Crüe's stage persona, as well as other 1980s glam metal acts.

The band was originally formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2006 by Andy Biersack. Eventually Andy relocated to Los Angeles, California. In September 2009 he formed a new band, using the current name Black Veil Brides, and signed with the independent label StandBy Records. The writing process for a tour and a record began immediately. In December 2009, the band embarked on their first US tour, titled "On Leather Wings".

The group's debut album We Stitch These Wounds was released July 20, 2010 and sold over 10,000 copies in its first week, ranking at No. 36 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Independent chart. In late 2010, Black Veil Brides went on tour with bands The Birthday Massacre, Dommin and Aural Vampire.

Black Veil Brides first came to the attention of Lava Records president Jason Flom when the chief music officer at Hot Topic, John Kirkpatrick, told him about the incredible buzz that was building around the band, with their t-shirt attracting the second biggest sales in the country at that point. What was even more impressive was that they had built their fanatical following in a "DIY" fashion, such as in making their own self-funded videos.

Black Veil Brides supported the Murderdolls in the "God Save The Scream Tour" 2011 and also toured America on the AP Tour from March 18 to May 6. The band continued on to the Vans Warped Tour, which began June 24, 2011 and ended August 14 of the same year. However, on June 18, Andy fell from a pillar while performing and broke his ribs, which caused them to miss the first week of the tour. The band also performed at festivals such as the Download Festival in the UK and Bamboozle. The band also played at the Rock am Ring festival at the Nürburgring motorsport complex in Nürburg, Germany in June 2011. On April 20, it was revealed the band had won Revolver Magazine's Golden Gods Award for Best New Artist, the title for Kerrang!'s Best Newcomers, and were nominated for the title of Kerrang!'s Best International Newcomer.

Behind Avril Lavigne

Date of Birth: September 27th, 1984
Birthplace: Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Birth name: Avril Ramona Lavigne
Nicknames: Avie, Av
Hight: 5'1" (1.55)

Avril Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada on September 27, 1984. At 16, she moved to Manhattan and began work on her debut album. She dropped out of high school after the 11th grade when she secured a record deal. When Avril was almost 18, she released "Complicated" from her debut album titled: "Let Go," which went 6x platinum. As a petite skater girl from a small town, Avril has shown she is independent, full of confidence and determination, providing a good combination to make "Complicated" and Avril a musical breakthrough. "Complicated" went to number #1 on Billboards Top 100 while also earning her 5 Grammy nominations, MTV music awards, MTV European music awards and many more.
One of her songs, "Losing Grip", is about an ex-boyfriend.

Won the 'New Artist in a Video' award for her song 'Complicated' at the 2002 VMA.

Her father, Jean-Claude Joseph Lavigne, is a French national. Her mother, Judith-Rosanne "Judy" (Loshaw), has English, Scottish, and German ancestry. Avril and her siblings are both Canadian and French citizens from birth, as France applies the "right of blood". Avril applied for, and received, her French passport in February 2011. She has since spent a significant amount of time living in Paris and learning French.

Her first video, "Complicated", cost over $1 million.

Her younger sister, Michelle Lavigne, appeared in her "SK8R BOI" video.

She has a younger sister, Michelle Lavigne, and an older brother, Matthew E. Levine.

Was orginally pursuing a career in country and folk music, but transitioned into "punk-rock" because of its more lucrative possbilities.

 

Behind Nana Mizuki

     Mizuki Nana (水樹奈々) is a Japanese pop singer and a popular anime seiyuu under the KING RECORDS label. She was the winner of "Best Musical Performance" in the first annual Seiyuu Awards. She is also the record-holder for the highest ranking seiyuu album and single on the weekly Oricon chart, the first seiyuu to put two singles in the Oricon weekly top3 simultaneously and the first seiyuu to hold a concert at Tokyo Dome.
 Stage Name: Mizuki Nana (水樹奈々)
 Birth Name: Kondo Nana (近藤奈々)
 Nickname: Nana-chan (奈々ちゃん), O-Nana
 Birthdate: January 21, 1980 (1980-01-21) (age 34)
 Birthplace: Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
 Blood Type: O
 Height: 153 cm
 Family: Kondo Mika (DaisyxDaisy) (sister)
 Education: Yoyogi Animation Gakuin (Department of talented voice actors) March 1997.
 Favorite Artists: Ishikawa Sayuri, Sakamoto Fuyumi, Misora Hibari
 Favorite Country: France
 Favorite Colors: White
 Groups: Prits
       Kondo Nana was born on January 21, 1980 in Niihama. Kondo first began singing at the age of five when she started taking Enka singing lessons and she started participating in several local singing contests. In 1993 she won one of them and record a single called "Tsugazakura" under the name of birth name. She later graduated from Tokyo Horikoshi High School, along with Domoto Tsuyoshi of KinKi Kids, whom was in her class.
        After graduating in 1997, Kondo decided that she wanted to pursue a career as an Enka singer, but her teachers advised her to to instead become a seiyuu. Kondo had been a big fan of both manga and anime since childhood and decided to try and become a seiyuu. She audition for a role in the video game NOëL ~La neige~, and was granted the role of Kadokura Chisato. With the role she took on the stage name Mizuki Nana and she released two character singles and one mini-album: "Girl's Age", "NOëL ~La neige~ Rendez-vous", and "départ Chisato×Nana".
        In 2000, Mizuki signed a record deal with KING RECORDS, and made her official singing debut in December with the single "Omoi". The single did not chart on the weekly Oricon chart. In 2001, Mizuki released two more singles, both of which also failed to chart on the Oricon. Her debut album however, "supersonic girl" peaked on the Oricon at #60. Her fourth single, "LOVE & HISTORY" was her first single to chart, peaking at #46.
        On October 2005, her 12th single "ETERNAL BLAZE" reach #2 on the Oricon weekly chart and this period will be the first seiyuu to achieve this.
         In 2006, her 14th single "Justice to Believe" ranked 4th on the Oricon and allows her to win in 2007 at the first seiyuu awards ceremony, the award for best musical performance. That same year she released her 15th single "Secret Ambition" which will rank for the 2nd time #2, will also be a turning point in her musical style since then incorporates more rock sound and it will be the same for its 6th original album "GREAT ACTIVITY" and for her 18th single "Trickster" who will place second.
         The year 2009 started well with her 19th single will be her fourth single to be ranked #2 on the Oricon.
          In June 2009, she released her seventh original album ULTIMATE DIAMOND, she become the first seiyuu since the establishment of the Oricon in 1968 to be ranked number 1, it will be the 85th best selling album in Japan in 2009. At the end of the year she will be invited to the show's most-watched in Japan, Kōhaku Uta Gassen it's the first seiyuu to achieve this feat.
          In January 2010 she released two singles in two months, the first "PHANTOM MINDS" will serve as opening for the movie Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st, it will rank number 1 in the Oricon, confirming her title, it will sell at 93,759, it's currently her best selling single the second "Silent Bible" ranked number 3 will be her 10th single to be ranked in the top 5 on the charts.
She won the prize "Kei Tomiyama" for the seiyuu most relevant to the animation industry in the 4th Seiyuu Awards ceremony. Her last album "IMPACT EXCITER" was released July 7, 2010 it reaches the second position with 124,514, is now her best selling album.
           On January 21, 2011, her 31st birthday, Mizuki released her first autobiography, named Shin'ai, to commemorate 10th year anniversary of her singing career.
           Mizuki won Top Pop Artists award in Billboard Japan Music Awards 2010 on February 6, 2011 along with 4 other artists: AKB48, Nishino Kana, SID and EXILE. She performed two of her big hits, PHANTOM MINDS and Shin'ai, in the award ceremony.
            On April 13th, 2011, Mizuki released two singles, SCARLET KNIGHT and POP MASTER in the same week. Those singles ranked #2 and #3 on the weekly Oricon chart for April 25th. Thus, she became the first seiyuu and fourth female solo artist to put two singles in the Oricon weekly top 3 simultaneously after Hamasaki Ayumi, Matsuda Seiko and Fuji Keiko.
            Mizuki had two-day concert called "Nana Mizuki Live Castle 2011 Queen's Night & King's Night" at Tokyo Dome between December 3rd - 4th, 2011. She became the first voice actress and 8th female solo artists to hold a concert at Japan's largest concert hall.
            Mizuki won Animation Artist of the Year 2011 award in Billboard Japan Music Awards 2011 on March 3, 2012.
         On December 30, 2013, Mizuki won Project Award in 55th Japan Record Awards from Preserved Roses and Kakumei Dualism, her two collaborations with T.M.Revolution.

Behind ONE OK ROCK

Lead vocalist TAKA is a former member of the Johnny's Jimusho idol group NEWS. Members Toru and Ryota are former members of the rapping break dancing group HEADS. They released two indies mini-albums and made their major debut with their single, Naihi Shinsho in April of 2007.A nationwide tour predated the release of the band's debut studio album, Zeitakubyou, which was followed by two LPs, Beam of Light and Kanjou Effect, in 2008.
After Alex left the band in May 2009, the band released the single "Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer" on February 3, 2010. It was featured 9th in the Weekly Oricon Charts. They released their fourth studio album titled Niche Syndrome on June 9, 2010.
The band started when Toru, Alex and Ryota started it in high school. Shortly after the creation of the band Taka joined the group as the main vocals.
The group came up with the name "ONE OK ROCK" because they would book studio time at One o'clock. The Japanese pronunciation of ONE OK ROCK (ワンオクロック)is wanokurokku which sounds like One o’clock.
Members
* Taka (森 内 寛 贵 Moriuchi Takahiro born April 17, 1988 in Tokyo) - Vocals Former NEWS member
* Toru (Yamashita 山下 亨 Tōru born December 7, 1988 iOsaka) - guitar and vocals a bit Former member of thehip-hop dance group Heads
* Ryota (小 浜 良 太 Kohama Ryota born September 4, 1989 in Osaka) - Bass Former member of hip-hop dance group Heads
* Tomoya (C?? 吉 智 也 Kanki Tomoya born 27 June 1987 in Hyogo ) - drums
Former members
* Alex (鬼澤 アレクサンタ ゙ Onizawa Alexander born 19 March 1988 in San Francisco) - Guitar Officially left the band in May 2009.

 

About ONE OK ROCK

Band name: ONE OK ROCK

Band members: rock band (4 members)

Debuted: 2005

Lable: A-Sketch

Officel website: http://www.oneokrock.com/index.html

Officel twitter: ONEOKROCK_japan/





Behind Ryota

Ryota is the bassist of the Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK. He was in the hip-hop group HEADS along with Toru before they disbanded in 2002.

About Ryota
Real name: Ryota Kohama
Gender: male
Date of birth: September 4th, 1989

Bloodtype: B

Birthplace: Osaka, Japan

Height: 174cm

Eye color: brown

Favorite websites: None

Favorite food: desserts

Favorite band: Hurley

Ideal women: Kind, funs hand through hair

Hobbies: playing GOLF on the PSP

Favorite drink: Royal Milk tea

Favorite music: Limp Bizkit, Incubus

Favorite movies: Funny games, Dark Knight

Favorite motto: diligent work

Behind Tomoya

Tomoya is the drummer of the Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK. He played drums on ONE OK ROCK indie releases but didn't officially join until 2007. Tomoya came from ESP Musical Academy. He has the most curious hobbies among the band members and the eldest member of OOR. He is the one who often updates the OOR blog.

 About Tomoya:
Real name: Tomoya Kanki
Gender: male
Date of Birth: 27 June, 1987
Bloodtype: A
 Birthplace: Hyougo Prefecture, Japan
Eyecolor: Brown
Hieght 168cm
Favorite-drink: Red Bull
Motto: steady progress, rapid advance

Ideal Women: fun, tries really hard at things

Favorite websites: ONE OK ROCK official siteFavorite music: The KillersFavorite movie: The Shaeshank RedemptionHobbies: Manga collectingFavorite food: Crepes and riceDream: Baseball player

Behind Toru

Toru is the guitarist of the Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK. He was in the hip-hop group HEADS along with Ryota before they disbanded in 2002. He is the one who brought the band together and is the leader even though he's one of the youngest. He respects the band RIZE. He played the role of "Ryugo" at Sh15uya.

 

About Toru

 

Real name: Toru Yamashita

Gender: male

Date of Birth: 7 December, 1988

Bloodtype: O

Birthplace: Osaka, Japan

Height: 177cm

Eye color: brown

Favorite websites: YouTube

Favorite motto: Live every moment of your life

Ideal women: Long hair, good at reading the mood, Avril Lavigne

Favorite food: butaniku/pork meat

Favorite drink: Asahi Super Dry of Premium Malts (beer)

Most loved things: face care products

Favorite music: TRUST COMPANY

Favorite movies: Anvil! The Story of Anvil!

Behind Taka

Takahiro Morita, better known as his stage name Taka, is a vocalist in the Japanese rock group ONE OK ROCK. Prior to this he was in the boyband NEWS throughout 2003 until he left the group together with the agency.
There has been many rumors circulating to whenever he actually left the agency on his own will or if he got kicked out thanks to him being issued in a tabloid magazine with a woman. The official news that went out was that he wanted to "focus on his studies".However in this agency there's a strictly no dating policy. He was in a band called Chivary of Music before joining ONE OK ROCK in 2005.
In 2005, he changed his last name from Moriuchi (森内) to Morita (森田).
They released their first Indies CD in 2006 and got signed by Amuse, Inc. whom they made their major debut with.

 

About Taka

 

Real name: Takahiro Morita

Gender: male

Date of birth: 17 April, 1988

Debut: 2006
Bloodtype: A
Marital status: single
Education: Horikoshi High school
Family: Masako Moriuchi (mother), Shinichi Moriuchi (father), and  Tomohiro Moriuchi, Hiroki Moriuchi (brothers)
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Languages: English & Japanese
Eye color: brown
Weight: 62kg
Tattoos: four. left wrist, right arm, left and right shoulder.
Height: 5ft 5in = 1.66 m = 168cm


Behind BAP

“B.A.P” (비에이피) acronym for “Best Absolute Perfect” is a 6 membered Korean hip-hop group under TS Entertainment, home of groups such as SECRET and Untouchable. The members of the group were promoted using various meanings (digital single, sub-unit activities and even MCing) and did so during many months prior to debut, getting them a lot of attention from the media. On January 8th, 2012, the first episode of their pre-debut reality show MTV “Ta-Dah! It’s B.A.P” aired, revealing the remaining three members to the public. Their first single “WARRIOR” was released on January 26th and they officially debuted on January 27th on KBS Music Bank, followed on the 28th by a huge showcase held at the Jangchung Gymnasium, where more than 3,000 fans attended. They secured their spot as rookies who brightly shined the 2012 music industry by sweeping the rookie awards for various end-of-the-year award ceremonies. On February 12th, 2014, B.A.P won their first public broadcast win, two years after debuting, at MBC Show Champion with their title song '1004'.

B.A.P. was formed and began promoting in late 2011, starting with Yong Guk, who takes the role of leader in the group. He signed to TS Entertainment and was featured on labelmate Song Jieun's song "Going Crazy". He made a solo debut on August 11, 2011, with the single "I Remember", featuring B2ST's Yang Yo-seob. A second member, Him Chan, an ulzzang multi-instrumentalist, was the second member of BAP to be introduced to the public as an MC for a music show program on MTV Korea, called "The Show". And lastly, on November 23, 2011, Zelo, the third member from BAP to be publicly introduced, collaborated with fellow member Bang Yong Guk, under the moniker Bang & Zelo. They released a song, titled "Never Give Up".

In January 2012, the group starred in a reality show, Ta-Dah, It's B.A.P, which aired on SBS MTV. The show focused on how the six members play the role of aliens from a different planet who worked together to debut as B.A.P and invade Earth to help save their dying planet, Planet Mato.
On January 25, 2012, the group's debut single, "Warrior", was released, with MTV Korea describing it as "powerful and charismatic". Additionally, Nancy Lee of Enews World wrote "It appears B.A.P has set out to differentiate itself among the pretty-boy male idol groups currently dominating the K-Pop world with a tough, bad boy image, smashing car windows, kicking up dirt and, you know, doing as boys do." Promotion for the single began on the Korean TV show Music Bank, followed by other Music TV appearances such as M! Countdown, Music Core, Inkigayo and The Show. On February 3, 2012, Warrior debuted on Billboard's World Albums Chart at #10. In South Korea, Warrior sold over 10,000 copies in just two days upon its release.

In March 2012, B.A.P released a follow-up song, "Secret Love". On April 16, 2012, TS Entertainment announced that B.A.P would have a comeback with a new album on April 27, 2012. "Power" was released in April, as a single-album of the same name, Power. Upon the release of the album, Power has sold out its initial batch of 30,000 copies. The album was well received and like its predecessor, Power also debuted at number 10 on the Billboard World Albums Charts.


On July 12, 2012 the title of B.A.P's first mini album, No Mercy, was revealed. No Mercy was released digitally on July 19, 2012 under the label of TS Entertainment. The physical release was originally scheduled to be on July 19, 2012 as well but was delayed to July 24, 2012 because of the problems with the finished product. On August 30, 2012, the repackaged version of the EP, renamed Crash, was released.

In early October, 2012, TS Entertainment stated that B.A.P were preparing for their new album. On October 23, B.A.P released their third single album, titled "Stop It", together with a music video on TS Entertainment's YouTube channel.

In February they began releasing material from the second EP, One Shot. On February 21, 2013, the EP was ranked No.1 on Billboard’s ‘World Albums’ chart.

On July 28, 2013, TS Entertainment announced that the group will be releasing their third EP Badman on August 6, 2013. The agency had also stated before that there were going to be three promotional singles from the upcoming third EP, namely "Coffee Shop", "Hurricane" and "Badman".

In May, King Records, the Japanese record label that once signed Rain, signed up the group. They released their first Japanese music video, Warrior, on YouTube on September 13, 2013, and their album and single were officially released on October 9, 2013.

Recently, the boys have released the MV for their second Japanese single "One Shot" and they have released much praise for their ability to both sing and rap in a foreign language so well.

In mid-January, TS Entertainment confirmed plans that B.A.P was set to make a comeback with their first full-length studio album, entitled First Sensibility. Revealed to contain a total of 13 tracks, it was also confirmed that the title track would be "1004 (Angel)", and that the group's comeback was set for February 3.

Behind Zelo (Choi Jun Hong)

Birth Name: Choi Jun Hong
Stage Name: Zelo
Nickname: 15-Year Old Genius
Bunny: Blue
Birthday: October 15, 1996
Position: Maknae, Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 63 kg
Blood Type: A
Specialty: Rap, dance, beatbox
He was born in Seoul, South Korea
He is in B.A.P's sub-group Bang&Zelo
He is closest to Jongup

Behind Moon Jong Up

Birth Name: Moon Jong Up
Stage Name: Jongup
Nickname: Dance Shindong
Bunny: Green
Birthday: February 6, 1995
Position: Sub-Vocalist & Main Dancer
Height: 176 cm
Weight: 66 kg
Blood Type: B
He was born in Seoul, South Korea
He was featured in SECRET's MV's "Starlight Moonlight" and "Shy Boy"
He was featured in Bang&Zelo's MV "Never Give Up"
He is closest to Zelo

Behind Yoo Young Jae

Birth Name: Yoo Young Jae
Stage Name: Youngjae
Nickname: Brain
Bunny: Yellow
Birthday: January 24, 1994
Position: Lead Vocalist
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Blood Type: AB
He was born in Seoul, South Korea
He is a former JYP trainee
He was featured in SECRET's MV's "Starlight Moonlight" and "Shy Boy"
He was featured in Bang&Zelo's MV "Never Give Up"
He is closest to Daehyun

Behind Jung Dae Hyun

Birth Name: Jung Dae Hyun
Stage Name: Daehyun
Nickname: Busan's Wonbin
Bunny: White
Birthday: June 28, 1993
Position: Main Vocalist
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 63 kg
Blood Type: A-He was born in Busan, South Korea
He was the last member to join B.A.P
He is closest to Youngjae
He speaks with a very heavy Busan dialect

Behind Kim Himchan

Birth Name: Kim Him Chan
Stage Name: Himchan
Nickname: Instrument Ulzzang
Bunny: Pink
Birthday: April 19, 1990
Position: Sub-Vocalist, Rapper, Face of The Group
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 69 kg
Blood Type: O
He was born in Seoul, South Korea
He was featured in Secret's MV's "Shy Boy" and "Starlight Moonlight"
He was featured in Song Jieun and Bang Yong Guk's MV "Going Crazy"
He was featured in Bang&Zelo's MV "Never Give Up"
He is closest to Yong Guk