LINDBERG

Lindberg was one of the seminal J-rock bands founded in 1989. Unlike many other J-rock bands known for their frequent changes of personnel, Lindberg stayed true to their original lineup of Maki Watase (lead vocals), Hirakawa Tatsuya (guitars), Tomohisa Kawazoe (bass), and Koyanagi "Cherri" Masanoyi (drums) throughout their career. They immediately attracted attention not only because of their energetic and catchy music, but also because they were fronted by female lead singer, which was uncommon at the time. In 1989, almost immediately after their inception, the band was signed to Japan Records, which was a part of one of the largest Japanese publishing establishment, Tokuma Shoten Publishing (the famous animation studio Ghibli also belonged to the same conglomerate). Their first two records, titled simply Lindberg I and Lindberg II were issued the same year. Of all the popular J-rock bands, Lindberg was one of the most consistently prolific — during its initial run from 1989 to 2002 the band issued 15 records, each titled Lindberg with a corresponding number. In 2002, singer Maki Watase married guitarist Hirakawa Tatsuya and the band decided to call it a day. However, seven years later, Lindberg made an unexpected return with a record called Lindberg XX issued to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The record contained not only remixed versions of their beloved old singles, but some brand new tunes as well. Despite Lindberg's long absence, the comeback record was wholeheartedly embraced by the Japanese music-loving public.