Zwei officially started in June 2003, but the two members actually met in spring 2002. Model and bassist Megu and vocalist Ayumu met each other at a live show, and Megu asked Ayumu to become the vocalist of the band she wanted to create. Both ladies already had experience as a musician; Megu was formerly a part of Pineal and Ayumu was part of Cherry Feel. Only a year later, in June 2003, it became official when they were signed to the record label VAP, a label that is known for having rock and metal acts on their roster.
However, it took quite a while before their first release. In May 2004 their first maxi-single called Movie star came out. In July, they released their second maxi-single, Watashigai no Uta. It didn't take long before their first album was released either. Pretty queen came out on October 14. Containing eleven songs, it was an impressive first album for the band, featuring versatile styles from upbeat pop/rock songs to slow ballads.
After a brief period of silence, the band released their third single called Hikari on March 23, 2005. Commemorating the release, the band set off on the Zwei Live Tour 2005 ~Feel The Light~ tour in April, playing in live houses throughout Japan. That year they kept up the fast release pace with two more singles and the release of their second full album Z (Zeta) in December.
In the new year, they released their first DVD in February titled Zwei in the Box. The DVD contained two discs, one containing five PVs, the other containing bonus live footage that included TV commercials.
In spring, the two began shooting the PV for the song Denny from their new album. The PV was quite controversial with imagery of graphic bondage and S&M between two women that the PV has two versions; one that is shortened and severely edited, and the uncensored version that was obtainable only on their official website.
Later that fall, an announcement was made on September 2, 2006 that the band had been switched from VAP onto Universal Music Japan. Unfortunately, it grew silent around Zwei for about a year, until the release of the single 1+1=2 (Ichi Tasu Ichi wa Ni) in June 2007. The duo also performed live on various events to promote the release. Fans hoped that this would mean the two women would be back for good, but in the same fashion, it took them another year before the next release; the single DISTANCE came out in June 2008.
For the following two years, the two women put Zwei’s activities on a break and both focused on their own activities. Megu, for example, played bass for the newly revived visual band CASCADE and Ayumu released a single for the fifth episode of the PC game "Umineko no naka koro ni."
In 2010, the two members finally blew life back into Zwei with a new release and new live performances. In August they released the single Koyuki no paradox, which was used as a game theme song.
With Zwei’s history, it’s not unthinkable that the two will fade to the background again. It’s unsure whether the band will be back for sure, but hopefully we will continue to hear more from this unique duo.
Zwei, which means 'two' in German, consists of two members. Female band members still seem to be a rarity in Japanese rock bands but Zwei is an exception to the rule with all female members.
They have been produced by British producer Nick Wood and the European influence is noticeable in their music. Their music is described as a mix between Japanese pop and UK rock.
