GLAY

In 1988, heavily inspired by BOOWY, high school friends TAKURO and TERU decided to form a band. TERU was originally the drummer but, during a period where they were struggling to find a vocalist, he recorded a tape of his singing. Seeing that his voice was unique and assuming that a replacement drummer would be easier to find, TAKURO encouraged him to switch permanently to vocals.

They soon added a second guitarist HISASHI to their line up and began calling themselves GLAY. The name GLAY came from a deliberate misspelling of the word “gray,” which represented TAKURO’s vision for their sound—a seamless mixture of the “black” of rock and the “white” of pop.

The group gained impressive popularity in their hometown of Hakodate before heading to Tokyo to further pursue their musical ambitions. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly after the move. Like most young bands, they struggled to establish a fanbase in the big city. However, they did find a bassist, JIRO, who joined them as an official member in 1991.

As the years passed, GLAY's hard work paid off and they began to attract larger and larger crowds to their shows. Among those crowds was X JAPAN’s YOSHIKI, who was running his own label, Extasy Records, at the time. The same night he first saw them play live, he offered GLAY a contract, which they gladly accepted. GLAY released their first single RAIN on YOSHIKI’s new label Platinum Records in 1994. Their first indies album Hai to Diamond was released on the same day. RAIN also ended up being used as the theme for the movie "Yamato Takeru."

Following their debut, GLAY continued to pick up steam, selling out more and more venues. Their next single Manatsu no tobira was used as the opening theme for the anime version of "Yamato Takeru." Later, their fourth single, Freeze My Love, became their first to make it onto the Oricon charts.

In May 1995, GLAY released their first major album, SPEED POP, which reached the eighth spot on the Oricon charts. Their next album released in 1996, BEAT out! shot straight up to number one; a position they would become well-accustomed to in the years that followed.

In May 1996, they opened their official fan club, HAPPY SWING, and many of their lives began selling out, some even immediately. In September, they performed at the Budokan for the first time. The following month, their third album BELOVED would be their first of many to sell over a million copies.

1997 was spent touring, with larger and larger audiences in attendance. The band’s first tour of the year, BELOVED YOU, brought in a total of 100 000 people, and the second brought in 250 000. GLAY also released their first best-of album in 1997, which sold three million copies in the first week and became Japan’s best-selling album for a few years.

During 1998, GLAY’s single HOWEVER was used as the theme of the drama "RYAKU DATSU AI ABUNAI ONNA," which TAKURO also helped compose the soundtrack for. That March, GLAY was chosen as the character image for TDK’s mini disc XA series; their first ever appearance in a commercial.

More touring followed and, in 1999, GLAY held a concert called 'GLAY Expo 1999 Survival'. With 200 000 people in attendance, it was the largest single concert ever held in Japan. In addition to their dome tours in 1999, GLAY found time to appear on the hide tribute album Spirits, for which they covered the song Misery.

Most of 2000 was spent doing secret lives, releasing a few singles and performing on their GLAY ARENA TOUR 2000 “HEAVY GAUGE". By this tour, the total number of fans attending the tour was up to a million people. The next year, the band began their first regular TV program called "GLAY Global Communication" on TV FUJI in April. Around the same time, TAKURO and TERU participated in an anti-landmine campaign and were featured on the song ZERO LANDMINE, which was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The next month, the two started to promote Expo 2001: GLOBAL COMMUNICATION all over Asia, in cities like Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Seoul. HISASHI also appeared in Lawson convenience store TV commercials around this time.

The next year, the members of GLAY met the then Chinese president Jiang Zemin in Beijing. The next month they performed their first overseas live in Beijing, bringing in 35 000 people. The live, GLAY ONE LOVE in Beijing, was in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.

GLAY switched management companies from Pony Canyon to Toshiba EMI in the beginning of 2003. This event saw the band set another record, this time for the most expensive label transfer in Japan, costing about four billion yen.

After a 2004 packed with events in celebration of the tenth anniversary of their major debut, GLAY took a brief hiatus in 2005. Guitarist TAKURO took some time off to spend with his family, while the other members worked on side-projects: TERU and HISASHI formed a band called Rally, while JIRO created The Predators with the pillows frontman Sawao Yamanaka. The only release for GLAY that year was a collaboration single with EXILE called SCREAM in July.

February of 2006 brought an end to GLAY's break as the band re-grouped to play shows at both ZEPP Tokyo and Nippon Budokan. In July, they released their first single in nearly two years, G4. The next month, another collaboration single, ANSWER, was released with TERU and ex-BOOWY frontman Kyosuke Himuro sharing the vocals. Himuro and GLAY also performed a joint live the next week. They ended 2006 with a massive tour in November and December.

2007 brought a new single and, finally, a new album entitled Love is Beautiful, which helped GLAY take the record for the the most number one albums for an all-male band in Japan. They held this title only briefly, however, as it was snatched away by Mr.Children later that year.

In August 2008, GLAY performed in the US for the first time. The performances were called Verb Tour 2008 in U.S.. Despite the word "tour," they only performed three shows in California—one in San Francisco and two in Los Angeles. They continued their Verb tour in Japan until the beginning of 2009. 2008 also saw TERU appear in an Ad Council Japan commercial where he had his blood tested to encourage others to do the same and raise HIV awareness.

In 2009, GLAY planned several activities to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their major debut. Their first release of the year was a single called Say Your Dream, which featured a thirteen minute title track with lyrics about the history of GLAY. Their second single of the year, I am xxx was released exactly fifteen years after their major debut single RAIN. The most extravagant of their plans, however, was the concept for their Nissan Stadium live, HOTEL GLAY. The hotel theme was carried over into photoshoots and the stage design, with the band playing the role of the staff and TAKURO assuming the role of the manager.

In September, GLAY returned to the US for their GLAY U.S.TOUR 2009 THE GREAT VACATION to play another three shows at the same cities and venues as the year before.

In 2010, GLAY released a free digital single called Apologize. It was available for download only via mobile phone and for a limited time, but fans able to download it were encouraged to share it with others. Soon after, GLAY formed their own record label, loversoul music & associates, to allow them greater control over their vision for the band. Their first release on this label was the single Precious. With a renewed focus on the band’s history and new beginnings on their label, they then released a self-titled album in October.

The band announced that they would perform in Taiwan for the first time in 2011 and, to their amazement, tickets sold out within a week. They performed two back-to-back concerts in the country on July 5th and 6th. 2011 also saw GLAY open an official online store called G-DIRECT, through which they released three consecutive singles over three months. The first, G4 II -THE RED MOON-, focused on highlighting the individual contributions of the members. That year also saw the first album release from STEALTH, a collaboration between TAKURO and C4’s TOKI.

After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami GLAY released a digital charity single called Thank you for your love to raise funds for its victims. They also donated 20 million yen to aid with the disaster relief through the Asahi Shimbun Social Welfare Organization.

The year 2012 was yet another busy one for the members. JIRO and Sawao Yamanaka revived The Predators and GLAY released a single called Bible. Also, a live stream of their GLAY STADIUM LIVE 2012 THE SUITE ROOM in OSAKA NAGAI STADIUM on 28th and 29th July was broadcast to 70 movie theaters in Japan and also to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea. These concerts continued the HOTEL GLAY theme, with the first day being a welcome party for the band’s “guests” and the second a surprise party. The significance of the second day's theme would soon become clear, as the band announced seven big surprises during the encore of the concert. These surprises included a number of releases, an overseas tour and a few special large-scale concerts in their home country, the most exciting of which being their first GLAY EXPO in ten years.

Naturally, after all of these big announcements, 2013 was a crazy year for GLAY fans. The band released two full albums titled JUSTICE and GUILTY simultaneously in January, and while the dates in Korea and Thailand ended up being cancelled, GLAY made good on their promise of an international tour with successful shows in Hong Kong and Taipei.

Not slowing down for a moment in the second half of 2013, GLAY released their first triple A-side single, DARK RIVER / Eternally / Tokei, in July and another titled DIAMOND SKIN / Niji no Pocket / CRAZY DANCE in November. TERU and TAKURO also found time for a collaboration with their old friends in Taiwanese rock band Mayday. This came in the form of Dancin' Dancin', an alternate version of one of Mayday's songs featuring new Japanese lyrics written by TAKURO and guest vocals from TERU.

With the GLAY EXPO the band promised in their seven surprises scheduled to take place this year, 2014 looks like it will be yet another to remember for GLAY fans.