Formed by two Canadian brothers and two Japanese members, MONKEY MAJIK's upbeat brand of pop-rock has charmed listeners from around the world.
MONKEY MAJIK vocalist/guitarist Maynard Plant first travelled to Japan to teach English as part of the JET program. He started a band soon after, but all of the members quit within a few years. Not allowing himself to become discouraged, Maynard invited his younger brother Blaise to join him in Japan and they began searching for new members. Not too long after arriving in the city of Sendai, Maynard met Takuya ‘Tax’ Kikuchi. The two hit it off and Tax agreed to become their drummer.
The three worked on their musical project while balancing their respective careers and finally, in 2002, their first EP TIRED was released. It was limited to just 1,000 copies.
In September 2003, their first album, SPADE, became a phenomenal success for an indie band. MONKEY MAJIK also gained valuable exposure around this time when one of their songs was used as a theme for a program on Fuji TV.
In 2005, their second album was released and shortly after they were signed to Avex Records, one of the biggest labels in Japan. They were also joined by a new member: DICK on bass.
MONKEY MAJIK's major debut, thank you, hit stores on May 24, 2006. Since then, they have released a steady stream of albums and singles, achieved impressively consistent commercial success, and collaborated with major stars such as m-flo, SEAMO and the Yoshida Brothers.
2009 saw the band become “Ambassadors of Kizuna” to celebrate the 80th anniversary of friendly relations between Japan and Canada. They were invited to join guests as prestigious as the Emperor and Empress of Japan and the Prime Minister of Canada at the Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa.
In 2011, after Sendai—the city that all four members call home—was devastated by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, they quickly began volunteering, both through physically helping to clean up the city and performing to lift the peoples’ spirits. Once they found their bearings, MONKEY MAJIK organized a project called SEND-AI (“Send Love”), which aimed to raise money for victims of the disaster and ensure people would not forget what had occurred. They held many charity concerts and continued trying to spread awareness.
In February 2012, the band travelled to Toronto again as Kizuna Ambassadors for a special acoustic performance at Kobayashi Hall. They would soon return to the city as, to thank their Western fans for their assistance in the aftermath of 3/11, MONKEY MAJIK embarked on a short North American tour with the Yoshida Brothers that November. They performed shows in Toronto and Ottawa and, for the first time, New York City. All three dates sold out.
MONKEY MAJIK recently released a Christmas single in collaboration with Kazumasa Oda and a best-of album where they re-recorded many of their biggest hits with all-English lyrics. They are currently on tour.
