DOUBLE‘s roots lie in the prefecture of Niigata, where TAKAKO and SACHIKO discovered their love for R&B music. The influence of their eldest sister, NORIKO, contributed to their initial discovery of music, with the trio spending most of their childhood singing together. Later in their childhood, NORIKO left the family home to study abroad in America, and upon her return, brought with her a vast collection of R&B CDs from artists such as Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige.
This introduction to R&B was the catalyst that sparked SACHIKO and TAKAKO’s interest in the genre; however, it was only when watching music videos on TV that the sisters seriously began to consider the possibility of pursuing a career in music. The influence of these notable artists left an impression on TAKAKO and she soon found herself primarily listening to the genre and imitating their performances. SACHIKO had developed a keen ear for music while studying classical piano and it was only a matter of time before the pair began performing covers in local Niigata nightclubs. In 1995, DOUBLE‘s big break came when they were offered an audition in Tokyo by FOR LIFE ENTERTAINMENT.
FOR LIFE ENTERTAINMENT booked DOUBLE to perform at a live house on Yokota Airbase in 1997. This was quite an achievement in itself, as prior to their performance, no Japanese artist had performed at the venue for 27 years.
In February 1998, DOUBLE made their major debut with the release of For me. The pair quickly followed up their debut with Desire, but failed to chart on the Oricon. In September, DOUBLE paired up with producer Kiyoshi “KC” Matsuo for the release of their third single, BED, which was initially released in LP format, though a CDS version was issued the following month. Over the months of October and November, the pair embarked on a club tour “DOUBLE Club Circuit ‘98.”
The following March signaled the release of DOUBLE‘s fourth single, which was their first true hit, peaking at number 21 on the Oricon. At the time of the single's release, DOUBLE had embarked on their national club tour “SUPER SISTERS TOUR -Shake-,” which spanned over March and April. However, following a successful performance at Niigata on May 21st, tragedy struck the pair: SACHIKO passed away suddenly due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
On June 2nd, DOUBLE‘s first album, Crystal was released with great success, reaching second place on the Oricon and selling over 60,000 copies. In December, Crystal Planet (an extra album package featuring a CD and video) was released. Whilst the CD featured previously unreleased tracks, the VHS contained footage of the pair’s performances in their local Niigata nightclubs. However, following her sister’s death, TAKAKO had opted to take a break from the music business.
TAKAKO returned to the entertainment circuit in 2000, continuing to perform under the name DOUBLE as a tribute to her late sister. TAKAKO‘s first vocal performance appeared on BASE ON A TRUE STORY, an album released by hip-hop MC ZEEBRA, who had collaborated with the sisters on the song Shake.
DOUBLE then traveled to New York in the United States to undertake her first solo recording. The subsequent singles, titled handle and U, displayed TAKAKO‘s dedication to the genre of R&B and the rekindling of her love for music. For the two singles, DOUBLE had enlisted the aid of producers Brian Alexander Morgan (notable for his works with Usher and JoJo) and Eddie F (notable for his works with Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child).
Upon her return to Japan in July, DOUBLE took to the road with ZEEBRA to perform alongside him on his national tour, “THE LIVE ANIMAL 2000 JAPAN TOUR.” In October, TAKAKO participated on Ken Hirai‘s single. LOVE OR LUST. and on November 29th she released her first solo album, angel.
April 25th, 2001 signaled the simultaneous release of the album, double ENG ver., and the VHS/DVD, double. Then, from May 19th to August 2nd, DOUBLE ventured on another national club tour, “DOUBLE CLUB TOUR 2001 -with U-,” which saw her perform at 18 locations, including a date in Seoul, South Korea. On September 5th, DOUBLE paired up with De La Soul with the song Say “I Gotta Believe” for the video game “PaRapper the Rapper 2.”
In 2002, DOUBLE participated on GTS‘ album, POP+underground, with her vocals being featured on the track I Miss You. The following month saw the release of her first remix album and in June, her eighth single, Driving All Night/You Got To. Then, in August, DOUBLE coupled up with South Korean singer MC TASHA for the single DOUBLE TROUBLE. In December, DOUBLE was also featured as a guest on the Heartsdales single, Should Have What!?.
The following year saw DOUBLE participating as a guest vocalist on even more albums and singles, including STAR ILL WARZ by S-WORD and My Friend/Merry Christmas Mr. Laurence by AI. November 19th saw the release of DOUBLE‘s third studio album, Wonderful, which peaked at number 4 on the Oricon.
In August 2004, TAKAKO featured as a voice actor on the Playstation 2/XBox game “XIII~Daitouryou wo koroshita otoko~.” A few months later, DOUBLE was selected as one of the artists to feature on an upcoming tribute album for Inoue Yosui, on which she would cover the song Wine Red no kokoro.
This guest appearance on the album led to an opportunity for DOUBLE to create the album Life is beautiful, which incorporated the concept of “R&B feat. JAZZ.” The album peaked at number 14 on the Oricon, which was an unusual feat for a jazz album at that particular time. In November, one of DOUBLE‘s songs, You Took My Heart Away (Original Mix), was appointed as the ending theme of the Playstation 2 game, “Lupin sansei: Columbus no isan wa ake ni somaru.”
2005 saw DOUBLE‘s name featured alongside other notable artists on various singles and compilation albums, including DJ MASTERKEY and BOY-KEN and Orquesta de La Luz.
Following the release of her fourteenth single, Emotions, in July 2006, DOUBLE began performing in clubs under the alias DJ Lilly. Prior to this, DOUBLE had only ever released one album under the name of DJ Lilly, which featured various remixes from popular artists. On December 17th, DOUBLE performed as a guest artist at “Rhythm Nation 2006” alongside HALCALI, SOUL‘d OUT, BoA, and others.
On March 8th 2007, DOUBLE made an appearance at the “mtv iCON: Kubota Toshinobu powered by Rakuten Auction” where she performed alongside Toshinobu for the duet Just the Two of Us. On August 17th, DOUBLE held a release party for her fourth album, Reflex, at ageHa (also known as STUDIO COAST) in Shinkiba, Tokyo.
In 2008, DOUBLE celebrated her 10th anniversary, holding a meet-and-greet session on January 18th in her hometown of Niigata. Mere weeks later brought the release of her best collaboration album, 10 YEARS BEST WE R&B, and it peaked at number 2 on the Oricon. A few months later on May 25th, DOUBLE released THE BEST COLLABORATIONS. This album featured the notable collaboration BLACK DIAMOND between DOUBLE and the reputed “Queen of Hip-Pop,” Namie Amuro.
For the first time in six years, DOUBLE returned to the stage for her national tour “DOUBLE BEST LIVE -We R&B-,” which was held in seven cities across Japan. For her performance final at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST, guest appearances from Namie Amuro, Ak’Sent (who also performed at the Osaka and Nagoya shows), Full Of Harmony, VERBAL, and ZEEBRA made the event even more memorable to her fans.
As of 2009, DOUBLE has appeared on the compilation album THE BEST OF NELLY.
DOUBLE has become known as one of the most notable talents in the music industry over her career. With her unquestionable talent to mold classic R&B into modern day hits, one can only commend her passion and drive for the genre.
