INSOMNIAC SONG

POP

Chage and Aska

 

Members: Chage, Aska
Genre: Rock, Pop

Country: Japan

Years Active: 1979-2009

Status: Hiatus

Notable traits: 

Recommended Songs:Say Yes; No No Darling; Love Song

 

 

Chage and Aska formed in 1979 with a career that has spanned 30 years. Their varied successes have lead to 31 million albums and singles sold. A large part of their success hinges on how Aska’s vivacious vocals blend with Chage’s laid back style. While their debut single, Hitorizaki, had been released in August 1979, their first big fit was 1980’s Banri no Kawa. The success of the single overshadowed its predecessors while opening doors to more opportunities. By 1987, both men had started solo careers with Aska reaching levels of success that Chage hadn’t.

 

The duo’s success reached a peak in 1991 with the release of Say Yes. The song spent 13 consecutive weeks at number one on the Oricon weekly single charts going on to sell 3 million copies. The single ranks number six on the list of best-selling singles in Japan for the time period of 1968-2006. Their success continued throughout the 1990s with the duo touring Asia and Europe.

 

1994 saw the release of their single Heart/Natural/On Your Mark. This would be a defining moment for the duo. The song, On Your Mark, drew the attention of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli in 1995. Miyazaki wrote and directed the music video for the song while suffering from writer’s block on Princess Mononoke. The animated music video, which features characters in the likeness of the duo, was well received and praised. It premiered as a short film before the movie Whisper of the Heart. Chage and Aska also used the film during their concerts. It has since been released on All Things Ghibli Special Short Short dvd with an alternate version. The alternate is Castles in the Air which was included on the English-language tribute album, One Voice: The Songs of Chage and Aska.

 

Despite this, the duo took a hiatus to work on their solo careers. They returned in 1999 with a single, an original album and a greatest hits album. The pair did something previously unseen in Japanese pop by broadcasting their four hour New Year’s celebration, MILLENIUM COUNTDOWN: LIVE IN FUKUOKA, across the world via satellite. After embarking on a country-wide tour, the pair changed labels three times. Soon afterward, Chage and Aska appeared in Korea as the official Japanese ambassadors for the 2002 World Cup.

 

By 2004, the duo announced yet another indefinite break to embark on solo projects. They returned in 2006 with a live that had the Prime Minister in attendance. The following year would bring two singles and the album, Double. This was short-lived with 2009 bringing yet another hiatus for solo projects. One thing is certain though, the duo will most likely return to create more music in the future!