Dire Straits　

Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late ’70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowt ..more

MISIA　

Japanese R＆B diva Misia rose to stardom on the strength of her stunning vocal range. She earned frequent comparison to rival Hikaru Utada, but she is also hugely popular in house music clubs in Japan ..more

BAEKHYUN (EXO)　

The Style Council　

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early ’80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. ..more

Hayato Sumino　

Masayoshi Takanaka　

JUJU　

Lienel　

Frank Zappa　

Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the ’90s. His disparate influences inclu ..more

BABYMETAL　

An unlikely but fascinating collision of kawaii J-pop and heavy metal, Tokyo’s BABYMETAL features SU-METAL (Suzuka Nakamoto), MOAMETAL (Moa Kikuchi), and YUIMETAL (Yui Mizuno). Th ..more

Mariah Carey　

Pop diva Mariah Carey has made a successful comeback with ’Charmbracelet’, the first on Carey’s MonarC imprint via Island Def Jam. Despite her 2001 soundtrack disappointment ’Glitter’, Carey, in fact, ..more

Bob Dylan　

Bob Dylan’s influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, st ..more

THE BLACK CROWES　

At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock ＆ roll the Black Crowes specialized in was sorely out of style. Only Guns N’ Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, ..more

aespa　

Nujabes　

Quruli　

IRON MAIDEN　

Known for such powerful hits as Two Minutes to Midnight and The Trooper, Iron Maiden are one of heavy metal’s most influential bands. They’re also one of metal’s most enduring and distinctive a ..more

RADWIMPS　

Billy Joel　

Although Billy Joel never was a critic’s favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the ’70s. Joel’s music consistently demonstrates an aff ..more

Yorushika