L'Arc En Ciel

         
            

Group Name : L’arc En Ciel a.k.a Laruku
Origin : Osaka, Japan
Genres : Alternative rock, hard rock, pop rock, art rock
Years active : 1991–present
Labels : Danger Crue, Ki/oon/SMEJ, Tofu, Gan-Shin
Member : Hyde, Tetsuya, Ken, Yukihiro

L’Arc-en-Ciel (ラルク アン シエル, Raruku an Shieru?, “The Rainbow” in French), usually stylized as “L’Arc~en~Ciel”, is a Japanese rock band that formed in 1991. The group has sold over 13 million albums, 16 million singles, and millions of other units, including videos. They were ranked at number 58 on a list of Top 100 Japanese pop musicians, provided by HMV Japan in 2003, and are among the most influential artists in the Japanese music scene.

History
In February 1991, bassist Tetsuya, later band leader, recruited vocalist Hyde along with guitarist Hiro and drummer Pero, and formed a band under the name of L’Arc-en-Ciel. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro left the band on June 12, 1992. Tetsuya convinced his friend Ken to quit his university studies (he was an architecture major at The Nagoya Institute of Technology) and join the band as the guitarist, but soon Pero left the band on December 30, 1992. In 1993, a new drummer, Sakura, joined the band.

On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune under the indie label Danger Crue. The album was a success and rose to number one on the Oricon indies charts, catching the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L’Arc-en-Ciel signed on with Sony’s Ki/oon division, releasing their second album, Tierra that same year. Heavenly followed in 1995. True, released in 1996, became their first number-one, million selling album. In February 1997, drummer Sakura was arrested for illegal drug possession.[4] He officially quit the band on October 4, 1997. This proved to be the lowest point in the band’s history.

                                            

Album
* DUNE (April 27, 1993)
* Tierra (July 14, 1994)
* Heavenly (September 1, 1995)
* True (December 12, 1996)
* HEART (February 25, 1998)
* Ark (July 1, 1999)
* Ray (July 1, 1999)
* REAL (August 30, 2000)
* SMILE (March 31, 2004)
* DUNE 10th Anniversary Edition (April 21, 2004)
* AWAKE (June 22, 2005)
* KISS (November 21, 2007)

Members Profile

                                    

Name : Takarai Hideto
Nickname : Hyde, Haito, Doi Hachirou
Date of birth : January 29, 1969
Place of birth : Wakayama, Osaka (kansai)
Horoscope : Aquarius
Height : 158cm
Weight : 48kg
Blood Type : O
Status : Married with Oishi Megumi on 25th Dec 2000
Solo Career : VAMPS 
Hobbies : Collect blue glass products, Video games, sketching, writing poems, cooking and reading scary novel

    

Name : Ogawa Tetsuya 
Nickname : Tet-chan
Date of birth : October 3, 1969
Place of birth : Osaka, Japan
Horoscope : Libra
Height : About 168 cm
Blood Type : A
Status : Married with Ayana Sakai on November 2007
Solo Career : TETSU69 on July 18, 2001
Hobby : Cars,plastic models, Anime (Gundam, Evangelion…he likes Asuka from EVA) and shopping

                                                  

Name : Kitamura Ken
Nickname : Ken-chan
Date of birth : November 28, 1968
Place of birth : Osaka, Japan
Horoscope : Sagittarius
Height : 178 cm
Weight : 56 kg
Status : Married
Solo Career : S.O.A.P (Sons Of All Pussys)
Hobbies : Shopping, diving

                                      

Name : Awaji Yukihiro

Nickname : Yukkie
Date of birth : November 24, 1968
Place of birth : Chiba, Japan
Horoscope : Sagittarius
Height : 165 cm
Weight : 48 kg
Blood Type : A
Status : Single
Solo Career : Acid Android