Monkey Majik is a band with a unique sound. With half the members from Japan, and the other half Brothers from Canada, they are sometimes called a 'hybrid-band' and sing in both Japanese and English.

Monkey Majik have done very well in Japan since their debut in 2001. Their song, "Sora wa maru de" became the first song in Japanese History to reach #1 on USEN Request Chart before being released, and in 2008 they were the Goodwill Ambassadors for Canadian- Japanese relations.

The brothers, born in Ontario, went to separately - one to teach in 1997 and the other to join his brother and form a band in 2000. Originally the band included two other English member but they left before the band was picked up by AVEX in 2006.
Current members are Maynard and Blaise Plant (Canadian Brothers), tax (Takuya Kikuchi) and DICK.

The band originates from Sendai, the region recently hit with a devastating earthquake on 3/11 last year. The band has felt a deep connection to this disaster and has made strong efforts to raise funds and awareness including their SEND-ai (SEND-愛)special concert. The brothers in particular have been making personal efforts as well, raising awareness and helping in clean up and rebuilding efforts.

Official Website: http://www.monkeymajik.com/
Blaise Official Blog: http://blaiseplant.syncl.jp/

Ayumi Hamasaki is arguably one of the most famous female singers in all of Asia. She has sold over 50 million records in Japan alone, has toured through most of Asia, and has won multiple awards and broken many records including;

• Best Asian Entertainer 2009-2010
  
• The most influential singer in Japan 2010
  
• Forbes magazine: Richest singer of all time (#7th in the World)
  
• 3rd Best Selling Japanese Artist in history
  
• First artist ever to achieve 13 consecutive years of No.1 albums
  
• Highest DVD sales by a female artist
  
• Dozens of music awards in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and even France
  

And that's just a small taste of what Ayumi has achieved over the past thirteen years of singing.

What makes Ayumi Hamasaki so incredible is her heart and devotion to her music and her fans. Early in her career she took control over her lyrics and refused to let others write for her. Eventually she would also begin composing her own music as well. With these lyrics, she grabbed the hearts of the Japanese people, and the hearts of people all around Asia.

Another thing that makes so many love her is how involved she is with her music. She often is a key person in planing the artistic direction of her concerts, tours and even her music videos. Her music videos often have a storyline, that goes along and adds more to the lyrics and music. They vary in themes, from bright and happy, to hard, rough and sorrowful. Her concerts too are often very extravagant, including many props, costumes, dancers, fireworks, hidden floors, and even simulated raindrops.


Ayumi, or Ayu as fans call her, is a perfect example of devotion to fans. She is known for spending hours outside recording studios to sign autographs and meet fans, even when she is in other countries such as the USA or France. She is well connected to her fans through her 'Team Ayu' fanclub which includes magazines that are in an almost 'letter to her fans' format with pictures and updates about her music or tours, as well as blog entries which she isn't afraid to talk about some personal matters with her fans. Her twitter is also filled with her replying and talking to fans.
Recently, through her twitter she came across a fan video, made by a fan in Spain who compiled hundreds of pictures from fans around with world with their hands touching the sky. (Ayumi often did this exact thing on her twitter when she was missing home, or her husband who is in the states.) Ayumi loved the video so much, she wished to use it in her most recent tour, and asked the maker to come to Spain, to see his video in her concert.

Ayumi is an artist who is very close to my heart, and has been for years. I urge you to check her music out. Here are some official links, as well as some more info, and translations to her lyrics (not all of us speak Japanese!).

Official Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ayu
Official Website http://www.avexnet.or.jp/ayu/index.html
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayumi_Hamasaki
Lyric Translations http://ayumi.primenova.com/lyrics.php