SCANDAL

SCANDAL is a pop group formed in August 2006. Proclaiming themselves as "The Most Powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock", they consist of four high school girls from Osaka, Japan:
Ono Haruna - Vocals and guitar
Ogawa Tomomi - Vocals and bass
Sasazaki Mami - Vocals and guitar
Suzuki Rina - Vocals and drums
Scandal is very energetic, largely because Ono, the eldest member and band leader, shares lead vocals with the other three members. This arrangement avoids focusing on any single girl and gives each member time in the limelight.
The four girls came together as music-loving high school friends to form Scandal, deciding to write and play their own songs while balancing their regular school lives. As time passed, the group began receiving offers from clubs and music halls around Osaka and Kyoto.
Eventually, over one hundred fans began consistently attending Scandal's live performances on Tokyo's streets and in Shiroten, Osaka, which raised the band's profile among the Japanese public. In August 2007, Scandal seized the opportunity to participate in a special event at Shibuya Club Asia, a highly recognized and respected club in Shibuya. It was during this period that record label Kitty Records (a subsidiary of Kitty Films) first asked the four girls if they would like to have their music recorded with them. Several months later, the girls worked out a flexible independent agreement with Kitty in partnership with Tower Records, and SCANDAL started to become more mainstream.
Their first indie single was released on March 3, 2008, in celebration of Girl's Day. Despite ranking second on Tower Record's "Indies Weekly Chart", it sold out throughout Japan and was difficult to keep in stock due to high demand. To help fans who struggled to obtain the album, the single was released on both the US and Japanese iTunes Music Store on April 9, 2008. Two more singles (in CD form) were released in the following months, both ranking number 1 on the "Indies Weekly Chart".
Immediately after their first release, Scandal left Japan for their first international tour, "Japan Nite US Tour 2008", followed by two concerts at the Japanese cultural and anime convention, "Sakura-Con 2008", from March 16 to March 30.
Scandal's music has been featured in various popular media: their first single, "Space Ranger", serves as the opening for Kyoto Sports Weekly, and their second single, "Koi Moyou", is the main theme of the movie Corazon de Melon. Their song "Start" is the theme song for Star Ocean: Second Evolution and is available on the game's soundtrack. More recently, "Daydream" was featured on a tribute album to the classic multi-genre Japanese band Judy and Mary, and their song "Shoujo S" is the tenth opening of the anime series "Bleach". They are also set to compose the soundtrack for the upcoming Production I.G film Loups=Garous.
They have also appeared in commercials, promoting a line of Cecil McBee cosmetics, and for Nike, featuring four different colors of their footwear. Additionally, they were chosen to represent Pocari Sweat in posters and in the promotional video for their song "BEAUTeen!" as part of their summer 2009 campaign.
An interesting note about the group is their unique approach to self-promotion. Since they are fans of Japanese animation and manga, they wanted to be represented in animated form, turning each member into an animated character. The animated SCANDAL appears on Japanese Television and in a series of promotional videos on the band's website.
In early September 2008, Scandal began talks with the head of Sony Music Japan because, with Kitty, their CDs were produced in very limited quantities, causing them to sell out quickly. They soon worked out a contract with Sony, who signed them to their Epic Records label, and the group moved away from the indie music scene.