| ZONE | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Mizuho, Tomoka, Miyu and Maiko
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sapporo, Japan |
| Genre(s) | J-Pop |
| Years active | 1999–2005 |
| Label(s) | Sony Music Records |
| Members | |
| Miyu Nagase Mizuho Saito Tomoka Nishimura Maiko Sakae |
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| Former members | |
| Takayo Ookoshi | |
ZONE was a J-Pop band started in Sapporo, Japan in 1999, that went on to become a hit in 2000 with their single GOOD DAYS. Their most famous song is Secret Base (君がくれたもの kimi ga kureta mono?). ZONE has been categorized in a new genre called "bandol" (a portmanteau of the words band and idol) and was started by Studio RunTime.
Contents |
History
At first, ZONE started off with eight members in 1997, then reduced to six and finally four – these members were Miyu Nagase, Mizuho Saito, Maiko Sakae, and Takayo Ookoshi – by the time they released their first indie disc in 1999. Mr. Ominami Tadayuki, a representative of Sony Records, noticed that the crowd reaction to the debut concert was particularly enthusiastic. Back then, ZONE was solely concentrated on singing and dancing. Following his belief that ZONE had the makings of a hit, Tadayuki watched a live video of the band playing with instruments at the KomeKome Klub and felt that, due to the overabundance of dance groups, ZONE had the makings of a breakthrough act, providing they could play their instruments as well as sing and dance. In late 2003, Takayo Ookoshi announced her graduation from ZONE to pursue her studies and has been since replaced by Tomoka Nishimura, one of the two original members cut from the band when they scaled from six members to four. Between 1999 and 2005, ZONE released seventeen hit singles, three full lengths CDs, three DVDs, did commercials, and had their own television special, in addition to attending high school. They all graduated. ZONE officially disbanded on April 1, 2005, after playing their final concert at Nippon Budokan.
Band members
Current members
- Miyu Nagase (長瀬実夕 Nagase Miyu?)—Vocals & Guitar
- Mizuho Saito (斎藤瑞穂 Saito Mizuho?)—Vocals & Drums
- Maiko Sakae (栄舞子 Sakae Maiko?)—Vocals & Bass Guitar
- Tomoka Nishimura (西村朝香 Nishimura Tomoka?)—Vocals & Guitar
Past members
- Takayo Ookoshi (大越貴代 Ookoshi Takayo?) —Vocals & Guitar (1999-2003)
Music
ZONE's music has been used in the 2003 Astro Boy series (opening theme, True Blue) and the Japanese release of Ice Age (theme song, Hitoshizuku). Shiroi Hana was used as the theme song to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance in Japan.
Discography
Singles
- believe in love (Indies Single)
- GOOD DAYS (2001/02/07)
- 大爆発 NO.1 (2001/05/23) Dai Bakuhatsu NO.1
- secret base ～君がくれたもの～ (2001/08/08) Secret Base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~
- 世界のほんの片隅から (2001/11/14) Sekai No Hon No Katasumi Kara
- 夢ノカケラ・・・ (2002/02/14) Yume No Kakera
- 一雫 (2002/07/17) Hito-shizuku
- 証 (2002/09/26) Akashi
- 白い花 (2002/11/27) Shiroi Hana
- true blue／恋々・・・ (2003/04/16) True Blue/Renren...
- H・A・N・A・B・I ～君がいた夏～ (2003/07/30) H.A.N.A.B.I ~Kimi ga Ita Natsu~
- 僕の手紙 (2003/10/29) Boku No Tegami
- 卒業 (2004/02/04) Sotsugyō
- 太陽のKiss (2004/06/02) Taiyō No Kiss
- glory colors ～風のトビラ～ (2004/08/04) Glory Colors ~Kaze No Tobira~
- 笑顔日和 (2005/03/09) Egao Biyori
Albums
- Z (2002/02/14)
- O (2002/11/27)
- ASTRO Girlz & Boyz (2003/07/16)
- N (2004/02/18)
- E ～Complete A side Singles～(2005/04/13)
- ura E~Complete B side Melodies~ (2006/04/19)
DVDs
- ZONE CLIPS 01 ~Sunny Side~ (2003/10/29)
- ZONE CLIPS 02 ~Forever Side (2004/03/17)
- ZONE TV special "ユメハジマッタバカリ" DVD edition (2004/09/29)
- ZONE CLIPS 03 ~2005 卒業~ (2005/05/18)
- ZONE FINAL in 日本武道館 2005/04/01 ～心を込めてありがとう～ (2005/06/22) ZONE FINAL LIVE in NIPPON BUDOKAN ～Thank you from the bottom of my heart～
