w-inds.

w-inds. was formed in 2000, as a result of nation wide auditions, known as the ASAYAN Idol contest. Contests were held in northern and southern Japan to find and recruit members for a new boy band.

Lead vocalist, Keita, was discovered in southern Japan when he beat out 80,000 other contestants in the ASAYAN contest. At only fifteen years of age, he was found to have a vocal range of between 5-7 octaves. Ryohei, who was discovered in northern Japan, was brought in to do back-up vocals; he is said to be the best break dancer in the group. Ryuichi, also discovered in the north, is said to be the best rapper in the group, and occasionally sings solos.

The three met up in Tokyo where they decided on the group name of w-inds., and set to work on their first album. They then signed with the label Pony Canyon.

Their weekly street performances in Shibuya and the famous Yoyogi Park helped them learn to work together, and earned them a fan base who was eagerly awaiting their first releases.

They released their first single, Forever Memories in March 2001. It went on to reach number one in the charts and sell over 216,000 copies.

In December of the same year, 1st message, their debut album, was released earning them the award for "Best New Artist" of the year. w-inds. continued to create music with a total of 20 singles and five albums as of 2006.

In 2006, Keita launched a solo career with the single Michishirube, followed by his solo album entitled Koe. Although the news of Keita's solo career has brought mixed feelings among fans; w-inds. management assures fans that this in no way affects the future of the band, and that w-inds. will still be creating music together.

Their most recent activities include their 24th single release called Ameato which was used as the seventh ending theme song for the anime "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" Followed by their single was the anticipated release of their seventh album entitled Seventh Ave. on July 2, 2008.

w-inds. has a winning combination of singing, rapping, and dancing that has brought them great popularity throughout Japan and around Asia, including South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and especially Taiwan. Having such popularity and a ton of releases, it's always exciting to see what w-inds. will present their fans with next.