ARASHI

In the late '90s, Tokyo-based pop group Arashi ("Storm") were created as Japan's answer to the Western boy band boom and artists such as Westlife or Backstreet Boys. As their name suggested, they were meant to take the world by storm, and they did, at least its East Asian part. They also managed to combine resonant fame with career longevity atypical of a boy band, releasing a new album -- almost all of which went to number one -- every year but one for almost two decades. Blending J-pop, J-rock, hip-hop, and R&B elements in their music, they reached a wide Asian audience, pla...