Whiteberry (music group)

Whiteberry
Whiteberry in 2002. L to R: Rimi Mizusawa, Aya Inatsuki, Yuki Maeda, Erika Kawamura, Yukari Hasegawa
Background information
Origin	Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan
Genres	Pop rock, pop punk, power pop
Years active	1994–2004
Labels	Sony Music Japan
Members	Yuki Maeda Aya Inatsuki Yukari Hasegawa Rimi Mizusawa Erika Kawamura

Whiteberry (ホワイトベリー^?) were a five-piece all-girl pop/rock band from Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan. Although not reaching more than cult status outside of their native country, the group gained a loyal following with their recordings and live performances.

The band - vocalist Yuki Maeda, guitarist Aya Inatsuki, bassist Yukari Hasegawa, keyboardist Rimi Mizusawa, and drummer Erika Kawamura - formed in 1994 while the members - all lifelong friends, while Maeda and Kawamura were also cousins - were in elementary school. A few years and a string of local performances later, the group came to the notice of members of popular Japanese rock band Judy and Mary and were offered a recording deal with Sony Japan's Pop Artist imprint in 1999.

The group, still in high school at the time, recorded and released their first EP After School, which they quickly followed up with several singles, all original material with the exception of their fourth, a cover of the Jitterin' Jinn hit "Natsu Matsuri". The single became the band's most popular number and is now more identified with them than with the original group. Capitalizing on the momentum, the group completed and released their debut full-length album, "Hatsu".

After a fifth single, "Akubi" (a rearranged new recording of a song from their EP), the group divided their time between completing their high school education and working on the follow-up album, "Chameleon". The record's release was preceded by three new singles, "Sakura Nakimichi", "Kakurenbo" (which was tied into the Japanese release of an opening of the anime Pokémon), and "Tachiiri Kinshi". The latter song, whose title translates to "Off Limits", raised quite a few eyebrows with its uncharacteristic aggressiveness and its music video which depicted the band in rugby uniforms, bumrushing a corporate boardroom and performing their song atop a conference table while businessmen looked on in horror.