[Alexandros]

Overview

[Alexandros] (アレキサンドロス) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001 by Yoohei Kawakami. They were known as [Champagne] until March 2014. The current lineup is Kawakami (lead vocals, guitar), Hiroyuki Isobe (bass, backing vocals), Masaki Shirai (guitar) and Ib Riad (drums). Managed by UK Project, the band releases through Polydor Records and RX-Records under Universal Music Japan. Fans nickname them "Dros" and "Areki".

Career

Formation and indie years (2001–2013)

Kawakami formed the band at Aoyama Gakuin University in 2001, with Isobe involved from the early days. After several lineup changes, they self-produced the six-track Uee (上へ) in 2004 and exist in 2005. In 2005 they also launched their own concert series "This Summer Festival" ("This Fes"), which became an annual fixture. Shirai became an official member in 2007 and took over lead guitar, with Kawakami on rhythm guitar.

The band made its official debut on January 20, 2010 with Where's My Potato? on RX-Records. Drummer Hiroki Ishikawa left on March 1, 2010, and Satoyasu Shomura, first a support drummer, became an official member on April 1. The singles "City" (July 2010) and "You're So Sweet & I Love You" (November 2010) followed, then the second album I Wanna Go To Hawaii. on February 9, 2011. In 2013 they performed at The Great Escape Festival, an early step onto the international stage.

Rename and major debut (2014–2015)

On March 25, 2014 the band announced a name change at the "Premium V.I.P. Party" and unveiled [Alexandros] at their first Nippon Budokan show on March 28, following a request from the Japanese office of the Champagne trade body (C.I.V.C.). Inspired by Alexander the Great, the name was chosen by Kawakami while the band was in Texas for SXSW, reflecting its global ambitions. Earlier releases were reissued under the new name. In November 2014 they signed a global partnership with Universal Music Group, and on March 17, 2015 they made their major debut with the single "Wataridori" / "Dracula La", the theme of the film Akegarasu. The "Wataridori" music video passed 100 million YouTube views in August 2019. They also played SXSW in 2014 and 2016.

Breakthrough and change (2016–2021)

The sixth album EXIST! (November 9, 2016) gave the band its first No. 1 on the Oricon chart. In March 2018, alongside the announcement of the 16th single KABUTO, they restyled the name as [ALEXANDROS], reverting to [Alexandros] with a new logo on January 1, 2020. On August 16, 2018 they held their first outdoor one-man show, V.I.P. PARTY 2018, at ZOZO Marine Stadium.

In June 2019 Shomura paused live activities due to focal dystonia, and Riad Ib of BIGMAMA stepped in as support. In January 2020 it was announced that Shomura would retire after a best-of album; pandemic-related delays pushed both the album release and his departure to March 2021. The band's 10th-anniversary concerts at Makuhari Messe on March 20–21, 2021 were his last shows. The best-of album is Where's My History?. Ib Riad officially joined on April 10, 2021.

Recent activity (2022–)

The band released the album But wait. Cats? on July 13, 2022, followed in August by the live release THIS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2022, recorded at Tokyo International Forum Hall A. In 2023 they issued a live version and a TeddyLoid remix of "Senkou", "VANILLA SKY", and, in December, "todayyyyy". In 2024 came SINGLE 1 (May), "Boy Fearless" and SINGLE 2 (September); on October 26–27 they hosted their first self-organized festival, THIS FES'24 in Sagamihara, in the hometown of Kawakami and Shirai. In 2025 they released "Kinjito", SINGLE 3 and "Koeru" (April), then the album PROVOKE and "we are still kids & stray cats (:D)" on April 23, and "Ash" on September 29. On April 1, 2026 they were appointed honorary tourism goodwill ambassadors of Sagamihara.

Tie-ups

Their songs have appeared in films, TV, anime and games: "Nawe, Nawe" (Japanese version of The Legend of Tarzan), "New Wall" (Tales of The Rays), "Mosquito Bite" (the film Bleach), "Arpeggio" and "Your Song" (Sega's Judgment), "Pray" (Japanese dub of Godzilla: King of the Monsters), "Senkou" (Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway), "Ash" (Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō, 2025), "Koeru" (Umamusume: Cinderella Gray, 2025) and "Hallelujah" (Fist of the North Star, 2026).

Musical style

The band works in J-rock and J-pop, with frequent anime tie-ins. Kawakami writes the lyrics and music for almost all songs, and, having grown up in Syria, sings in both Middle Eastern-accented English and Japanese. The original name [Champagne] was borrowed from Oasis's "Champagne Supernova". Most of their music videos end with a roughly 30-second bonus clip.