SHE'S

Overview

SHE'S is a four-piece Japanese piano rock band formed in 2011. They are managed by Speedstar Music and signed to Universal Music under the Virgin Music label. The members are Ryoma Inoue (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Shingo Hirose (bass), Kanta Hattori (guitar) and Masato Kimura (drums), all from Suita, Osaka. Inoue writes the lyrics and music for every song.

Origin of the Name

The "SHE" in the name refers to a real classmate Inoue was intrigued by in junior high school. The question of what that girl with a distinctive aura was thinking ("SHE IS…") matched the band image he had in mind, and together with the sound of "She's" it became the band's name. He had no romantic feelings for her and never spoke to her.

Members

Ryoma Inoue (b. 1992): studied piano from first grade to second year of junior high, took up guitar at 14 after discovering ELLEGARDEN, and formed SHE'S after high school, wanting to start a rock band featuring piano.
Shingo Hirose (b. 1992): befriended Inoue at cram school; in high school he, Inoue and Hattori played in a MONGOL800 cover band.
Kanta Hattori (b. 1993): started guitar in his first year of junior high and was obsessed with KISS, copying all their live CDs. He is a skilled cook.
Masato Kimura (b. 1992): started drums in fifth grade; enjoys road biking.

Career

2011: Formed in April in Suita, Osaka, centered on Inoue, and performed mainly in the Osaka area.
2012: Released "Kimi o Ushinatta Sekai" in a limited run of 1,000 copies and became a finalist in Senko Riot 2012.
2013: Released the first EP Light we'd believe in March.
2014: Released the demo Voice from distance in January and the first nationally distributed mini-album WHO IS SHE? in July; began their first headline shows in October.
2015: Released the mini-album WHERE IS SHE? in April, played headline shows at Shibuya WWW and Shinsaibashi JANUS in June, and held self-organized events in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka in December.
2016: Released the mini-album She'll be fine in February and toured five cities. Made their major debut on Virgin Music on June 8 with the single "Morning Glow" and followed with "Tonight/Stars" in October.
2017: Released the first full album Proust to Hanataba in January and toured ten cities. Released the major-label mini-album Awakening in June, held their first hall tour with strings in September–October, and released the second album Wandering in December.
2018: Toured 20 cities with "Wandering" (February–April) and performed the orchestral hall shows "Sinfonia “Chronicle”#1" in May. Released "Yorokobi no Hi" in August and "The Everglow" in November, and held their first fan club tour, first college festival tour (eight venues) and the autumn tour "The One" (seven cities).
2019: Released the third album Now＆Then in February and toured 14 cities, their largest venues to that point. Released "Clock feat. Yuko Ando Remixed by Yaffle" in April and held the SHE'S UNION Tour 2019 (11 cities). Released digital singles "Masquerade," "Letter" and "Your Song" in three consecutive months, then the "Tricolor EP" with their first cover in December, alongside "Sinfonia “Chronicle”#2."
2020: Released "Unforgive" and "Tragicomedy" in February, the fourth album Tragicomedy in July, and toured "~~Re:reboot~~" from October to December.
2021: Released "Oikaze" in February and held the 10th anniversary kickoff show "From 19" in Suita. Marked five years since their major debut with playlists, and held their first open-air hall headline shows in Tokyo and Osaka ("Back In Blue"). Released "Take It Easy" in July, the fifth album Amulet on October 6, and the 10th Anniversary Tour "So Close, So Far."
2022: Played their first Nippon Budokan show, "SHE'S in BUDOKAN," on February 24. Released "Blue Thermal" (March), "Grow Old With Me" (May) and "Raided" (November), and held the SHE'S UNION Tour 2022 across nine cities. In December they performed "Danger Zone" from Top Gun on an NHK BS program.
2023: Held "Sinfonia “Chronicle”#3" in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka (February–March). Released "Boat on a Lake" (April), "Happy Ending" (May), the sixth album Shepherd (May 24) and "No Gravity" (November).
2024: Released "Memories" (March), "Kick Out" (June) and "Cloud 9" (August). Held their first overseas tour, "SHE'S in Taipei 2024," on September 7, and released the seventh album Memories on September 18. The national tour "SHE'S Tour 2024 “Memories”" ran from October 5 to December 3. They also appeared on TV programs on BS Asahi and Nippon TV in July.
2025: Released a live recording from the Toyosu PIT show of November 15, 2024 in March, followed by the singles "Four" (June) and "Hanaame" (September).

Musical Style

Formed with the aim of being a rock band built around piano, SHE'S centers its band sound on piano and keyboards, and is categorized as J-pop, J-rock and Japanese indie. Inoue writes all lyrics and music, and the band regularly pairs its songs with classical arrangements, as in the strings-accompanied hall tour and the orchestral "Sinfonia “Chronicle”" series. Inoue has also hosted the radio program LIKE SONG since November 2018.