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Alexandros (band)

, stylized as [Alexandros], is a Japanese rock band, managed by UK Project. They are signed to RX-Records and Polydor Records under Universal Music Japan. On March 28, 2014, the band renamed from [Champagne] to [Alexandros] from on request from Bureau du Champagne, Japan.

Overview

In 2001, Yoohei Kawakami formed the band [Champagne], with Hiroyuki Isobe joining from the initial lineup. After several changes in members, in 2010 Kawakami, Shirai, Isobe, and then-drummer Ishikawa debuted under RX-RECORDS. In 2014, they changed their name to [Alexandros].

On November 28, 2014, it was announced that the band would be signed to Universal Music Japan, starting from their single that was released in 2015. Subsequent album and singles since 2015 have been released by Universal Music Japan.

In 2016, the band performed at the SXSW Music Festival as part of the Japan Nite showcase.

The Japanese version of The Legend of Tarzan uses their song "Nawe, Nawe" as its theme song. In 2018, their song "Mosquito Bite" was used as the theme for the live-action film adaptation of Bleach. That same year, the band also contributed the theme song ("Arpeggio") and ending theme ("Your Song") to the Sega video game Judgment. A year later in 2019, their song "Pray" was used as the theme for the Japanese dub of the MonsterVerse film '. "Senkou" was used as the theme music for the 2021 film ', including promotional material and an animated music video released by the band. Alexandros songs were also the opening themes for the 2025 anime ' ("Ash") and ' ("Koeru").

The original band name [Champagne] was said to reflect the idea that "the sound should reach everyone: the fans, staff, and the band themselves, so that everyone can get drunk on the music." However, this explanation was something they came up with later. The real origin was that they borrowed it from Oasis' song “Champagne Supernova.”

On Kawakami’s blog, he also wrote that when he was in fifth grade, he picked the name simply because it “just sounded cool,” even though he didn’t really know what it meant. When he lived in Syria, he had already been using [Champagne] as the name of the band he formed there.

Common nicknames for the band include ドロス(“Dros”) and アレキ (“Areki”).

History

  • 2001: Yoohei Kawakami formed a band at Aoyama Gakuin University, beginning musical activities with Hiroyuki Isobe.
  • January 20, 2010: Made their official debut with the release of "Where's My Potato?" with RX-Records.
  • March 25, 2014: At the "Premium V.I.P. Party" at EX THEATER ROPPONGI, they announced their name change from [Champagne] to [Alexandros]. The change was due to a request from the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (C.I.V.C.)’s Japan branch.
  • March 28, 2014: Officially unveiled the new name at their first Nippon Budokan performance. All past works under [Champagne] were re-released under [Alexandros].
  • November 28, 2014: Signed a global partnership deal with Universal Music.
  • March 17, 2015: Released the single "Wataridori / Dracula La" from Universal Music Japan, marking their major debut. The music video for "Wataridori" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube by August 7, 2019.
  • November 9, 2016: Achieved their first Oricon Chart No.1 with their 6th studio album "Exist!"
  • March 14, 2018: Announced the release of their 16th single "KABUTO" title still unannounced at the time) and that they would change their band name stylization to all uppercase [ALEXANDROS]. Kawakami stated this change was "just on a whim" during his regular radio show.
  • August 16, 2018: Held their first outdoor one-act live concert "V.I.P. PARTY 2018" at ZOZO Marine Stadium.
  • June 19, 2019: Drummer Satoyasu Shomura suspended live activities due to focal dystonia, with Ib Riad from BIGMAMA stepping in as support drummer.
  • January 1, 2020: Announced a new band logo and reverted their stylization from [ALEXANDROS] back to [Alexandros] with a lowercase format.
  • January 24, 2020: Announced that Satoyasu Shomura would retire from the band after the release of their "best of" album (originally planned for May). A special YouTube livestream featuring the members discussing his retirement was held at 9 PM the same day. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album release was postponed to January 2021, thus delaying Shomura’s retirement, which was again delayed to March 2021 after another emergency declaration.
  • April 10, 2021: Ib Riad, who had been supporting the band, officially joined as a full member.
  • October 26–27, 2024: [Alexandros] hosted their first self-produced festival "THIS FES ‘24 in Sagamihara" at Sagamihara Gion Field, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Sagamihara’s city status.

Band members

(Unless otherwise noted, based on the official website’s “Biography”)

Current members

  • – vocals, guitar (2007–present)
  • Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Aoyama Gakuin University.
  • He is responsible for writing and composing almost all of the band’s songs.
  • He grew up in Syria and sings in both English with a Middle Eastern accent and Japanese.
  • – bass guitar, backing vocals (2007–present)
  • Also graduated from the Faculty Of Law of Aoyama Gakuin University.
  • He began playing the bass at age 15 after watching a friend play.
  • – guitar (2007–present)
  • Graduated from the Professional Musician Department at SHOBI College Of Music.
  • Started a YouTube channel on April 16, 2020.
  • On December 30, 2022, he announced that he got married in 2021 and had his first child in 2022.
  • Ib Riad (リアド 偉武, Riado Ibu, born October 25, 1985) — drums (2021–present)
  • Joined as a support member after the previous drummer, Satoyasu Shomura, went on hiatus in 2019.
  • He left Bigmama in May 2020, and joined as a full member of [Alexandros] on April 10, 2021.

Former members

  • – drums (2007–2010)
  • Left the band on March 1, 2010.
  • Appeared in early music videos like “For Freedom” and is pictured on the back cover of the first album “Where’s My Potato?”.
  • – drums (2010–2021)
  • Joined as an official member on April 1, 2010.
  • From June 2019, he went on a hiatus from live performances due to focal dystonia.
  • In January 2020, he announced his retirement with the release of the band’s best-of album in May 2020.
  • His last live performance was on March 20–21, 2021, at Makuhari Messe, during the band’s 10th anniversary concert.
  • In 2021, he launched a fashion project, Snack NGL, alongside fashion stylists and buyers. He also became a writer for an interview series called “Kiki Mimi” on the Pia website and app.
  • In 2024, he joined Dr.DOWNER as a member.

Support members

  • Rose – keyboard (original group: The Led Snail)
  • Mullon - guitar (original group: The Led Snail)

Timeline

Appearances

TV variety appearance

  • Welcome! [Alexandros] (Formerly known as: Welcome! [Champagne]) (June 2013 – March 2017, Space Shower TV )

Radio appearance

  • SBS PopAsia 「J-Rock Sessions with [Alexandros]」with Yoohei and Hiro (September 2015 – June 2016, Australia SBS)
  • School of Lock! (October 2015 ~ March 2021, Tokyo FM) – Yoohei as "Kawakami-sensei" on the Tuesday Regular Corner「AlexandroLocks!」

Movie

  • Kyou no Kira-kun (February 25, 2017) – Yoohei as an English Teacher, Cameo Appearance

Advertising

  • Apparel Brand 「glamb」 (2015–2016) – Yoohei as a model for the Spring Collection

CMs

  • Tokyo Metro 「Find My Tokyo. 『Asakusa – Fun continues to live』」(2018)

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

DVD releases

Music videos

Except for a few, each music video includes about 30 seconds of bonus footage at the end.

Awards and nominations

Japan Gold Disc Award

|- | 2016 | [Alexandros] | New Artist of the Year |

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

|- | 2016 | "Swan" | Best Rock Video |

Space Shower Music Awards

|- | 2016 | [Alexandros] | Best Rock Artist | |- | 2017 | [Alexandros] | People's choice | |- | 2019 | [Alexandros] | Best Group Artist |

Tours and concerts

Japan

Overseas

See also

References

External links