If you haven't heard any music by this band yet, I'm here to introduce you. One Ok Rock (ワンオクロック) it's a band japanese rock very famous worldwide. It has as references bands like Nirvana, Blink-182, Foo Fighters among others. Several genres were also experimented and mixed in the essence of the band. Going from alternative rock, pop rock to emo and hardcore.
The band's name comes from the English expression "one o clock", which means "at one o'clock". This was the time the group usually set up on weekends to rehearse. But because the pronunciation of the letter L and R are the same, the Japanese pronounced "one o krock". Taking advantage of this, the group separated and changed the expression, making One Ok Rock the name of the band.
History and emergence of the band One ok Rock
The band One ok Rock was formed in Tokyo in the year 2005. With the dream of becoming famous and having his own band Toru Yamashita, a high school student, teams up with his friend Ryota Kohama with this goal. Toru played guitar and insisted that his friend Ryota learn to play bass. Both curiously were part of a hip-hop group called “HEADS”.
On one occasion, while watching a cover band concert, Toru really liked the performance of the lead singer of that band. This was Taka Moriuchi, who after much insistence from Toru joined the band. Another guitarist, named Alex Onizawa, who was born in San Francisco, who previously worked as a fashion model, also joined the initial lineup.
After many successful concerts in the Tokyo area, the band One ok Rock debuted their first EP in 2006. Soon after, a mini-album called Keep It Real was also released. That's when the last member, Tomoya Kanki, came in as the drummer. Tomoya had already been playing with the group in the recordings of the albums. But it only became an official member in 2007. That same year, the first successful single, “Naihi Shinsho”. This song paved the way for radio and secured a deal with the major producer Amuse.
Overcoming Problems to Success
In 2007, along with the debut of the first studio album called “Zeitakubyou”, also came two a tour across the country. Two LPs, “Beam of Light” and “Kanjou Effect” went into circulation in 2008. But in 2009, guitarist Alex was accused by harassment. He eventually admitted to the charges, was thus tried and imprisoned.
Because of this fact, the release of the song “Around the World Shounen” was postponed. This same song had been selected to be the theme of a soap opera, but due to what happened, the choice was suspended. A tour scheduled for that year was also cancelled. It was soon announced that the band would continue without any ties to guitarist Alex. The band did not stop, because in 2010 the album “Niche Syndrome” was released, in 2011 the “Zankyo Reference” and in 2013 the album “Jinsei×Boku”.
In 2014, the band One Ok Rock participated in a major music festival in the United States. Soon the album “35xxxv” arrived in 2015, which was re-released in a deluxe edition in English, after the band signed with the Warner Bros.. One Ok Rock quickly became popular in the United States, leading to the recording of a second international album in 2016. Already with a lot of musical experience, the band released in 2017 the album “Ambitions”, which became a commercial success.
The band won several awards in its trajectory. Of these, the best Rock video awards in 2012, 2013 and 2014 stand out. MTV Europe Music Awards the band won best Japanese artist. There were also songs by the band chosen as the theme in two live actions of the anime Samurai X. The band continues in activity, being very successful until today. I'll leave a list below with some of the best songs by the band in my opinion.
- Wherever You Are
- Clock Strikes
- The Beginning
- dreamer
- Liar
- Chaosmyth
- cry out
- Pierce
- Re:make
- We Are
- Be the light
- not scared
- Naihi Shinsho
Did you already know the band? What music do you like the most? Tell us in the comments and share with friends.
