Exile (Japanese band) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Exile
Exile in Taiwan in January 2020
Background information
Also known as	J Soul Brothers (1999–2001)
Origin	Tokyo, Japan
Genres	J-pop R&B dance house
Years active	2001–present
Labels	LDH Rhythm Zone
Members	Exile Hiro Toshio Matsumoto Exile Makidai Exile Usa Exile Atsushi Exile Akira Exile Takahiro Kenchi Tachibana Exile Tetsuya Exile Nesmith Exile Shokichi Exile Naoto Naoki Kobayashi Alan Shirahama Sekai Taiki Sato
Past members	Shun Keiji Kuroki Mandy Sekiguchi Takanori Iwata

Exile (written as EXILE) is a very popular Japanese boy band with 17 members. The group's leader is Hiro. He was first part of a group called Zoo. Exile releases their music through Avex Group's label, Rhythm Zone.

In 2003, the first six members of Exile started their own company called LDH. This company has helped many other successful music groups and solo artists get started. Exile is the main group of LDH. They have sold over 15.6 million albums in total.

Exile's Journey: From Start to Stardom

How Exile Began

The group's leader, Hiro, was in a pop group called Zoo before it ended in 1995. In 1999, he formed a new group named J Soul Brothers. This group later changed its name to Exile in 2001. Hiro later brought back the name J Soul Brothers in 2007 for a new seven-member group.

First Steps and New Voices

Atsushi and Shun became the main singers for Exile. Atsushi really liked the American R&B group Boyz II Men. In November 2003, Exile re-recorded Zoo's famous song "Choo Choo Train." This song helped their third album, Exile Entertainment, sell over a million copies. They even performed "Choo Choo Train" on the big NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen TV show.

At first, Exile's music was influenced by R&B. But later, their style became more pop-focused. In 2004, their song "Real World" was their first to reach number one on the Oricon music charts. They also worked with the Japanese rock band Glay on a song called "Scream" in July 2005. It also hit number one and sold over 500,000 copies.

In December 2005, they released "Tada...Aitakute," and in March 2006, "Yes!" Both songs topped the Oricon charts. However, Shun left the group in March 2006 to become a solo singer. Exile then looked for a new singer. Takahiro joined the group in September 2006. He had originally wanted to be a hairdresser.

On February 14, 2007, Exile released "Michi," which was their first number-one song with Takahiro. Their 2007 album, Exile Love, was the best-selling album in Japan in 2008. It sold almost 1.5 million copies. Their collection album Exile Ballad Best sold nearly a million copies in its first week in 2008. It is still their best-selling album, with over 2 million copies sold. Their song "Ti Amo" was downloaded over a million times as a full-track ringtone. They also won the top award at the 50th Japan Record Awards for "Ti Amo."

Growing Even Bigger: New Members and Hiro's Change

In 2009, Exile's song "The Next Door" was used as the theme for the Japanese version of the video game Street Fighter IV. An English version, "The Next Door -Indestructible-," was used for the international game. This English version was released with their single "The Hurricane (Fireworks)" in July 2009, featuring American rapper Flo Rida.

On March 1, 2009, Exile and another group called Nidaime J Soul Brothers joined together. This made Exile a 14-member group. Their first album with 14 members, Aisubeki Mirai e, came out on December 2, 2009. They won the top award at the 51st Japan Record Awards for the second year in a row with their song "Someday."

In April 2010, Exile started their own TV talk show called EXE. It was shown in Japan and Taiwan. In May 2010, Exile sang a song called "Taiyō no Kuni" for the 20th anniversary of the Emperor of Japan Akihito. In July 2010, Exile had their first stadium tour, called Exile Live Tour 2010 Fantasy. They won their third top award in a row at the 52nd Japan Record Awards for "I Wish For You." This song was also the theme for the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.

From 2011, Exile started performing in other Asian countries. They performed in Hong Kong and Beijing. On September 14, 2011, Exile released "Rising Sun," a popular song to support recovery after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In November 2011, they started their second dome tour, Exile Live Tour 2011 Tower of Wish. Exile was one of the top-selling artists in Japan in 2011 and 2012.

On January 1, 2012, Exile released their ninth album, EXILE JAPAN/Solo. It was number one on the Oricon Albums Chart for three weeks. In June, Exile won Best Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. This was their fourth win at these awards.

On April 3, 2013, Hiro, Exile's leader, announced he would stop performing with the group at the end of 2013. He said he would still be the leader and producer. On the same day, Exile released their 41st song, "EXILE PRIDE ~Konna Sekai wo Aisuru Tame~." This song sold over a million copies and won the group their fourth Japan Record Award. Exile became the first artist to win this award four times. In April, Exile had their third dome tour, Exile Live Tour 2013 'Exile Pride'.

A New Chapter: More Members Join

Exile members at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Japan

In April 2014, Exile welcomed five new members. These new members were chosen from over 2000 people who auditioned. The new members were Takanori Iwata from Sandaime J Soul Brothers, Alan Shirahama and Mandy Sekiguchi from Generations, Sekai Yamamoto, and Taiki Sato. Their first song as the new Exile, "NEW HORIZON," came out on July 23, 2014. In September, the new Exile started their first tour, Exile Tribe Perfect Year Live Tour Tower of Wish 2014 〜The Revolution〜. On March 25, 2015, they released their tenth album, 19 -Road to AMAZING WORLD-. In September 2015, they started another tour, Exile Live Tour 2015 'Amazing World'.

On June 22, 2015, members Toshio Matsumoto, ÜSA, and MAKIDAI announced they would stop performing with the group by the end of the year. Their last song with the group was "Ki・mi・ni・mu・chu." On December 31, 2015, Matsumoto Toshio, ÜSA, and MAKIDAI officially retired as performers during a New Year's TV show. ÜSA continued to perform with another group called DANCE EARTH PARTY, and MAKIDAI continued his music as DJ MAKIDAI.

On August 17, 2016, Exile released their 48th song, "Joy-ride ~Kanki no Drive~." This song was the theme for Fuji television's coverage of the Rio Olympics.

On July 25, 2018, Exile released a new album called Star of Wish. In September, they started their fifth dome tour, Exile Live Tour 2018–2019 'Star of Wish'.

Meet the Members of Exile

Exile has had many members join and leave over the years. As of 2021, AKIRA is the longest-serving active member. Even after members retire, they are still considered part of the group's history. Currently, there are 13 active members.

Performers

Vocalists

Vocalists and Performers

Retired Performers

These members are no longer active performers but are still part of Exile's history.

Former Members

These members have left the group.

Member Timeline

Exile's Music: Albums and Songs

Studio Albums

Exile has released many studio albums. Many of them reached number one on the charts and sold hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of copies!

Best-of Albums

These albums collect Exile's most popular songs.

Singles

Exile has released many singles, with many reaching the top of the charts.

Collaborations

Exile has also worked with other artists on songs.

Awards and Recognitions

Exile has won many awards for their music and videos.

See also

In Spanish: Exile para niños

• Japan Record Award
• MTV Video Music Awards Japan
• List of best-selling music artists in Japan