R&B/Soul
Japan
CHAI
About CHAI
Hometown
Nagoya, Japan
Formed
2012
Genre
R&B/Soul
Japanese band CHAI take their influences from a wide range of sources; everything from '90s hip-hop and bouncy alt-rock to scratchy post-punk, smooth soft rock, and gleefully bumping R&B goes into their energetic, fully realized sound. They call their music "neo-kawaii" and aim for authenticity and inclusion while also making eye-catching videos that express their empowering vision. The group's first two albums, 2017's Pink and 2019's Punk, were energetic, wide-ranging introductions to the guitar-heavy, punky side of the band. Later releases have taken a more measured musical tack -- 2021's Wink detours into slick modern pop and R&B, and 2023's CHAI updates city pop -- while still transmitting all the joy and energy of earlier work.
