(stylized as [Alexandros]) are a Japanese rock band formed in 2001 by Yoohei Kawakami. The band consists of Kawakami (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Hiroyuki Isobe (bass, backing vocals), Masaki Shirai (lead guitar) and Ib Riad (drums). They are managed by UK Project, and are signed to RX-Records and Polydor Records under Universal Music Japan.
Originally known as [Champagne], they made their official debut in 2010 with Where's My Potato? and changed their name to [Alexandros] in 2014 following a request from Bureau du Champagne, Japan.
In November 2014, it was announced that the band had signed a global partnership deal with Universal Music Group, beginning with their 2015 single . Subsequent albums and singles have since been released by Universal Music Japan. They have performed internationally, including appearances at the SXSW Music Festival in 2014 and 2016.
Their music has been featured in films, television dramas, anime and video games. "Nawe, Nawe" was used as the theme song for the Japanese version of The Legend of Tarzan, while "New Wall" was the theme for the 2018 mobile game Tales of The Rays. In 2018, "Mosquito Bite" was used as the theme for the film Bleach, and 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 Godzilla: King of the Monsters. "Senkou" was used as the theme song for the 2021 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, including promotional material and an animated music video released by the band. [Alexandros] songs were also the opening themes for the 2025 anime Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō ("Ash") and Umamusume: Cinderella Gray ("Koeru"), and the 2026 anime Fist of the North Star: Hokuto no Ken ("Hallelujah").
Their original name, [Champagne], was borrowed from the Oasis song "Champagne Supernova", although the band later explained it as representing music that could reach and intoxicate everyone. Kawakami had used the name since childhood and had also given it to a band he formed while living in Syria.ROCKIN' ON JAPAN October 2015 Issue [page needed] The name [Alexandros], inspired by Alexander the Great, was picked by Kawakami while the band was in Texas for the SXSW Music Festival in 2014, which was said to reflect the band's global ambitions.
Common nicknames for the band include and .
History
2001–2010: Formation and early activity
Yoohei Kawakami formed the band [Champagne] in 2001 while attending Aoyama Gakuin University. He initially began musical activities with four fellow students, but they subsequently left after recognizing that Kawakami intended to pursue the band seriously. He then recruited Hiroki Ishikawa, a coworker from his part-time job, as drummer and his university friend Hiroyuki Isobe as bassist. Around 2002, Kawakami and Isobe convinced another student at the university, Hiroshi Nunome, to play lead guitar for the band. Kawakami later recruited his cousin Shuhei Yamaguchi to play rhythm guitar, establishing a five-member lineup. However, in 2004, Yamaguchi left, after which the band performed with support guitarists until Kenichiro Mihara joined as an official member.
During this period, the band independently produced and distributed their earliest recordings. The six-track release appeared in 2004, followed by exist in 2005. The latter included early versions of songs that were subsequently reworked or commercially released, including "Shake Shake Shake", , "Coming Summer" and , which was eventually reworked into "Kill Me If You Can". In 2005, the band also began organizing their own concert series titled "This Summer Festival", shortened to , which became an annual part of their live activities.
In 2006, following a Valentine's Day concert, Nunome left the band. Kawakami assumed rhythm guitar duties, while Mihara moved to lead guitar. Later that summer, Kawakami recruited Masaki Shirai, a former classmate from Sagamihara-Yaei High School, as a support rhythm guitarist. Shirai had previously played bass in his former band, but transitioned to guitar after joining [Champagne]. In 2007, Shirai was made an official member. Mihara left only a few days later, prompting another reorganization in which Kawakami resumed rhythm guitar and Shirai became the band's lead guitarist.
[Champagne] continued to independently release material throughout the late 2000s, including and other demo CDs in 2007, Untitled in 2008 and Provocation to Noble Artists in 2009. Many of these songs were later revisited. The 2007 track was reworked into "Oblivion", while all seven tracks from Provocation to Noble Artists were remade and included on the band's first studio album.
After signing to the independent label RX-Records under UK Project, the band made their official debut on January 20, 2010 with the release of Where's My Potato?. The album's release was followed by a live house tour and appearances at festivals including Rock in Japan Festival and Summer Sonic. Ishikawa left the band on March 1, 2010 during the album's release tour. Satoyasu Shomura initially joined as a support drummer to complete the tour and later became an official member on April 1.
2010–2013: Independent albums and growing recognition Following the release of Where's My Potato?, [Champagne] issued their first commercially released singles, "City" and "You're So Sweet & I Love You" in July and November 2010 respectively. Their second studio album, I Wanna Go to Hawaii., followed on February 9, 2011. They supported the album's release through an expanded schedule of live house performances and festival appearances, while also releasing the singles and "Spy" later that year.
The band's third studio album, Schwarzenegger, was released on April 4, 2012. It was followed by the single "Kill Me If You Can". Included in this single was "Busy Dragon Playing", which was used as the opening theme for Tokyo FM's Radio Dragon, and a cover of "Accelerator" by Primal Scream. During this period, [Champagne] began appearing as a supporting act for visiting international rock bands, supporting Kasabian in 2012 and Muse and Primal Scream in 2013.
In January 2013, the band released the double-A side single "Starrrrrrr" / "Namidaga Koboresou", followed by "Forever Young" in April. The music video for "Forever Young" attracted controversy because of its close similarities to the video for Australian band Clubfeet's "Everything You Wanted", particularly its use of the members walking through and interacting with freeze-frame images of themselves. Clubfeet and the video's production company, Oh Yeah Wow, publicly accused the "Forever Young" video of copying their work. [Champagne] and UK Project subsequently apologized, removed the video from YouTube and announced that it would no longer be used. Although UK Project initially accepted responsibility for the video's production, the band members acknowledged that they had appeared in and approved the finished video and stated that it deserved the criticism it had received.
Their fourth studio album, Me No Do Karate., was released on June 26. They also expanded their activities outside Asia during this period, playing a show at The Pipeline in London before appearing at The Great Escape Festival in 2013.
Their next single, "Run Away" / "Oblivion", was released on December 25, 2013. It reached number nine on the Oricon Singles Chart, becoming the band's first single to enter the chart's top ten. 2014–2016: Name change and major-label breakthrough On March 12–13, 2014, [Champagne] performed at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Around this period, the band was preparing to change their name after being informed that the term "champagne" was protected as an appellation of origin and that the Japanese branch of the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC) had requested that they adopt a different name. The band subsequently considered several alternatives. One proposed name was "The Leatherboys", suggested by Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie while drunk after [Champagne] asked him to help choose a new name. The band even produced merchandise bearing the name, but Kawakami later said that he was not satisfied with it.
According to Kawakami, he began looking for another name while in Texas and came across Alexander the Great while searching online. He chose [Alexandros], in part because he liked the appearance and sound of the name.The J-Rock Sessions With [Alexandros]. SBS PopAsia. The band announced the change on March 25, 2014, during their annual "Premium V.I.P. Party", which was in that year held at EX Theater Roppongi. Just a few days later, on March 28, they officially introduced the new name during the encore of their first performance at the Nippon Budokan, and all previous works released under [Champagne] were subsequently reissued under [Alexandros].
The band released the double A-side single "Adventure" / "Droshky!" in June 2014. On November 28, they announced a global partnership with Universal Music Group, ending their period as an exclusively independent-label act while maintaining their association with RX-Records and UK Project.
[Alexandros] made their major label debut on March 17, 2015, with the single "Wataridori" / "Dracula La" released through Universal J. "Wataridori" was used as the theme song for the film Akegarasu and later appeared in several advertising campaigns. It became one of the band's most commercially successful songs, eventually receiving a double-platinum digital certification. Its music video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube on August 7, 2019, and the song later exceeded 300 million cumulative streams on Billboard Japan's charts.
Their fifth studio album and first major label album, ALXD, was released on June 17, 2015. In addition to "Wataridori" and "Dracula La", it included previously released songs such as "Adventure" and "Run Away". The album was supported by a national tour and appearances at large music festivals, including Fuji Rock Festival. The band closed the year with the single "Girl A", which was used as the opening theme for the television drama Siren.
In 2016, they released the singles "New Wall" / "I Want U to Love Me" and "Swan". Both singles were included on their sixth studio album, Exist!, released on November 9. The album incorporated numerous songs written for films, television programs and advertising campaigns. It became the band's first album to reach number one on both the weekly Oricon Albums Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart. The release was followed by the "We Come In Peace Tour" in 2016 and 2017, which included international performances in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
2017–2019: Arena expansion and Sleepless in Brooklyn In February 2017, [Alexandros] released the double A-side single "Snow Sound" / "Imamade Kimiganaitabun Torimodosou". "Snow Sound" was used in JR East's 2016–2017 JR SkiSki advertising campaign, while the second song served as the theme for the film Closest Love To Heaven, in which Kawakami made a cameo appearance. The single followed in November.
On March 14, 2018, they announced the release of their 16th single and revealed a change in the stylization of their band name to the all-uppercase [ALEXANDROS]. The title of the single was later revealed as "Kabuto". Kawakami later explained during his regular radio show that the change was made "just on a whim". The single was released on May 23, followed by "Mosquito Bite" in July, which served as the theme song for the live-action film adaptation of Bleach.
That same year, on August 16, they held their first outdoor one-man live concert, "V.I.P. Party 2018", at Zozo Marine Stadium.