title: X Japan

text: To ensure a continuous outlet for the band's music, Yoshiki founded the independent label Extasy Records in April 1986, and released their second single "Orgasm". Taiji would officially rejoin the band in November of that same year. The songs "Stab Me in the Back" and "No Connexion", for the February 1987 Victor Records sampler "Skull Thrash Zone Volume I", were recorded with Pata (ex:Judy) as a support guitar player. Soon after these recordings Hide (ex:Saver Tiger) joined as a guitarist. After Pata once again provided support, this time at a live show, he officially joined completing the group's first well-known lineup.


title: X Japan

text: In August 1987 they performed at the Rock Monster event at Kyoto Sports Valley and gave out their first home video, "Xclamation". On December 26, 1987, the band participated in an audition held by CBS/Sony which led to a recording contract in August of the following year. In the meantime the band released its first album, "Vanishing Vision" through Extasy Records on April 14, 1988, and toured extensively in support of the record. The album's first press of 10,000 copies sold out in a week, topping the Oricon indies chart and reaching number 19 on the main Oricon Albums Chart, making them the first independent band to appear on the main chart. The Vanishing Tour Vol.2 took the band to 20 locations for 24 shows from June to July, while the Burn Out Tour had 12 performances throughout October. In November, X participated in music magazine "Rockin'f"'s Street Fighting Men concert at Differ Ariake Arena. That year the members also made a brief cameo appearance in the American film "Tokyo Pop", starring Carrie Hamilton and Diamond Yukai.


title: X Japan

text: X's sold out Blue Blood Tour started on March 13, with two of the concerts selling out in advance, including the March 16 show at Shibuya Public Hall, which was later released on home video as "Blue Blood Tour Bakuhatsu Sunzen Gig". The album "Blue Blood" was released on April 21, 1989, and debuted at number six on the Oricon chart. The single "Kurenai" reached number five and the band went on the Rose & Blood Tour, which was temporarily suspended when Yoshiki collapsed after a November 22 concert. This success earned the band the "Grand Prix New Artist of the Year" award at the 4th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1990. On November 24, 1990, X flew to Los Angeles to begin recording their follow-up album, "Jealousy". When members arrived back in Japan in June, 500 members of the Japan Self-Defence Forces were at the airport to control the crowd. The album was released on July 1, 1991, and debuted at number one, selling over 600,000 copies. It was later certified million by the RIAJ. In August the band performed their first concert at Japan's largest indoor concert venue, the Tokyo Dome. Footage from most of the band's shows in that stadium would later be released on CD and home video. The show was part of the Violence in Jealousy Tour, which lasted to the end of the year and once again saw Yoshiki collapse after the October 24 Yokohama Arena gig. December 8 saw the X with Orchestra concert at NHK Hall, where, as the name suggests, the band performed backed by an orchestra.


title: X Japan

text: 1992 began with three sold out concerts at the Tokyo Dome, titled , on January 5–7. On January 31, it was announced that bass player Taiji had left the group. The official reason given for his departure was due to musical differences. However, in his autobiography, Taiji claims he was asked to leave because he confronted Yoshiki due to the substantial income gap between Yoshiki and each of the other members. When asked about Taiji's departure in 2016, Yoshiki said "he crossed the line of our band's rules" and "To this day I still don't know if the decision was right or wrong, but we didn't have a choice." On August 24, 1992, the band held a press conference in New York at Rockefeller Center. There, Heath (ex: Media Youth) was announced as their new bass player. Around this time, the band's success in Japan made an international breakthrough appear likely, leading to them leaving Sony for an American record contract with Atlantic Records and the renaming of the band from X to X Japan, in order to distinguish from the American punk group X. (An American album release would never happen.) Their first show with Heath was at the October 1992 Extasy Summit at Osaka-jō Hall.


title: X Japan

text: "Art of Life" was released on August 25, 1993, by Atlantic Records, and consists solely of the 29-minute, heavily orchestrated title track. It debuted at number one, however the band only performed two concerts that year, as each member began solo careers. Aptly titled X Japan Returns, the concerts were held at the Tokyo Dome on December 30 and 31, marking the beginning of a New Year's Eve tradition that would last until the group's disbandment. The solo careers continued into the following year, with X Japan only performing four shows. The first two were the last two days of The Great Music Experience, and the others were December 30–31 at the Tokyo Dome, titled and respectively.


title: X Japan

text: 1995 was also quiet, until November 19 when the band began the tour for their next album, Dahlia Tour 1995–1996. Around this time, the group dropped most of its original visual kei aesthetics in favor of a more casual look. While it wasn't released until November 4, 1996, singles from the album had been released as early as a few months after "Art of Life". Though this caused "Dahlia" to contain relatively little new material, the album reached number one on the charts. The tour was originally scheduled to end on March 31, 1996, however, it was cut short when Yoshiki herniated cervical vertebrae after the March 13 show. They did however perform their tradition of two Tokyo Dome concerts on December 30–31, titled and .


title: X Japan

text: On September 22, 1997, Yoshiki, Hide, Pata and Heath held a press conference where they announced that X Japan would disband. Vocalist Toshi decided to leave the band, claiming that the glamorous, success-oriented life of a rock star failed to satisfy him emotionally, as opposed to a simpler life and career. He stated that he had made the decision back in April 1996, though it was not publicly disclosed. However, around twelve years later, he confirmed what was long-reported in the media; that he was "brainwashed" via violence and abuse and conned out of money, leading to bankruptcy. X Japan performed their farewell show, titled , at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997, making it the last of five consecutive New Year's Eves the group performed at the stadium. Although later that same day they played "Forever Love" at that year's "Kōhaku Uta Gassen", marking their true last performance.


title: X Japan

text: While reissues, compilations and live footage continued to be released, the members of X Japan pursued solo careers and other projects. Hide, who released his first solo album "Hide Your Face" in 1994, continued his solo career with a sound distinctively different from X Japan's music, leaning more towards alternative rock, until his death on May 2, 1998. Just two months later, the debut album "3.2.1." from his American-based band Zilch, which included Ray McVeigh (The Professionals), Paul Raven (Killing Joke) and Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age), was released. His third solo album "Ja, Zoo", formally including his live band Spread Beaver, was released in November 1998 and became his most successful, having reached number one and sold over a million copies. Prior to his death, Hide and Yoshiki talked about restarting X Japan with a new vocalist in the year 2000.


title: X Japan

text: Toshi's solo career, which began in 1992, has been extensive, with him having released over 30 albums and performed numerous acoustic shows for smaller audiences. According to his website, his Utatabi Traveling Concert tour included over 3,000 concerts between 1999 and 2003. After both having released solo albums in the early 90s, Pata and Heath teamed up with Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A., who worked on several of X Japan's releases, to provide a track for the 1998 Hide tribute album "Tribute Spirits". The three would reunite again in 2000 to form Dope HEADz, which released two albums before ceasing activity. Heath then continued his solo career and Pata formed the instrumental rock group Ra:IN, which later added Spread Beaver keyboardist DIE.


title: X Japan

text: Before the band's breakup, Yoshiki had already independently collaborated with Queen drummer Roger Taylor on the single "Foreign Sand" and provided the Japanese contribution to the international Kiss tribute album "", an orchestral arrangement of the song "Black Diamond". A compilation with orchestral treatments of X Japan songs, titled "Eternal Melody" was also released. It was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and among others featured The Beatles producer George Martin as an arranger.


title: X Japan

text: Since 1998 Yoshiki has engaged in numerous activities, such as briefly being a member of the pop band Globe, producing singles for the Korean rock band TRAX and numerous others, as well as working on his solo project Violet UK, which has yet to publish a major release. He has also contributed music to the movie "Catacombs" and produced the soundtrack of "Repo! The Genetic Opera". On May 25, 2007, the formation of the supergroup S.K.I.N. was announced, which besides Yoshiki consists of pop/rock artists Gackt and Miyavi, as well as Luna Sea guitarist Sugizo. The band gave its first and only performance at the Anime Expo convention in Long Beach, California on June 29, 2007.


title: X Japan

text: According to a report by the newspaper "Sponichi", Toshi visited Yoshiki in Los Angeles in November 2006 to work on the song "Without You" as a tribute to Hide. On March 21, 2007, Toshi announced on his website that he and Yoshiki had recently resumed working together, stating that a "new project" would commence soon. Rumors of an X Japan reunion subsequently began, and in June Yoshiki was reported as having expressed interest in a tour (beginning in Los Angeles), "Without You" being released as a single, and that he was in talks with Heath and Pata regarding their participation.


title: X Japan

text: The band made its first public appearance on October 22, 2007, on the rooftop of the shopping center Aqua City in Odaiba, Tokyo, to film a music video for the newly recorded song "I.V.". The song was used as the theme of the American horror movie "Saw IV". It was written by Yoshiki and recorded with all X Japan members of the pre-breakup lineup, as it utilizes previously unreleased guitar tracks by Hide. "I.V." was released through iTunes on January 23, 2008, topping the store's charts on that day.


title: X Japan

text: On January 20, 2008, two Tokyo Dome concert dates were announced for March 28 and March 30. Due to popular demand, they added another concert for the 29th. These three shows were entitled X Japan Resume Attack 2008 I.V. – Towards Destruction, with each individual concert titled Night of Destruction, Night of Madness and Night of Creation, respectively, and featured three guest guitarists filling in for the late Hide – Wes Borland, Richard Fortus and Sugizo. The March 28 concert was aired live on the pay-per-view channel WOWOW. During the song "Art of Life" a hologram of Hide (taken from footage of the "Art of Life" performance at the Tokyo Dome in 1993) played alongside the band. Because of technical difficulties, possibly due to the hologram, the first concert was delayed for over two hours and later came to an abrupt end when drummer Yoshiki collapsed eight songs into the performance. The subsequent shows were without such difficulties and during a press conference, plans for a concert in Paris, France on July 5, 2008, were announced, with an intended audience of 20,000 people. In addition to the Paris date, plans for concerts at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 13, and at the Taipei World Trade Center in Taipei on August 2 were also announced.


title: X Japan

text: The Hide memorial summit took place on May 3 and 4, 2008, at Ajinomoto Stadium, with X Japan performing the second day, as a tribute to the musician who was also a former X guitarist. Numerous other popular acts such as T.M.Revolution, Oblivion Dust and Versailles also performed, with Phantasmagoria and Luna Sea even reuniting for one day. Organizers planned for an estimated 100,000 fans to attend the two shows. On June 8, it was reported that all of X Japan's previously scheduled shows would be postponed until further notice, due to a recurrence of Yoshiki's disc herniation. The Paris and Taipei concerts were rescheduled, Paris for November 22, 2009.


title: X Japan

text: On September 15, 2008, Yoshiki held a press conference in Tokyo, where he announced a new, unnamed X Japan song was in the works. Concerts at Saitama Super Arena on Christmas and New Year's Eve 2008 were also announced. After the conference Yoshiki went on a promotional tour across Asia. On November 7, the French ticketing website Avos announced that the planned ticket sale for the show in Paris would be canceled. Later that day, X Japan released a press statement through their French language website apologizing for the second postponement and announced that the planned Christmas shows would likely suffer a similar fate. On December 31, X Japan performed their New Year's Eve countdown performance at the Akasaka Blitz.


title: X Japan

text: On January 15, 2009, the band arrived in Hong Kong for their January 16 and 17 shows. On May 1, it was announced that Sugizo officially joined X Japan as lead guitarist. Since the band still considers the deceased Hide a member, Sugizo became the sixth member of X Japan. Their first show with him as a full member was held the next day at the Tokyo Dome, where they played "Jade" for the first time. The Taiwan concert that was postponed for a second time in January, was finally held on May 30, 2009.


title: X Japan

text: On January 9, 2010, the band made its first public U.S. appearance by shooting four new music videos in Hollywood. The four videos were for "Rusty Nail", "Endless Rain", "I.V.", and their new song "Jade". In February, Yoshiki confirmed that X Japan would be performing at Lollapalooza in August. Later that month, he announced at a press event that the band would be relocating to Los Angeles, California, with a concert being planned for a "simple" venue in the city area to mark the band's first official North American show. It was also announced that a sixth album was in the works and was expected to be released in the fall.


title: X Japan

text: In March 2010, Yoshiki filed a lawsuit against Nexstar Corporation, for 375 million yen in damages. The band's contract with the company included the use of recordings, the initial deal was for 600 million yen in advance royalties and contract money, which the band claims not to have received. Between 2008 and 2009, the company also sponsored several concerts around Asia and Japan, not having paid performance fees and merchandise sales to X Japan. In all, the total unpaid amount was more than 900 million yen. The lawsuit sought only 375 million yen for the revenue earned from the concerts, with an additional claim of 600 million yen in case the trial proceeded. Yoshiki's side eventually won the lawsuit in 2014, where the Tokyo District Court ordered Nexstar to pay 660 million yen in damages.


title: X Japan

text: On July 1, the band appeared at Club Nokia in Los Angeles where they performed an acoustic setlist, and recorded a music video for the new song, "Born to Be Free". On July 4, the two founding members Toshi and Yoshiki, appeared in Paris at the Japan Expo 2010 where they performed some songs. During the following month, X Japan and Yoshiki were featured in numerous newspapers and websites such as ABC News, the "Los Angeles Times" and the "Chicago Sun-Times". X Japan performed at Lollapalooza 2010 in Grant Park, Chicago on August 8. In the following days, Yoshiki did a Q&A article with the "Phoenix New Times" and was interviewed by ABC News.


title: X Japan

text: On August 14 and 15, 2010, the band performed a two-day show at Nissan Stadium, the largest stadium in Japan. Some media reported an estimated attendance of 140,000 for the two concerts. Ex-bassist Taiji joined them on stage both nights as a guest for the song "X"; he would die the following year. Soon after, formerly deceased guitarist Hide's management company, Headwax Organization, filed a lawsuit against Yoshiki and X Japan's management, Japan Music Agency, for using images of the former member without a formal agreement in place. The claim states that in 2000 the two companies signed an agreement allowing Yoshiki and X Japan to use visual images of Hide during concerts. However, images were used at these Nissan Stadium shows, when apparently the contract already expired.


title: X Japan

text: From September 25 to October 10, X Japan performed their first ever North American tour with dates in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto and New York City. On December 17, Yoshiki announced that a new X Japan song, "Scarlet Love Song", was composed for the animated movie adaptation of the "Buddha" manga.


title: X Japan

text: It was announced on January 27, 2011, that X Japan signed a 3-year agreement with EMI in November 2010. The label will handle the American distribution of their single "Jade", which was to be released on March 15, and their untitled album, which was set for release in late summer. In promotion of the new album, it was also stated they would be touring extensively around the world throughout 2011. X Japan performed on March 6 at Asia Girls Explosion, a fashion event and music concert that Yoshiki created with Jay FR. It was announced they would perform in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru later in the year.


title: X Japan

text: Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan on March 11, the band decided to postpone the release of "Jade" until June 28. Yoshiki also decided to auction off one of his used signature Kawai crystal grand pianos, of which all proceeds were sent to help provide aid to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami.


title: X Japan

text: "Scarlet Love Song" was released in Japan on June 8, and on June 28 their first worldwide single, "Jade", was released, both on iTunes. That same day they performed in London, the first concert of the European leg of their ongoing world tour, which was followed by Paris on July 1, Utrecht on July 2 and Berlin on July 4.


title: X Japan

text: X Japan also performed at the 2011 Summer Sonic festival that was held on August 13 and 14, in Tokyo and Osaka. Their world tour's South American leg took them to; Santiago on September 9, São Paulo on September 11, Buenos Aires on September 14, Lima on September 16 and Mexico City on September 18. The Asian leg of the tour brought stops in Seoul on October 28, Shanghai on October 30, Hong Kong on November 4, Taipei on November 6 and Bangkok on November 8. The Beijing show, originally scheduled for November 2, was cancelled by the promoters on October 25 due to "technical and production issues".


title: X Japan

text: After more than two years of inactivity, X Japan announced the remastered compilation album "" for release on June 17, 2014. Prior to its physical release, a digital version titled "X Japan World Best" became available in 111 countries via iTunes on May 21. They performed at Yokohama Arena on September 30 and October 1, and at Madison Square Garden on October 11. At both concerts, the cover of the song "Beneath The Skin" was played, originally written by Sugizo for S.K.I.N., the group formed by Yoshiki in 2007. They participated in "Music Station Super Live 2014" on New Year's Eve, marking their first television appearance in seventeen years, the last being on "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" in 1997.


title: X Japan

text: In June 2015, Yoshiki announced X Japan's sixth and first studio album in 20 years would be released on March 11, 2016. The band has announced that the sixth album would contain between 13 and 14 tracks, including some short pieces. It was also announced that they were to perform at the Wembley Arena in London on the following day, where "We Are X", a documentary film about the band, would be premiered. The band performed on June 28 at Makuhari Messe as part of the second night of Luna Sea's Lunatic Fest. The first single from the album, "Born to Be Free", was released on November 6, 2015. X Japan's first domestic tour of Japan in 20 years began with three consecutive dates at Yokohama Arena on December 2, continued with Osaka-jō Hall on December 7, Marine Messe Fukuoka on December 9, Hiroshima Green Arena on December 11, and finished on December 14 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall. They also performed on "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" for the first time in 18 years.


title: X Japan

text: On January 15, 2016, Pata was rushed to the intensive care unit of a Tokyo hospital. He was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, which included a severe blood clot, but was in stable condition. On February 3, X Japan announced the postponement of their album release and March 12 concert at the Wembley Arena for a whole year; the concert subsequently taking place on March 4, 2017. In June, Yoshiki stated that Pata was discharged from the hospital in March, but had to go back for surgery in August. Pata announced he was discharged on August 10. X Japan headlined all three nights of the Visual Japan Summit on October 14–16, 2016 at Makuhari Messe. The "We Are X" soundtrack album was released on March 3, 2017. The soundtrack reached No. 4 in its first week in the Oricon Albums Chart, No. 27 in the UK Albums Chart, and No. 1 in the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. On March 3, 2017, an album signing took place at HMV in Oxford Street, London. All the physical copies of the "We Are X" soundtrack available at the signing were sold in the event. According to store staff, this was the first time there was a sell-out of all physical copies at such a signing. A new song, "La Venus" was used as the ending theme song for "We Are X" and was one of 91 songs in contention for nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the 89th Academy Awards. In April 2017, Yoshiki announced that the sixth album's songs were ready and only mixing and mastering remained, and the release was expected "in the next few months". When Yoshiki performed on BBC Radio 4's "Front Row" on October 20, 2017, it was announced the sixth album would be released in Spring 2018.


title: X Japan

text: On May 9, 2017 Yoshiki's management announced that the drummer would undergo urgent surgery on May 16, where an artificial disc would be inserted between his vertebrae. Due to his health conditions, it was reported that concerts would need to be either rescheduled or cancelled. On June 9, X Japan announced at a press conference that the concerts would not be postponed but instead performed as an acoustic tour, with Yoshiki at the piano, as it is uncertain whether he would be able to play the drums in the future. In November it was announced that X Japan will perform at the year-end "Kōhaku Uta Gassen", as part of the White Team. The band performed a medley of "Endless Rain" and "Kurenai", and during the performance Yoshiki played drums again for the first time since his neck surgery.


title: X Japan

text: The January 2018 issue of "Neo" magazine named X Japan the "Best Musical Act" in their annual awards, with "We Are X" named the "Best Asian Movie". In February 2018, the band's performance at Wembley in 2017 was named the "Best Event" at Wembley Arena in the 2017 SSE Live Awards. In March 2018, "We Are X" was named the "Best Music Film" in the Space Shower Music Awards. On April 10 and 11 the band performed at Zepp Divercity in Tokyo for a limited audience, and the concert was broadcast live across Asia in selected theaters. Richard Fortus, Wes Borland, and Miya appeared as guest musicians. All three also joined X Japan for their first performance at the Coachella festival on April 14. At the second weekend of the festival, Marilyn Manson joined the band on stage and performed "Sweet Dreams" with Yoshiki on piano. When interviewed for KLOS's "Jonesy's Jukebox," Yoshiki said the album would be released in either summer or fall 2018.


title: X Japan

text: In July, it was also announced that X Japan would perform at the TV Asahi Dream Festival on September 15. On Christmas Day 2018, X Japan were named 43rd in that year's Oricon Favorite Artists poll. In an interview with JRock News on February 13, 2019, Yoshiki said, "X Japan's album is actually completed. It took over 10 years to record, I'm looking for the perfect timing to release it."


title: X Japan

text: In November 29, 2021, the artist-approved visual-kei music rhythm game "EXTASY VISUAL SHOCK" was announced, with YOSHIKI, PATA, and HEATH as members of X JAPAN.


title: X Japan

text: X Japan's music developed in the wake of American and British glam and heavy metal music, and is characterized by driving speed/power metal compositions with symphonic elements (e.g. "Kurenai", "Silent Jealousy") and emotional ballads (e.g. "Endless Rain", "Forever Love"). Many of the group's songs make use of orchestrated passages, particularly on longer tracks such as the ten and a half minute "Tears", "Crucify My Love", and the twenty-nine-minute "Art of Life". The majority of the band's lyrics are in Japanese, the band's native language, however many instances show the lyrics alternating from Japanese to English and back. Examples of this include the spoken-word background vocals during the bridge of "Rusty Nail", and multiple lines (including the entire pre-chorus) of the song "Week End". The first recorded version of "Kurenai" from "Vanishing Vision" contains lyrics entirely in English.


title: X Japan

text: The majority of the band's catalog of music was written by Yoshiki with relatively little composition from the other members. Hide contributed several songs, including the single "Scars", while Pata's only claim is "White Wind from Mr. Martin ~Pata's Nap~". Toshi's contributions are limited to lyrics for a few songs. Taiji contributed music to a couple of songs, notably "Voiceless Screaming" from the album "Jealousy", for which, when performed live, he played the acoustic guitar, and "Desperate Angel". Heath's only writing credit is the instrumental song "Wriggle" on the 1996 album "Dahlia", which he wrote with Pata. Only one song is credited as a full band collaboration, "Easy Fight Rambling" on the 1989 album "Blue Blood". Of songs from the band's lesser-known former members, only the track "Time Trip Loving" from the single "Orgasm", composed by Jun with Toshi writing the lyrics, was officially released. In 2010 it was reported that Sugizo had written some songs, though no further information has been given since. That year, Yoshiki claimed that their new material was "pretty much the same thing, maybe a little edgier." However, in 2014 he specifically stated it will not be the same as before, adding that it will be very heavy, melodic, and "more contemporary".


title: X Japan

text: Yoshiki's songwriting process begins with writing the score for each song by hand before playing it with the band. His composing style tends to make use of chords in sequences of eights or more with riff-based motifs or call-and-response style phrasing. He has maintained this style for the majority of his career as a composer. Having played classical piano since he was four years old, Yoshiki claims to be as influenced by classical music as he is by rock. While also serving as the main songwriter, Yoshiki has production credit on much of X Japan's later material. During live performances, the band relies on its members (with drummer and pianist Yoshiki and guitarist and violinist Sugizo switching between their instruments) and prerecorded tracks for orchestrated strings, spoken word passages, and more recently, some of Hide's guitar parts.


title: X Japan

text: X Japan's appearance was inspired by glam rock, Kiss, David Bowie, as well as traditional Japanese kabuki theatre, where it was customary for male actors to play female roles and dress like women. Visual kei artists still often employ feminine looks and garbs for their stage. According to Josephine Yun, "like its music, X's look was individualistic. Square-shouldered Toshi donned leather and metal, looking like a character out of the anime "Gundam". Taiji dolled up in perfect, pretty glam. Pata's sleepy, backseat demeanor and whiskey bottle became his trademark, as Hide forever goaded the audience. And Yoshiki was a paradox all his own, bewitchingly effeminate one moment — and a full-force, wrist-breaking (literally) hurricane in concert the next." Will Hodgkinson of "The Times" described X Japan as having, "the grandiosity of Queen, the heavy-metal hysteria of Iron Maiden and the symphonic sophistication of classical music, all tied up with a healthy dose of melodrama."


title: X Japan

text: Their early image was characterized by heavy make-up, dark eyeliner and eyeshadow, face-painting and high-standing hair, which one critic described as "skyscraper hair". Yoshiki's highly androgynous looks, dressed in lace and pearls, were referred to as "decadent". The band also used accessories reminiscent of glam-goth (metal jewelry, crosses). Their stage reflected the band's duality in nature: the forceful, "masculine" heavy metal songs were balanced out by Toshi's high-pitched tenor voice and Yoshiki's soft piano playing, where he would often wear long female dresses, and act effeminate.


title: X Japan

text: By the release of their 1995 studio album "Dahlia", the band toned its stage appearance down, cutting their hair and wearing more rock-inspired outfits. In a 2010 interview, Yoshiki stated that the abandoning of stronger make-up and outrageous outfits was a natural progression in their style, however, they still do use make-up on stage, "sometimes heavy, sometimes less", and that he still considers the band visual kei.


title: X Japan

text: X Japan is considered one of the founders of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam, with the name itself believed to have been derived from their slogan "Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock". In 2011, Yoshiki briefly described their early years and the movement's development, saying "when we started the band, the problem was we didn't belong anywhere. Because we were playing very heavy music, we were wearing tons of make-up and crazy outfits. So we couldn't belong anywhere", "[We did our own thing and] that eventually became visual kei." He added "But visual kei is more like a spirit, it's not a music style or, you know... I think it is a freedom about describing myself, a freedom to express myself, that's what I believe visual kei is." Upon former guitarist Hide's death in 1998, less than a year after the band broke up, "Billboard"'s Steve McClure declared it "the end of an era", explaining "X was the first generation of visual kei bands[...] For the next generation of bands, it's like: "That's it. The torch has been passed to us.""


title: X Japan

text: Many bands and artists, most related to visual kei, count them as an influence or look up to them, including Miyavi, Dir en grey, Syu and Fumiya of Galneryus, The Gazette, D, Sadie vocalist Mao, Tōru Kawauchi from 12012, Maya of LM.C, Flow, Yuuki from Unsraw, DJ Ozma, Kei of Dio – Distraught Overlord, aie from Deadman, Screw's Jin, Mari of Mary's Blood, and DaizyStripper. The members of Versailles named X and Luna Sea as influences, with singer Kamijo saying "I think there isn't anyone in the Japanese music business who hasn't been influenced by them." Likewise, Leda of Galneryus and Deluhi claims he was not even interested in music until a friend played him X Japan and Luna Sea, and also declared X Japan's music his "Bible". Established musicians Dancho (Nogod), Miya (Mucc), Yuu (Merry), Akane (ex-The Scanty) and Daisuke (Jupiter) occasionally perform in a X Japan cover band called X Suginami. American musician Marty Friedman called X Japan the biggest band in visual kei and "by far the most versatile musically," and cited them as the reason he got into Japanese rock music. Kai from Esprit D'Air named X Japan as one of his top ten rock and metal bands from Japan and also covered their song "Kurenai".


title: X Japan

text: In "We Are X", Gene Simmons claims that if the X Japan members were "born in America or England and sang in English, they might be the biggest band in the world." Due to band's various misfortunes with the suicide of band members, Toshi's brainwashing and lack of overseas success, X Japan has been described in "The Times" as: "The world's unluckiest band", in an article published on Friday the 13th October, 2017. When asked in an interview if the band was unlucky, Yoshiki answered: "Kinda? I mean, you know, with so much crazy drama that has happened over the years. But at the same time, we have amazing fans around the world so I can't say 'the world's unluckiest band', but what I can say is 'the world's luckiest band'. Thanks to our fans."


title: X Japan

text: The group was popular among rebellious youths, who were attracted to, as "Asiaweek" put it, "the tone of alienation and frustration for which X was revered." Their music was described by "Asiaweek" as having "an angry sound that rejected the cookie-cutter principles of Japanese society." In 1998, Radio and TV host Bryan Burton-Lewis explained "In Japan, the image that we have of the X audience is rural kids going through a rebellion phase. They put their life into being X fans: they dress like it, they breathe it." In the documentary "Global Metal", Yoshiki stated that the music industry and media hated the band and would not even interview them, "but eventually we sold 20 million albums, so they had no choice".


title: X Japan

text: X Japan has also been named one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent record label. In 1990, they won the "Grand Prix New Artist of the Year" award at the 4th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards. HMV Japan ranked the band number 40 on a 2003 list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts, and in 2010 they came in third in a poll by Oricon on which Japanese bands people want around for future generations. In 2011, Consequence of Sound named X Japan one of their Top 15 Cult Acts. In April 2012, X Japan won the "Revolver" Golden Gods Award for "Best International Artist". They were awarded "Most Devoted Fans" in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards on January 17, 2013, and won the poll again two years later on February 3, 2015. Later that year, they also won the website's Best Live Band Tournament in August, beating out Pearl Jam in the final round. "LA Weekly" ranked X Japan tenth on an October 2014 list of the 10 Best Prog Metal Bands. In March 2017, Loudwire named X Japan the Best Metal Band from Japan writing that "their high-octane power metal and exhilarating live show make them the pinnacle of heavy music in the 'Land of the Rising Sun'."


title: X Japan

text: However, X Japan has also made a mark outside of the music industry. In 1999, at the request of the Japanese government, Yoshiki composed and performed a classical song for Japan's Emperor Akihito at a celebration in honor of the tenth anniversary of his enthronement. Japan's former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is a well-known fan of the band. His political party, the Liberal Democratic Party, even used X Japan's song "Forever Love" in several commercials in 2001. It was also reported that Koizumi was influential in getting the Hide Museum opened in Yokosuka in 2000.


title: X Japan

text: Yoshiki stated he loved "the punkish elements" of the albums Iron Maiden and Killers by Iron Maiden. He also cited Sex Pistols, the Clash, GBH, and Chaos UK as favorite bands.


title: X Japan

text: X Japan performed 7 times on "Kōhaku Uta Gassen", a prestigious year-end television show on NHK network.


title: Deep Silver

text: Deep Silver is an Austrian video game publisher and a division of Plaion. Eugenio Vitale serves as the director of games development for Deep Silver.


title: Deep Silver

text: Deep Silver was announced in November 2002, with their first release to be "Anarchy Online: The Notum Wars". According to Craig McNichol, who ran Koch Media's England branch, the idea behind Deep Silver was to have a business segment that would develop games that would complement the games Koch Media was distributing on behalf of other publishers. McNichol also stated that Deep Silver's name was subject to much internal discussion. Koch Media invested in Deep Silver in July 2003, and in November 2003, all of Koch Media's game publishing operations (excluding distribution) were reallocated to Deep Silver. The division had been continuously active since, primarily in Europe. In April 2008, Koch Media opened Deep Silver, Inc., a subsidiary branch based in Los Angeles, under Deep Silver's name. In August 2007, Games That Matter, a studio founded by former Rockstar Vienna employees in 2006, was acquired by Koch Media and became part of Deep Silver under the name Deep Silver Vienna. Co-founders Niki Laber and Hannes Seifert had left the studio by January 2010, at which point Deep Silver Vienna was shut down. Deep Silver Vienna has only produced one game, "Cursed Mountain", which was developed in association with Sproing Interactive and released in August 2009 for the Wii.


title: Deep Silver

text: Deep Silver first gained widespread attention with their release of "Dead Island" and their acquisition of Volition. "Dead Island" had been their first release to reach the top spot on sales charts in September 2011, and they acquired Volition in January 2013, alongside the rights to the "Metro" series, from the bankruptcy proceedings of THQ. Deep Silver also acquired a minority interest in Berlin-based free-to-play game developer Infernum Productions in December 2012. In February 2013, Deep Silver announced its intentions to expand into the mobile games market.


title: Deep Silver

text: In December 2013, Fishlabs, which had filed for self-administration the previous October, was acquired by Koch Media and became Deep Silver's dedicated mobile game studio. As the agreement was an asset deal, the legal entity of the studio was dissolved and Fishlabs was reorganised as a division, officially known as Deep Silver Fishlabs. In July 2014, Deep Silver acquired the rights to "Homefront" and its in-development sequel, "", from German developer Crytek. Dambuster Studios (officially, Deep Silver Dambuster Studios) was established to continue the development of "The Revolution", succeeding Crytek UK. Later on the same day, Crytek announced that Crytek UK would be closed, and all of its staff transferred to Dambuster Studios. In August 2018, Koch Media acquired the rights to the "TimeSplitters" games, which would be overseen by Deep Silver.


title: Deep Silver

text: In May 2020, Koch Media and THQ Nordic, by this time both part of Embracer Group, exchanged several intellectual property rights: Deep Silver received "Red Faction" and "Painkiller", while handing off "Risen", "Rush for Berlin", "Sacred", "Second Sight", and "".


title: Deep Silver

text: In May 2021, Deep Silver and Koch Media, part of Embracer Group since 2018, announced that Free Radical Design had been re-founded. Work on a new part of the "TimeSplitters" series is to begin before the end of 2021.


title: Deep Silver

text: In January 2013, Deep Silver announced a special edition of their then-upcoming game "", titled "Zombie Bait Edition", which would include a in Europe and Australia. After strong criticism over the item, Deep Silver initially offered an apology, stating that they were "deeply sorry" and promising consumers that something like that would not happen again. However, when the game was released in April that year, the bust was still included, generating further backlash.


title: Deep Silver

text: In January 2019, Deep Silver partnered with Epic Games on a one-year exclusivity deal for the personal computer (PC) version of their upcoming game "Metro Exodus" on Epic's digital distribution storefront, the Epic Games Store. Through this deal, "Metro Exodus" was removed from Steam, another digital distribution storefront, where Deep Silver had been selling pre-orders for the game since August 2018. Additionally, the deal was made and announced less than three weeks prior to game's release, causing criticism and confusion among critics and fans of the "Metro" franchise. Valve, the company behind Steam, labelled the move as unfair to consumers, while fans review-bombed previous entries of the series on Steam.


title: Deep Silver

text: Franchises published by Deep Silver include "Metro" from 4A Games and Volition's "Saints Row", both of which were acquired through THQ's bankruptcy auction in 2013, as well as Techland-created "Dead Island". Other games include "" by Dambuster Studios and "Shenmue III" by Ys Net.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Nashville for a record deal.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of 21 number one singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1988). The band's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum album sales. Alabama disbanded in 2004 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music but reunited in 2010 and have continued to record and tour worldwide.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The band's blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of bluegrass, folk and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and "sets" inspired by rock concerts into their shows. The band has over 41 number one country records on the "Billboard" charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them the most successful band in country music history. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band and wrote that "It's unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama."


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019 and was awarded with the first ever Life Time Achievement Award from this institution.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama was formed by guitarists Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, and bassist Teddy Gentry, three cousins born and raised near Fort Payne, Alabama, an area with strong country music roots. Owen and Gentry grew up on separate cotton farms on Lookout Mountain (a plateau that stretches across northeastern Alabama, through northwest Georgia and into Tennessee), learning guitar together and singing in church before the age of six. Gentry and Owen played in numerous groups during the 1960s, ranging from pop to bluegrass. Cook joined the band in 1969 forming the group Young Country, which first jammed together around Christmas. Cook also played in numerous other bands and was a rock and roll disk jockey. The three cousins all shared vocal duties, with another cousin, drummer Jackie Owen, completing the group's first lineup. The band's first performance was at a high school talent contest (playing a Merle Haggard song), for which they won first prize and tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. Despite this, all were too busy with prior commitments to pursue music: Owen still in high school, Cook working for Western Electric, and Gentry laying carpets full-time. The band grew further inactive when Cook and Owen went to college.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The group became a professional band in 1972, adding drummer Bennett Vartanian and changing their name to Wildcountry. During this time, the group accepted a position playing at the now-defunct Canyon Land theme park near Fort Payne. The park would bring in established stars, such as Jerry Wallace, Bobby Bare, and Narvel Felts, and the band would back them, afterwards performing a one-hour dance set. After a while, with opportunities for the band slow to materialize, a discouraged Cook took a government job in Anniston, Alabama. Owen was studying English at Jacksonville State University, and Cook had an electronics job. The trio shared a $56-a-month apartment in Anniston, and worked to keep the band afloat with night and weekend gigs. The group decided to become professional musicians in 1973, and began performing at bars throughout the Southeast. In March, the band relocated to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, performing six nights a week at a club named The Bowery for tips. They made their best money performing cover songs of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard. The group could not secure a record contract and began to self-finance recordings. The group borrowed $4,000 from a Fort Payne bank to record and release their own albums to sell at shows. Vartanian dropped out of the group, and following a rotation of four more drummers, they settled on Rick Scott in 1974.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The group sent out demo tapes to record companies but received few responses until executives at GRT Records signed the band to a one-record contract, issuing their debut single, "I Wanna Be with You Tonight", in 1977. GRT was more interested in the band as songwriters, and convinced the group to change their name to The Alabama Band, later shortened to just Alabama. The song only reached number 78 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs charts, and GRT declared bankruptcy the following year. Due to a hidden clause in their contract, Alabama was forbidden from recording with another label. For the next two years, the band raised money to buy out their contract and they began recording again in 1979. Following self-recorded efforts "Wildcountry" (1976) and "Deuces Wild" (1977), "Alabama Band No. 3" (1979) became the band's third album, and the band performed over 300 shows on the road that year. The group hired independent radio promoters to receive radio play for the single "I Wanna Come Over", and they sent hand-written letters to program directors and DJs nationwide. It received the attention of Dallas-based MDJ Records, who signed the band. Scott left the group at this time, and was replaced by Mark Herndon, a rock drummer later credited with bringing the band their signature sound. "I Wanna Come Over", became their first radio hit, reaching the top 40 in the "Billboard" country chart.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The group's next single, "My Home's in Alabama", received an even better response, reaching the top 20. Their early chart successes led to an invitation to appear at the "New Faces" show at Nashville's annual Country Radio Seminar, along with other new acts, such as Reba McEntire. The band had to perform with studio musicians, rather than as a band, and left the session believing they had destroyed their chances. Despite this, the group drew interest from several labels, among those RCA Records, with whom they signed in April 1980. Their first single on RCA, "Tennessee River", was produced by Harold Shedd and was their first to hit number one on the "Billboard" country chart, beginning a streak of over 30 number one hits. "Cashbox" named the band the New Vocal Group of the Year, marking the band's first award. In July 1980, the band left their long-time gig at the Bowery, promoting their single which they initially believed to be fluke. The success took the band by surprise and soon became "all but consuming."


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama enjoyed a great deal of creative freedom at RCA; they followed up "Tennessee River" with "Why Lady Why" despite the objections of executives and trade publications, The song became their second number one on the charts. They toured extensively, headlining small clubs and opening for bigger acts in major venues. In addition, the group also received television exposure on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Merv Griffin Show". In February 1981, Alabama released its second major label album, "Feels So Right"; it peaked at number 16 on the "Billboard" 200 and stayed for more than three years, longer than any other Alabama album. "Old Flame" was their next number one in February 1981, followed by "Feels So Right" in May, and "Love in the First Degree" that October. That year, Alabama received a great deal of industry attention: "Billboard" named them New Group for the Year, "Radio & Records" called them Group of the Year, and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) deemed the band the Vocal Group of the Year. The quartet performed on the 1981 Country Music Association Awards, where it received both Instrumental Group of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. Although the band received unprecedented success, Owen's personal life was falling apart: his father died while he was on the road, affecting him greatly.


title: Alabama (band)

text: "Mountain Music", released in February 1982, is considered their final release before a significant upgrade in production and sound. All three of the album's singles reached number one: "Mountain Music" in May 1982, followed two months later by "Take Me Down" that July, and "Close Enough to Perfect" in October. That year, both "Mountain Music" and "Feels So Right" would go quadruple platinum; by late 1982, the band had sold over six million albums, despite just two years on the national circuit. "Christmas in Dixie", a seasonal song released in 1982, charted on two of "Billboard" magazine's music popularity charts in six different calendar years. Alabama became the first group to win CMA's prestigious Entertainer of the Year award, which they collected three years in a row, from 1982 to 1984. The group received a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, for "Mountain Music".


title: Alabama (band)

text: "The Closer You Get...", released in March 1983, was certified platinum within two months, and also won the Grammy for Best Country Performance. Each of the album's singles—"Dixieland Delight", "The Closer You Get", and "Lady Down on Love"—were number ones in both the U.S. and Canada. "Roll On" was Alabama's next LP, and its four singles, "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)", "When We Make Love", "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)", "(There's A) Fire in the Night", all went to the top in both countries. "40-Hour Week" (1985) continued the band's string of multinational successes, with "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" and "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" peaking at number one in both territories, with only the lead single, "There's No Way", falling short in Canada (although it peaked at number two). "40-Hour Week" was one of Alabama's most popular albums, crossing over in the pop album charts. "Alabama Christmas", a collection of nine holiday songs plus "Christmas in Dixie", became Alabama's first release on compact disc that September; it was also the centerpiece of a retail and television promotion (sponsored by the Nashville Network).


title: Alabama (band)

text: RCA issued an Alabama "Greatest Hits" compilation in January 1986, which went over five times platinum, making the band the most successful country act of the 1980s. "The Touch" followed in September 1986, and although considered one of the weakest in the band's catalogue, it did have two number one hits: ""You've Got" the Touch" and "Touch Me When We're Dancing". Their next record, "Just Us", received a similar critical response, but produced two number ones: "Face to Face" and "Fallin' Again". They also contributed their vocals to "Deep River Woman", a single by Lionel Richie, from Richie's third solo album "Dancing on the Ceiling". Released in December 1986, the single peaked at number 10 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles chart and number 71 on the Hot 100.


title: Alabama (band)

text: By the late 1980s, Alabama's sales slowed down considerably, with only their major albums going gold. The group's popularity was mostly eclipsed by more traditional-sounding artists such as Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, George Strait, and Dwight Yoakam. Despite this, they continued to be a popular touring act, and the band issued their first live album, "Alabama Live", in 1988. For 1989's "Southern Star", the band decided to part ways with longtime producer Shedd, instead splitting production duties between Josh Leo and Larry Lee, and the other half with Barry Beckett. "Song of the South" was another number one, and the album's remaining singles—"If I Had You", "High Cotton", and "Southern Star"—were number ones in both the U.S. and Canada. That year, Alabama was named by "Billboard" the Country Artist of the 1980s and the ACA voted the band the Artist of the Decade.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Although their popularity continued to decline during the 1990s, their further studio albums still reached gold and platinum status. The 1990 album "Pass It on Down" featured three number one singles: "Jukebox in My Mind", "Forever's as Far as I'll Go", and "Down Home". According to AllMusic, by the time the band released 1992's "American Pride", "they were among the genre's aging veterans." Richard Carlin of "Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary", suggested that the group's harmonies sounded dated to the new audience. "I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)" became the album's biggest hit, reaching number one; the album's other singles still fared very well, with "Take a Little Trip", "Once Upon a Lifetime", and "Hometown Honeymoon" peaking within the top three. "Cheap Seats" followed in 1993, with "Reckless" becoming Alabama's final number one, although most of the band's singles afterward peaked within the top 10. The band's 1995 album, "In Pictures", represented their 18th gold album, more than the total for any other country act to that point. In 1996, the group remained finalists in the Vocal Group of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. The band released "Dancin' on the Boulevard" in 1997, exploring R&B and beach music. Singles "Sad Lookin' Moon" and "Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard" were top five hits in the U.S. and Canada. The following year, the group released "For the Record", a two-disc greatest hits compilation that contained two new singles — "How Do You Fall in Love" and "Keepin' Up". Both new tracks were hits on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, peaking at number two and 14, respectively.


title: Alabama (band)

text: For their 15th studio release, "Twentieth Century" (1999), the band recorded a cover of "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You" by the boy band NSYNC in 1999, in a move that was considered an attempt to "stay relevant." The single nonetheless hit number one in Canada, number three on the US country charts, and number 29 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "When It All Goes South" (2001) followed in 2001. "If I never did another CD, this is the one I will always point to as the one that I was happy with the most," said Owen at the time of its release. Despite this, the album's singles did not fare well in comparison to past successes, with only the title track becoming a top 15 hit, representing the band's last career peak.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama announced the American Farewell tour in May 2002 at the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs), encompassing 40 tour dates, sponsorships, special events, and a TV special. Owen spoke then on the decision to part ways: "When you get down to it, there are many, many factors involved — some of them very personal. It's really about the integrity of the group, the dignity of the group." Owen later admitted the group was exhausted after 20 years of nonstop touring and recording, and "everybody needed some time." The tour collected $15 million in box office before it even began, and Alabama performed to packed arenas from June to November 2003. Due to "extraordinary fan response and overwhelming ticket demand," the tour was extended for an additional 30 shows, running between February and June 2004. The group performed their "final" show in October 2004 in Bismarck, North Dakota, with Herndon jokingly declaring "I need a job" as the concert closed.


title: Alabama (band)

text: In the ensuing years, Owen stayed active as a solo act, Cook with his Allstar Goodtime Band and Gentry as a producer and with his band Rockit City. Herndon and the other group members had a difficult relationship during the band's career. While he was present in each press photo and a photo of him once hung at Alabama's fan club and museum, Owen contended that he was never an official member of the group. He claimed his inclusion in photos was the label's idea, and that Herndon was a paid employee of the band, rather than a member. In May 2008, the other members of the group sued Herndon for $202,670 in money allegedly overpaid to him three years earlier after the band's farewell tour concluded. This money was factored into the net profit and given to Herndon before accounting was completed, an allegation Herndon has denied. The band did not sue Herndon until he requested money from the multiple live albums and songs that the band had released but never paid Herndon for playing on. Owen stated that RCA desired Herndon in the band so their image could be comparable to the Beatles. Despite their troubles, he stated they had no hard feelings in an interview years later: "I don’t have one thing against him in any way in the world."


title: Alabama (band)

text: Owen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, but he was later given a clean bill of health, which led to the band's reunion, without Herndon. Following a series of tornadoes destroying homes and businesses throughout their state in 2011, Alabama assembled a benefit concert in Birmingham, called Bama Rising. Featuring the band's first set since 2004, alongside Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley, the concert raised $2.1 million. "I guess we realized that maybe we missed the playing ... and five or six years had gone by and we were like, 'Maybe that wasn't as bad as we remember it being,'" said Gentry. In celebration of the group's 40th anniversary, Alabama resumed touring in 2013 for the Back to the Bowery tour, referencing the Myrtle Beach club where they first became professional musicians. They also undertook a short cruise, The Alabama & Friends Festival at Sea, which left for the Bahamas on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Pearl ship. In addition, the band released "Alabama & Friends", a tribute album encompassing covers from newer artists such as Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line, in addition to two new tracks by Alabama.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The band released their first new studio album in 14 years, "Southern Drawl", on September 18, 2015, via BMG Chrysalis. In 2016, Alabama was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on ""Forever Country"", a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again", and "I Will Always Love You" that celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.


title: Alabama (band)

text: In April 2017, guitarist Jeff Cook announced in a video that he would reduce the number of shows for which he would be in attendance while the band was on tour, due to his struggle with Parkinson's. He had been diagnosed four years prior, and this was his first public announcement about his condition.


title: Alabama (band)

text: In August 2021, the band sold its interest in its recorded music rights catalog to Reservoir Media. Cook died from complications of Parkinson's disease on November 7, 2022.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama's music mixes both country, rock, and pop, particularly evident in their musical concept: the band was one of the first country bands to achieve significant airplay. Despite their influences from other genres, the band was most inspired by country music, which is most evident in their "harmonies, songwriting, and approach." Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that the band is "indebted to country, particularly the Bakersfield sound of Merle Haggard, and the sound of Nashville pop." The band echoed its country upbringing in one of its first trade articles: "We're country first and crossover second. If crossovers come, that's great, but we'd rather have a No. 1. country song than be lost in the middle of both country and pop charts," said Owen.


title: Alabama (band)

text: By the mid-1980s, the band increasingly moved toward a general pop-rock sound, "going for splashier productions with a more heavily amplified sound." Alabama's lyrics often centered on their homeland. Their first hit single, "Tennessee River", recounts being "born across the river in the mountains I call home," while "Dixieland Delight" chronicles cruising down a rural Tennessee byway.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama is among the world's best-selling bands of all time, having sold a combined 75 million records worldwide. Alabama's best-selling studio album is "Mountain Music" (1982), while two greatest hits albums — "Greatest Hits" (1986) and "For the Record" (1998) — are among their highest in individual sales, with all three totaling five million in sales. Alabama received multiplatinum success for several albums; albums currently certified quadruple platinum include "Feels So Right", "The Closer You Get...", and "Roll On", while Alabama's double platinum albums include "My Home's in Alabama", "40-Hour Week", "Alabama Christmas" and "Greatest Hits Volume III".


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama is the most awarded band in the history of country music, with over 200 awards from a variety of organizations. In 1981, Alabama won both the Vocal Group of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year honors from the CMAs. It also won the ACM's Vocal Group of the Year award, and "Billboard" New Group of the Year honors. The group won the CMA's prestigious Entertainer of the Year award for three consecutive years (1982–84), and the ACM's Entertainer of the Year award five times (1982–86). In 1989, Alabama was named Artist of the Decade by the ACM. In addition, Alabama has also received the NARM Gift of Music award, the Alabama Hall of Fame Distinguished Service award, the Country Radio Broadcasters Humanitarian Award, the Prince Matchabelli National Hero Award, the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama has been credited with "substantially broadening country's audience while becoming one of the most popular acts in American musical history" by Michael McCall of "The Encyclopedia of Country Music". The band was notable for its three-person lead (as "most other country acts focused on a soloist accompanied by an anonymous band"), their collective hair length and facial hair (which would have been deemed unacceptable just a decade earlier), and their prominent electric bass and drums. They had a slightly edgier sound than other groups, and both played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. Alabama mostly appealed to a younger audience, although their clean-cut image appealed to the more conservative, older country audience as well. Kurt Wolff described the band's appeal: "They're just rebel enough for the young folks, but their parents also dig the boys' pretty harmonies, sentimental soft spots, and old-fashioned family values." Alabama gave prominence to their hometown of Fort Payne, and also raised awareness for environmental issues.


title: Alabama (band)

text: The band's incorporation of rock and roll into their sound was an inspiration for groups such as Restless Heart, Shenandoah, Exile, Diamond Rio, Lonestar, Ricochet, and the Mavericks. According to Irwin Stambler and Grelun Landon, authors of "Country Music: The Encyclopedia", the group's diminishing sales in the late 1980s reflected competition from country bands that would not have received recognition had it not been for Alabama paving the way. For their part, these groups credited Alabama with providing a massive influence on their careers. Prior to Alabama's unprecedented chart success, most country hit singles belonged to solo artists or duets. Many Alabama singles and albums represented crossover appeal on the pop charts.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Despite their successes, Alabama's career was loathed by music critics of the day, citing the "vacuous songs and watered-down, middle-of-the-road arrangements" that blurred lines between country and pop. "The Baltimore Sun" once argued the band "render[s] country music all but indistinguishable from pop" and thus "trivializes some of country's most hallowed traditions." Indeed, reviewers such as Wolff consider the band's "overriding problem" their calculated sound, which leads many contemporary music critics to label the band mediocre.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Beginning in 1982 and continuing until 1997, Alabama sponsored the June Jam, a music festival in Fort Payne, which at its peak drew 60,000 fans and raised millions for local charities. The group also held "Fan Appreciation Days," weekend events that included a golf tournament and a songwriters concert that raised money for charities in Fort Payne. Owen spearheaded "Country Cares for Kids," an annual country radiothon that raised over $70 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.


title: Alabama (band)

text: Alabama amassed over 40 number one hit singles (on a variety of industry charts) and 12 top-10 albums, including ten that peaked at number one on "Billboard"'s Top Country Albums chart. The group had 33 number ones on "Billboard" Hot Country Songs chart, which are as follows:


title: Save Your Tears

text: "Save Your Tears" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his fourth studio album, "After Hours" (2020). The Weeknd wrote and produced the song with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing credits. The record was met with universal acclaim, with praise for The Weeknd's vocals. The song was also used for the theme song for WWE WrestleMania 37 for their tagline: Back In Business.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Globally "Save Your Tears" peaked at number one in 18 countries, while going top 10 in 33 others. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single on August 9, 2020, in Europe and November 24, 2020, in the US. It was the official theme song of WrestleMania 37. A remix of the track by Oneohtrix Point Never was officially released alongside the deluxe edition of its parent album on March 23, 2020. "Save Your Tears" was the best-performing global single of 2021, earning 2.15 billion subscription stream equivalents globally, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).


title: Save Your Tears

text: Initially, the original solo version of "Save Your Tears" peaked at number four on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, before its second remix, a collaboration with American singer Ariana Grande, propelled the song to number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100; it marked both artists' sixth number-one single on the chart and Grande's first number one single that did not debut at number one. This also made "After Hours" the first album since Drake's "Scorpion" in 2018 to have three singles from the same album reach number one. "Save Your Tears" spent two weeks atop the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Save Your Tears

text: On July 12, 2019, a snippet of the track appeared online, leading many to believe that it was set to appear on "After Hours". On March 17, 2020, the music-identifying app Shazam revealed that the record would be the eleventh song on the Weeknd's fourth studio album. Later that day, the Weeknd confirmed the piece's presence as the album's track list was released.


title: Save Your Tears

text: According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Group, the record is written in the key of C Major with an Allegro moderato tempo of 118 beats per minute. The Weeknd's vocal range spans from the low note of G to the high note of A.


title: Save Your Tears

text: "Complex"s Joyce Ng summarized the song: "Its production billows into an array of bright synths and ominous melodies. Lyrically, the Weeknd appears self reflective as he atones for his past. Ultimately, 'Save Your Tears' feels like the narrative arc of what the Weeknd envisioned for his reclusive protagonist all along, now emerging from the darkness but failing to resist temptation".


title: Save Your Tears

text: "Save Your Tears" received universal acclaim. "Billboard" hailed the song as the best track on "After Hours", stating: "Although 'Save Your Tears' is one of the most pop-driven songs on the album, the Weeknd doesn't hold back when it comes to the rather cold nature he usually finds himself adopting when it comes to his lovers. The production remains upbeat and steady the entire time, thanks to work from Max Martin, Oscar Holter, DaHeala, and The Weeknd himself, combining the best of his old content and some newer, more mainstream-driven sounds". Craig Jenkins of "Vulture" raved, "The Weeknd perfects the kitschy '80s genre experiment with 'Save Your Tears', a gutting breakup tune gorgeous and simple enough to stand alongside peak '80s pop like the Cars' 'You Might Think' (and slick enough to swipe a bit of melody from Wham!'s 'Everything She Wants' in the chorus). The piece concocts sound informed by both trap and dance music, encased in dense atmospherics, and heavy on crisp, bright keys". "'Save Your Tears' has both tonal echoes of Depeche Mode's melancholy and a nod to 'Everything She Wants' by Wham!, exhibiting shimmery mid-80s luxuriance", praised "The New York Times" editor Jon Caramanica.


title: Save Your Tears

text: "Slant" columnist Seth Wilson observed, "'Save Your Tears' revels in spite, flaunting how over-it Tesfaye is in front of his ex while teasing the possibility of reconciliation. Tesfaye's distinct brand of R&B consistently draws from other genres, but hearing him embrace a straight-up synth-rock sound here is an exciting change of pace". "He draws on synth-pop nostalgia to mirror the tragic glitz of '80s Hollywood: the plinking synths and slick hand-claps of 'Save Your Tears' evokes a long-lost Wham! track. His bleeding-heart melodies and unforgettable hooks remind us why we keep listening to the '80s first place", exclaimed "Pitchfork" writer Isabella Herrera. Jem Aswad of "Variety" commented, "'Save Your Tears', which could have been an MTV staple in the early '80s, is begging for period-appropriate videos. The record has thwacking electronic percussion and the vocoder hearkening back to Electric Light Orchestra's 'Mr. Blue Sky'".


title: Save Your Tears

text: Mark Richardson from "The Wall Street Journal" asserted that "'Save Your Tears' includes soaring melodies that provide ample opportunity for Mr. Tesfaye to show off his vocal range, being used on television singing competitions. By design, it is big and broad, less specific lyrically and further from the shadowy persona at the heart of the Weeknd—Mr. Tesfaye often seems downright affable here. Mr. Martin and the Weeknd show the influence of 1980s synth pop. The piece sounds like something from a John Hughes soundtrack". Michael Cragg from "Vogue UK" praised the record as "the sort of synth experimentation last heard in 1984 on "The NeverEnding Story" soundtrack". "GQ"s Zak Maoui applauded "Save Your Tears" as one of the Weeknd's "best musical offerings to date". Apple Music applauded the composition, "Few things about 'Save Your Tears' mark it as a breakup song: For one, the production is drenched in bright, '80s-style synths that sound more glamorous than forlorn. Yet the Weeknd manages to imbue the single with a sense of heartbroken remorse, a rare emotion in his arsenal. Many came to love him through his more shadowy offerings, but there's no denying the power he brings to the nostalgic, splashy pop style he exhibits here". IFPI Chief Executive, Frances Moore has stated, "It has been another brilliant year for 'The Weeknd' and 'Save Your Tears' has unquestionably been one of the world's most loved songs."


title: Save Your Tears

text: Following the release of its parent album, "Save Your Tears" debuted at number 41 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, dated April 4, 2020. The record reached number 4, becoming the third top five hit from the album. On June 17, 2021, "Save Your Tears" was awarded a 3x Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling three million units in the United States. On April 24, the song reached number one on the "Billboard" Mainstream Top 40 chart, where it led for four consecutive weeks.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Following the release of the remix with Ariana Grande, the song reached the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100 on the issue dated May 8, 2021. It became the sixth number-one hit of both the Weeknd and Grande (the latter of whom was credited on the track on the chart for the first time, as the remix drew the majority of the title's overall activity in the tracking week). Additionally, it also topped the "Billboard" Digital Song Sales chart, becoming Grande's eighth and the Weeknd's sixth chart-topping single. With eight number one singles each, Grande joined Lady Gaga as a female artist with the fifth-most number one singles on the "Billboard" Digital Song Sales Chart.


title: Save Your Tears

text: The Weeknd also became the first artist since Drake to earn three number one singles from one album following his recent singles from "After Hours", "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights" reaching number one. He also became the first artist to have three number ones from one album in three different years since Janet Jackson's album "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814". Joining Paul McCartney, Grande became just the second act and the first woman to earn three number one duets in "Billboard" Hot 100 history. This was also Grande's third number one duet within a year's span making her the artist with the fastest accumulation of three chart-topping duets. It remained at number one for a second consecutive week, drawing 22.4 million streams, 68.5 million radio airplay and 9,600 downloads on the week ending May 9, 2021.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Following the release of the remix with Grande, the song also peaked at the top spot of the "Billboard" Global 200, becoming the Weeknd's first and Grande's second number one single. It also became the first male-female duet to reach the number one position. Joining BTS, Grande became just the second act and the first woman to earn multiple number one hits on the "Billboard" Global 200 Chart. Joining Drake, Justin Bieber and BTS, Grande also became just the fourth act and the first woman to earn at least four top ten hits on "Billboard" Global 200 survey. Additionally, it reached a new peak of number two on the "Billboard" Global Excl. U.S. chart. On May 15, the song reached number one on Adult Pop Songs chart, where it led for 5 consecutive weeks. "Save Your Tears" has spent 27 weeks in the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Save Your Tears

text: On the "Rolling Stone" Top 100 Songs chart, the song peaked at number 2 following the release of the Ariana Grande remix.


title: Save Your Tears

text: In the singer's native country of Canada, "Save Your Tears" reached number 46 on the Canadian Hot 100 following its parent album's release. After its release as a single, it peaked at number two for five non-consecutive weeks before rising to number one following the release of the Ariana Grande remix on the issue dated May 8, 2021, becoming the sixth number one hit of both the Weeknd and Grande. It became the second chart-topper from the parent album "After Hours", after its biggest hit single "Blinding Lights". Additionally it also topped the Canadian Digital Songs Sales chart.


title: Save Your Tears

text: "Save Your Tears" reached number one in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Israel, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, and Slovenia. It also reached the top 5 in Austria, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland. Additionally, it reached the top 10 in Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, France, Honduras, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Russia, and Uruguay.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Prosthetic Renaissance Makeup-FX Studio designer Mike Marino crafted the signature look resembling plastic surgery. The process commenced as he shaped a general sculpture of the Weeknd's modified visage, then created the prosthetics. Four primary prosthetic components were involved: one for each lip; one for the nose, eyebrows, and forehead; and one for the cheeks and chin. After they were applied to the Weeknd's face, makeup was utilized to make them blend in.


title: Save Your Tears

text: The official music video for "Save Your Tears" was first teased by The Weeknd as being on its way through his social media platforms on January 4, 2021. It was released the following day.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Directed by Cliqua, the video sees the Weeknd wearing a diamond-adorned version of his original red-jacketed outfit. The bruises on his face are no longer present, although his character has apparently undergone a bizarre plastic surgery. He performs in a lavish nightclub occupied by formally attired members wearing glittery, full-face masks that pay homage to scenes from Stanley Kubrick's final film, "Eyes Wide Shut"; his backing band is also wearing masks. He wanders out into the motionless, seated crowd, guzzling one person's champagne and laying his arm on the head of another, until he notices a gorgeously brilliant, maskless woman in the audience (played by Bianca Rojas) and guides her onstage. While they initially are dancing joyfully, the camera soon reveals that the Weeknd is hiding a pistol behind his back. The lights go out and when the lights are turned back on, the Weeknd has placed his gun in one of her hands with him pointing the gun at his own head. The woman realizes this and shrieks. The scene concludes with the Weeknd holding the pistol to his own head. As the song finishes, he pulls the trigger, releasing confetti. The assembly applauds enthusiastically.


title: Save Your Tears

text: The music video received widely positive reviews from critics. "Rolling Stone" journalist Jon Blistein exclaimed, "The Weeknd delivers an exuberant rendition of 'Save Your Tears' to a lifeless, buttoned-up crowd all wearing party masks". "Variety" columnist Jen Aswad stated, "It's a fitting, more than slightly disturbing and suitably bizarre continuation in a series of highly unconventional promotional videos". Editor Starr Bowenbank of "Cosmopolitan" asserted, "The Weeknd continues to deliver high-quality content…and his newest offering, the music video for 'Save Your Tears' is no exception".


title: Save Your Tears

text: The aforementioned prosthetic led to the formation of memes and saw the Weeknd compared to Handsome Squidward.


title: Save Your Tears

text: Hidden symbolism referencing the Grammys and the recent controversial snub that occurred to him at the time of the clip's release, was also notably picked up.


title: Save Your Tears

text: The song's debut live performance occurred during the American Music Awards of 2020 on November 22, 2020, where it was performed alongside the Kenny G remix of "In Your Eyes" in downtown Los Angeles. In his performance, the Weeknd sported a bandaged look that continued the narrative of the visuals that he released for "After Hours".


title: Save Your Tears

text: In August 2020, the song was one of the tracks featured on TikTok's virtual concert: The Weeknd Experience. It served as the AR livestream's closing track.


title: Save Your Tears

text: On February 7, 2021, "Save Your Tears" was performed halfway through Tesfaye's performance at the Super Bowl LV halftime show at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.


title: Save Your Tears

text: On May 11, 2021, the Weeknd performed at the Brit Awards. Decked out in a sailor-style raincoat, the Weeknd crooned "Save Your Tears" in a brightly lit, sparse box as thunder and lightning raged above him. Toward the end of the song, he wandered out of the box to finish singing in the rain.


title: Save Your Tears

text: On May 27, 2021, the Weeknd serenaded the audience with the "Save Your Tears" remix featuring Grande at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The musician was dressed in a sleek black suit against a glittery background. Later, Grande appeared in a silky purple gown. She dazzled alongside the Weeknd before adorning the bridge with her whistle notes. The artists concluded in a dual arranged chorus finale.


title: Save Your Tears

text: The record's official remix was created by OPN and is included in the original deluxe edition of "After Hours" and the remix EP "After Hours (Remixes)". Salvatore Maicki of "The Fader" praised the collaboration: "On the OPN remix of 'Save Your Tears', they meet in the middle, igniting a technicolor spectacle".


title: Save Your Tears

text: The second remix, a collaboration with American singer Ariana Grande, was released on April 22, 2021, with an accompanying animated music video. The song marks the third collaboration between the Weeknd and Grande, after "Love Me Harder" (2014) and "Off the Table" (2020).


title: Save Your Tears

text: The second remix garnered universal acclaim. "Billboard" staff member Katie Atkinson complimented, "Ariana Grande brings her ethereal vocals to the song". "The Weeknd and Ariana Grande's third collaboration will have you smiling all year long", "Billboard" journalist Gab Ginsberg exclaimed. Natalia Barr of "The Wall Street Journal" hailed it as one of the best new pop records, "the two singers have reunited on an updated piece from the Weeknd's new wave-inspired album from last year, "After Hours". Grande adds her sultry vocals to the song's second verse and chorus". "NME" columnist Will Lavin noted, "Grande adds a fresh and husky verse of her own to the remix".


title: Save Your Tears

text: Monica Sisavat from "PopSugar" described the remix as pure perfection, "Let's just say their voices together are just chef's kiss." "The pair's vocals intermingle on the wistful, synth-laden track as they harmonize," "Rolling Stone" editor Althea Legaspi stated. Apple Music celebrated the composition, "'Save Your Tears' is just as dreamy and lush as the 2020 original, but Grande's vocal acrobatics lend it a new dynamic—it's a duet now, two former lovers looking up at the same night sky, talking back and forth at a distance".


title: Save Your Tears

text: The song is featured in the 2021 dance video game "Just Dance 2022". The remix also earned six "Billboard" Music Awards nominations.


title: Joe Dempsie

text: Joseph Maxwell Dempsie (born 22 June 1987) is an English actor, best known for his roles as Chris Miles in the E4 teen comedy-drama "Skins" (2007–2008) and Gendry Baratheon in "Game of Thrones" (2011–2013; 2017–2019).


title: Joe Dempsie

text: Dempsie's earlier acting credits include the medical dramas "Peak Practice" (2000), "Doctors" (20012003), and "Sweet Medicine" (2003), as well as the films "One for the Road" and "Heartlands" (2003). He also appeared in "This is England '86" (2010) and "This is England '90" (2015), "Born and Bred", a BBC documentary-drama about Tony Martin, and as the villainous John in "The Fades" (2011).


title: Joe Dempsie

text: Joseph Maxwell Dempsie was born in Liverpool on 22 June 1987. His Scottish father was a social worker. He grew up in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. He received his acting training from the Central Junior Television Workshop in Nottingham, and was also educated at The West Bridgford School.


title: Joe Dempsie

text: Dempsie has been the voice of the Clearasil advertisements in the UK. In episode 6 of the fourth series of "Doctor Who", "The Doctor's Daughter", that aired on 10 May 2008, Dempsie played the character Cline, a soldier who watches his comrades die. On 18 April 2008, Dempsie appeared on "Friday Night Project" with Geri Halliwell. On 20 July 2008, he appeared at T4 on the Beach in Weston Super Mare alongside fellow "Skins" cast members. He appeared as Duncan McKenzie in 2009's "The Damned United" alongside Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Graham and Timothy Spall. In November 2008, he appeared in The Moment of Truth, episode 10 of the BBC show "Merlin". He plays Will, who is an old friend of Merlin's, from the village in which they grew up together.


title: Joe Dempsie

text: In 2010, he voiced Steven, a gay teenager from Nottinghamshire in the Radio 4 play "Once Upon a Time". He plays the character of Gendry in HBO's series "Game of Thrones" based on George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels. He appeared in the first three, seventh and eighth of its eight seasons. He also appeared in the Channel 4 mini-series "This Is England '86", as well as the follow-ups "This Is England '88" and "This Is England '90". He has also appeared in "Harry & Paul" on BBC Two, appearing as a northerner who was presented as a gift from the character Harry was playing to his daughter. Recently he has appeared in the BBC Three series "The Fades" (episodes 3 to 6), as John.


title: Joe Dempsie

text: In January 2021, it was announced that Dempsie was cast as Nick in the upcoming Netflix thriller series "Pieces of Her", which is adapted from the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name.


title: Joe Dempsie

text: Dempsie resides in London. He is a Nottingham Forest F.C. fan, and once appeared on "Soccer AM" wearing the team's shirt. Being half Scottish, he is also a fan of the Scotland national football team.


title: Baazigar

text: Baazigar () is a 1993 Indian Hindi language action thriller film directed by Abbas–Mustan and produced by Venus Movies. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles, while Raakhee, Shilpa Shetty, Dalip Tahil, Siddharth Ray, and Johnny Lever appear in supporting roles, with the soundtrack composed by Anu Malik. The film is about a young man seeking to avenge the fall of his family. The story is loosely based on Ira Levin's 1953 novel "A Kiss Before Dying" and its 1991 film adaptation of the same name.


title: Baazigar

text: This was Khan's breakthrough role as the sole lead (his first as an anti-hero), along with being his eighth film out of eighty throughout his 30-year career, Kajol's first commercial success and Shetty's film debut.


title: Baazigar

text: "Baazigar" was released on 12 November 1993, coinciding with the festival of Diwali. Made on a budget of 40 million, the film was declared a success at the box office with a worldwide gross of 320 million. Apart from emerging as a major financial success, the film has become a cult film over years due to its suspense, story, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast. It was the first collaboration between Khan and Kajol, who went on to become one of India's most iconic on-screen couples. It helped establish Khan, Kajol, Shetty and Malik in Hindi films, and the soundtrack sold over 10million units, thus becoming the highest-selling album of the year.


title: Baazigar

text: At the 39th Filmfare Awards, "Baazigar" received 10 nominations, including Best Film, Best Supporting Actress and Best Female Debut (both for Shetty), and won 4 awards, including Best Actor (Khan) and Best Music Director (Malik).


title: Baazigar

text: A Telugu remake, "Vetagadu", was released in 1995, before a Tamil remake, "Samrat", was released in 1997 and a Kannada remake, "Nagarahavu", was released in 2002.


title: Baazigar

text: Ajay Sharma is a young boy who grows up to seek revenge for his father's death caused by Madan Chopra, a rich businessman. Chopra has two daughters: Seema and Priya. Ajay begins a secret relationship with Seema. Chopra takes part in his last car race in Madras, only to learn that another participant, Vicky Malhotra, who Ajay assumes the role as, let him win on purpose to meet him. Chopra is impressed with 'Vicky', and Priya falls in love with him. This way, Ajay manages to date both Seema and Priya using different identities.


title: Baazigar

text: Later, Ajay convinces Seema to commit suicide with him, when her father arranges her marriage with someone else. They write and sign suicide notes, but he then lies that he was simply testing her and rips up his note while keeping hers. They make plans to get married at the registrar's office the next day. However, while waiting for the office to open, Ajay takes Seema to the roof of the building and pushes her off, murdering her. He then discreetly mails her suicide note to her house. Chopra hastily orders the case closed to prevent further embarrassment should the suicide note be discovered. Suspecting that her sister didn't commit suicide, Priya secretly continues the investigation with the help of police inspector Karan Saxena, an old friend from college.


title: Baazigar

text: Ravi, a college friend of Seema who had a crush on her, tells Priya that he has a photo of Seema and Ajay together at a birthday party back at his hostel. Before Priya can reach Ravi to see the photo, Ajay finds out about this and murders Ravi. In their struggle, Ajay forces him to sign a suicide note, which makes it appear as though Ravi is Seema's murderer. Thus, the investigation is halted a second time. Meanwhile, Ajay, posing as 'Vicky', slowly wins Chopra's confidence. Chopra decides to get 'Vicky' and Priya engaged.


title: Baazigar

text: It is revealed through a flashback that Chopra had been a project manager in the company run by Ajay's late father Mr. Sharma, but when Sharma discovered that he was embezzling money, he had Chopra imprisoned for three years. After Madan completed his jail term, he asked for forgiveness, and Sharma's wife persuaded her husband to re-employ him. However, unbeknownst to anyone, Chopra had returned to exact revenge. One day, Sharma had to go on a business trip, so he handed the power of attorney to Chopra, who used the opportunity to become the company's owner. Sharma learned of this after returning, but it was too late. His family was ejected from their palatial home after Chopra took a loan on Sharma's name. Ajay witnessed Chopra eve-teasing his mother when she came to ask for their home back, and she subsequently cursed him to tragedy and helplessness later on in life. Heartbroken, Ajay vowed to make Chopra pay.


title: Baazigar

text: Back in the present, Seema's friend Anjali meets Priya and Ajay at a jewellery shop. She also discovers a photo of Seema and Ajay at her birthday party. 'Vicky' and Priya get engaged that evening. Anjali phones the Chopra residence during Ajay's engagement party to warn them that Ajay and 'Vicky' look the same, to which Babulal, head servant of the Chopra household, answers. As Babulal tries to inform Priya about this, Ajay intercepts the phone call, arrives at Anjali's place, and kills her, stuffing her body in a suitcase and throwing it in a river.


title: Baazigar

text: History repeats itself with Chopra handing over the power of attorney to 'Vicky' when he has to go on a business trip. However, a man and his dog find Anjali's body soon after on a beach, and when Priya and Inspector Karan hear about this, they realize that the murderer is still alive. Ajay decides to hasten his plans on realizing that Priya and Karan are hellbent on finding the killer, and that he has fallen in love with Priya. His plans hit a glitch when he and Priya run into the real Vicky Malhotra, Ajay's friend, whose identity he had taken, which makes Priya suspicious. After Chopra returns from his business trip, he is shocked to find that the company is run by the Sharma group. Ajay reveals the truth of his desire to seek revenge and kicks Chopra out.


title: Baazigar

text: Priya learns of Ajay's true identity from his friend, Vicky and rushes to Ajay's home in Panvel. She is shocked to see a marriage locket with photos of him with her sister. Ajay comes home, where she confronts him with his misdeeds. He then tells her his story and also tells her that due to the poverty her father forced his family into, his father died of a heart attack, and his younger sister died of illness. His mother went into a state of shock as a result of the loss of her husband and daughter, and in her mental instability, she is unable to recognize Ajay as her son. Priya realizes that it is her father who is at fault as Ajay introduces her to his mother. Chopra arrives at his home, shoots Ajay in the arm, and has his goons beat him up.


title: Baazigar

text: Soon his mother comes back to her senses, and when trying to intervene, Chopra injures her, angering Ajay. He fights the goons viciously and chases Chopra to the top of a wall at some ruins. He is about to kill Chopra when he is persuaded by police inspector Karan to have mercy for his mother's sake. Chopra takes the opportunity to impale him with a rod and laughs maniacally. Ajay laughs back and hugs Chopra, impaling him fatally with the same rod, and they both fall off the wall. He tells his mother that he has regained everything and collapses in her arms. Priya, Inspector Karan, and his mother watch despondently as Ajay succumbs to his injuries, finally at peace.


title: Baazigar

text: The film's premise is a subversion of a concept loosely inspired by a Hollywood film, "A Kiss Before Dying" (1991), which itself was based on a novel of the same name. While it borrows the basic premise, "Baazigar" tells a different, subversive story. While Matt Dillon's character in "A Kiss Before Dying" is a villain who murders for money, "Baazigar" subverts this, with Shahrukh Khan's character instead being a sympathetic anti-hero seeking vengeance for the brutal injustices done to his family.


title: Baazigar

text: Several A-list Bollywood stars were approached for the lead role, but they turned it down, due to the character being a murderous, negative anti-hero. Anil Kapoor was the first choice to play the leading role. He however turned it down due to unavailability for the dates assigned. Salman Khan was then approached, but he was removed, with his father Salim Khan saying Salman was not ready for such a gamble. Akshay Kumar was the next choice, but he too rejected the offer, as it went against his "heroic" on-screen image. Shahrukh eventually convinced producer Ratan Jain and Ganesh Jain that only he could pull off the role; Jain liked his confidence, and cast him in the role. However, his casting was criticized by trade pundits who incorrectly predicted that "a boy with cute dimples" would never be accepted as an anti-hero. Initially, Sridevi was supposed to play both female roles (as twin sisters) as did Sean Young in the original film, but the director realized that due of her popularity, the audience would not sympathize with the hero, if he kills the character played by Sridevi, hence they decided to cast different actresses.


title: Baazigar

text: The music was composed by Anu Malik and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. The song "Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein" earned singer Kumar Sanu his fourth consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer after "Aashiqui", "Saajan" and "Deewana". Other singers featured in the album are Asha Bhosle, Pankaj Udhas, Alka Yagnik, Vinod Rathod and Sonali Vajpai. Lyrics by Gauhar Kanpuri, Rani Mallik, Zafar Gorakhpuri, Zameer Kazmi, Nawab Arzoo & Dev Kohli. The soundtrack was released by Venus Music. Dr. Alban's song "It's My Life" was also featured.


title: Baazigar

text: A soundtrack was also released in Marathi. The film's soundtrack album sold 10million units, making it the best-selling Bollywood soundtrack album of 1993. The soundtrack "Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein" samples the African hit "Yeke Yeke" and others.


title: Baazigar

text: "Baazigar" was a commercial success and the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 1993, behind another Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, "Darr". "Baazigar"s collections in India were net and gross, equivalent to adjusted for inflation.


title: Baazigar

text: The later American films "Almost Famous" (2000) and "Baywatch" (2017) had strikingly similar posters to "Baazigar". The posters of the two films feature Kate Hudson and Priyanka Chopra, respectively, wearing sunglasses that reflect other cast members, similar to the sunglasses Shah Rukh Khan wears on the poster for "Baazigar".


title: Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

text: The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia in Eastern Europe. The crownland was established in 1772. The lands were annexed from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as part of the First Partition of Poland. In 1804 it became a crownland of the newly proclaimed Austrian Empire. From 1867 it was a crownland within the Cisleithanian or Austrian half of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. It maintained a degree of provincial autonomy. Its status remained unchanged until the dissolution of the monarchy in 1918.


title: Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

text: The domain was initially carved in 1772 from the south-western part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the following period, several territorial changes occurred. In 1795 the Habsburg monarchy participated in the Third Partition of Poland and annexed additional Polish-held territory, that was renamed as "West Galicia". That region was lost in 1809. Some other changes also occurred, by territorial expansion or contraction (1786, 1803, 1809, 1815, 1846, 1849). After 1849, borders of the crownland remained stable until 1918.