Genre-hopping five-piece AAA are always challenging themselves creatively as they combine fine-tuned singing, skillful rapping, and precise choreography with a musical curiosity that sees them jumping between funk-indebted pop and soaring ballads. The mega-successful J-pop group first came together in 2005, assembled from young performers who had previously appeared as backup dancers for marquee Japanese acts such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki or as actors in major TV commercials. Each member of AAA—Shinjiro Atae, Mitsuhiro Hidaka, Takahiro Nishijima, Shuta Sueyoshi, and Misako Uno—can sing, dance, and rap with precision and passion. Living up to their moniker, which asserts their desire to challenge conventions, they attempted as many styles as possible, dabbling in uptempo Eurobeat on “Blood on Fire” and disco on “Friday Party.” With each new single, AAA expanded their already varied sonic repertoire and made the most of their individual gifts. Nishijima and Uno stretched their voices on tender ballads like “Chewing Gum,” while Hidaka flexed his rapping abilities on bouncier numbers such as “Sailing.” Nearly every member of the group branched out into solo work or took on acting projects during the 2010s, but they always came back together to create energetic pop songs that aren’t beholden to any single genre.