Do As Infinity

In 1999, while working for powerhouse label Avex Trax, guitarist/songwriter Dai Nagao formed J-pop group Do As Infinity with singer Tomiko Van and guitarist Ryo Owatari. ∙ To promote their debut single, “Tangerine Dream,” the trio performed 100 shows outside train stations and at different street locations in Tokyo and other cities. ∙ Their debut album, 2000’s Break of Dawn, rose to No. 3 on the Japanese charts, launching a streak of eight consecutive Top 10 LPs. ∙ In 2001, Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Jay Graydon covered their song “Oasis” in English for the compilation United States of Avex Artists. ∙ Do the Best, their 2002 greatest-hits album, charted at No. 1 and won the 2003 Japanese Gold Disc Award for Rock & Pop Album of the Year. ∙ Before breaking up in 2005, the original trio performed their last concert at the legendary Nippon Budokan arena, captured on the live recording Do As Infinity: Final. ∙ Van and Owatari returned as Do As Infinity in 2009, releasing the Top 10 album Eternal Flame and the hit singles “Infinity 1” and “Infinity 2.”