Genki Rockets

Genki Rockets is a virtual pop group that's become a sensation in Japan with their infectious electronic melodies, stylish music videos, and high-tech public appearances. The full membership of Genki Rockets is unknown (if there is a permanent lineup in the traditional sense), as the group's figurehead is Lumi, a young woman from the future who appears in partially animated form in their videos, and their "live" concert presentations consist of elaborate holographic projection of Lumi and her extra-terrestrial world. It has been reported that the idea men behind Genki Rockets are Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Kenji Tamai, a pair of successful music producers and musicians who write songs for the combo and oversee their recordings. The debut single from Genki Rockets, "Heavenly Star" b/w "Breeze," was released in the summer of 2007; appropriately, it was publicized through its appearance in the video games Lumines II and No More Heroes, and an expanded version of the single was issued that included seven remixes of the A-side. The single was successful enough that Genki Rockets were invited to appear at the 2007 Live Earth benefit concert held in Tokyo, where Lumi introduced a holographic appearance by Al Gore. The debut album from Genki Rockets, Heavenly Star, arrived in the summer of 2008; two songs from the album, "Star Line" and "Smile," were heard prior to its release in high-profile advertising campaigns for Japanese retailers, and the two songs appeared on a single that preceded the album by several weeks.