Spin

From left to right: Ai Hirasawa, Chizuko Tominaga, Saeko Yasui, Mizumi Murai (front), and Kotone Adachi

## Background Information

### Genres

Progressive metal - alternative metal - grunge - post-grunge - dream pop - stoner metal - punk (early)

### Associated acts

Girl on Run - Everclear - ReGAL - General Panic - Pearl Jam - BTS - Deftones

## Members

### Members

Mizumi Murai (vocals/guitar), Ai Hirasawa (drums), Saeko Yasui (guitar), Chizuko Tominaga (guitar), Kotone Adachi (bass)

### Past members

Izuki Tarashi (guitar, 1981-1986),Narane Kobe (bass, 1981-1984), Inazuma Tominaga (guitar, 1987-1994), Shinai Sakuragi (bass, 1985-1996)

**Spin** is a Japanese metal band formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Mizumi Murai, drummer Ai Hirasawa, and guitarist Saeko Yasui. All three girls were students of Sapporo City University, a public university in the city centre of Sapporo, Japan. They met at the school's light music club, who's members were graduating and looking for someone to take over.

Grown from the Sapporo underground punk scene in the early 1980s, their debut album, *Spin and Burn*, added progressive and alternative flavors to the punk people were used to. However, the band decided to break away from punk completely with their smash hit sophomore album *They Call Me Baby.* However, during the tour, lead guitarist Izuki Tarashi hung herself in a hotel room in Seoul, Korea. The rest of the band was in turmoil, and no one was sure whether Spin would ever release another album. However, they released an EP, titled *Izuki,* in 1986.

They toured sporadically throughout the late 1980s.

Their revival came back in the 1990s with the alternative metal and grunge scene in Japan, releasing three albums, *Shoot Your Shot* in 1990, *The Rape of Nanking* in 1992, and *Itadakimasu!!* in 1993. All three albums were critically acclaimed, and they toured for 4 years to support all the albums. However, with their next album, *God Can't Take Us Down* (1996), they moved away from their grunge leanings and back towards the progressive metal they originated with.

After the *God Can't Take Us Down* tour, bassist Shinai Sakuragi quit, and was replaced with Kotone Adachi, who has been the bassist for Spin ever since.

Sometime in 1997, Mizumi Murai, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, bought a synthesizer from a music shop in her native Taishan, China. After much argument between the band, they decided to try the synthesizer in one of their songs. This became "Farewell", released on their 1998 EP, *What Good Are You For?*

They released several EPs between 1999 and 2003. These were *River* (1999), *Please Don't* (2001), *Audio/Video (*2002), and *Punch Drunk* (2003).

In 2003, Mizumi Murai was attacked and beaten by concertgoers at a show in Yokohama, Japan. She suffered brain damage, several lacerations, and hemorrhages. She was in a coma for 645 days, from April 27, 2003 to January 28, 2005. For the next few months, she regained skills she had, for instance, how to feed herself, how to walk, and how to sing. After much speculation and thoughts that Mizumi had been killed, the band, with Mizumi, played a New Years Party in Beijing, on December 31, 2005.

They toured throughout the 2000s, releasing their next studio album, *God Couldn't Take Us Down,* in 2008. It received critical acclaim and praise, noting the reference to their 1996 album.

They released *Hiro Ikasabe,* in 2010. It was named after the man who was arrested for masterminding the conspiracy on Japanese right-wing extremist forums, to kill Murai. It recieved less sales than their previous album, but the same praise.

After touring with sister band Girl on Run throughout the 2010s, they released two albums, *Seventeen Roses* (2014), and *You Can't Have It All* (2019).

They released an EP, *Arigatou!!!*, in 2020. It was free to all members of their fan club, meant to commemorate their 40th anniversary.

The band has been accredited with starting "*The Rape of Tokyo"* movement throughout the 1990s, with Chinese bands gaining popularity in Japan. Mizumi Murai was born and raised in China, and a big part of the band's image was imagery of the Second World War. While welcomed with open arms and praised by political leaders in China, they were mostly condemned in Japan by officials. However, they were a fan favorite among the Japanese.

## History

### Early days of the band members (1970s)

Ai Hirasawa and Saeko Yasui were childhood friends. Hirasawa's mother worked part time at the local orphanage, and one day, when Ai was about 6 or 7, her mother brought young Ai to work, and she got to meet some of the orphaned children. One of them was Saeko Yasui. Yasui never knew her mother or father, who abandoned her when she was young.

Meanwhile, Hirasawa, who suffered from bullying due to her heterochromia, was rather friendless. According to Hirasawa herself, she was a "tragic girl" and "hated myself and my family for my eyes". When Yasui was enrolled in the local primary school, she noticed Hirasawa would intentionally never play with other children, preferring to color or pick flowers. Yasui wasn't social either, preferring to observe the other kids. One day, Yasui, who already knew Hirasawa, asked her why she always hid in the corner instead of playing with others. After some prodding, Hirasawa admitted it was due to her different-colored eyes and her shame about it. Yasui decided to accompany Hirasawa, and eventually, they became best friends.

At the same time, in the town of Baisha, a suburb of Taishan City, Mingzhu Muirai (未來明珠, *Weilai Mingzhu)* lived in a trailer home with her mother and father. They were poor, and after facing an eviction from the trailer and subsequent homelessness, Muirai moved to Japan around 1976. At the time, Sapporo was known as the cheapest city in Japan, and they settled into a house. However, Muirai, not knowing how to speak any Japanese and looking very evidently Chinese, was bullied heavily for her ethnicity. She notes in a 1988 interview to *Hubei North:*

> "I wasn't welcome in my town. You haven't heard the half of it. "Meinu Muirai", was their favorite name to call me. It could be read as "unwelcome bitch". *Muirai* was also a way to spell my name, which sounded more like *Weilai* in Chinese. On top of that, having "Chinese slut" and "Nanking baby" being yelled at me, written on my locker and desk, and cut into my gym clothes hurt me. I hated myself for my culture then."
>
>

All three girls: Muirai, Hirasawa, and Yasui, attended Asahigaoka High School. All three described themselves as being "outcasts", when asked about their high school days.

**Yasui:** "High school was... strange. It felt strange watching others have a mom and dad to come home to, and I had headmasters, an orphanage. I didn't like hanging out with others too much."

**Hirasawa:** "I'm so glad high school is done. My life was garbage. I had one friend, maybe two. I couldn't ever bring myself to join a club. I remember people telling me how cool I looked without green contacts in my blue eye, with different colors.. I couldn't hear them. All I heard was those kids, really, telling me I was gross."

**Murai:** "I never graduated high school. I dropped out when I was 17. Living was hard. I was hated for where I came from, and everyone liked insulting me for it. I hung out with Ai and Saeko, and they were the only ones who didn't tease me in high school. We didn't hang out much then, though."