BEGIN

Friends since attending elementary school, the members of BEGIN sang together for the first time at a friend’s wedding. ∙ Their music incorporates the sanshin, a traditional Okinawan instrument similar to the banjo. ∙ Their debut album, 1990’s Ongaku Ryodan, reached No. 7 in Japan. ∙ An Okinawan folk standard, their 1998 duet with Ryoko Moriyama, “Nada Soso,” has been covered by nearly 50 artists, from Hawai’ian singer Keali’i Reichel to Chinese traditional music group Twelve Girls Band. ∙ “Ichariba Ohana” and “Izayol Yoi” can be heard on the opening and closing credits for the Disney-produced anime series Stitch!.