SCANDAL is a pop group that formed in August 2006, made up of four high school girls from Osaka, Japan. They've branded themselves as "The Most Powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock," and they live up to the hype—the band's energy is infectious, largely because leader and vocalist Ono Haruna shares lead duties with the other three members rather than hogging the spotlight. This setup means everyone gets their moment.

Ono Haruna - Vocals and guitar

Ogawa Tomomi - Vocals and bass

Sasazaki Mami - Vocals and guitar

Suzuki Rina - Vocals and drums

The four started as music-loving friends who decided to write and perform their own material while still in school. After picking up gigs around Osaka and Kyoto, they built serious momentum—over a hundred fans were showing up to their street performances and shows in Tokyo and Shiroten, Osaka. In August 2007, they played a showcase at the prestigious Shibuya Club Asia, which caught the attention of Kitty Records (a Kitty Films subsidiary). They eventually secured a flexible independent deal with Kitty in partnership with Tower Records, and things started moving fast.

Their first indie single dropped on March 3, 2008 (Girl's Day), hitting number two on Tower Record's Indies Weekly Chart before immediately selling out across the country. Demand was so high it got a digital release on both US and Japanese iTunes in April. Two more singles followed that summer, both hitting number one on the chart.

Right after their debut, SCANDAL jumped into touring, hitting the US for "Japan Nite US Tour 2008" and then playing Sakura-Con 2008 in March. Their music started showing up everywhere: "Space Ranger" became the opening for Kyoto Sports Weekly, "Koi Moyou" soundtracked the film Corazon de Melon, and "Shoujo S" became the tenth opening theme for Bleach. They also contributed "Start" to Star Ocean: Second Evolution and appeared on a Judy and Mary tribute album. More recently, they've been tapped to compose the soundtrack for the upcoming Production I.G film Loups=Garous.

Beyond music, they've modeled for major brands—Cecil McBee cosmetics, Nike, and Pocari Sweat, where they promoted the song "BEAUTeen!" as part of a 2009 summer campaign.

One thing that sets SCANDAL apart is their promotional approach. As anime and manga fans themselves, they created animated versions of each member, which pop up on Japanese TV and across their promotional videos online.

By September 2008, their indie success had a problem: limited CD quantities meant constant sellouts. They opened talks with Sony Music Japan and signed to Epic Records, officially crossing over from the indie scene.