User:Japaneseblade/sandbox

The stage name "Blade" ブレイド was created for the artist Ken Wallace when being signed direct to the Japanese pop 'domestic' market in 1995. Ken Wallace started his singing career when being discovered by Stock/Aitken & Waterman "Big Fun" Manager Bill Grainger in a nightclub in Glasgow, he was later introduced to music mogul Simon Cowell and 80's popstar Sinitta.

After Ken was introduced to Simon Cowell, Cowell decided to create his own boy band, after loosing out on signing "Take That", they were signed to sister label RCA. Cowell created boyband "Worlds Apart" around Ken as the lead singer. Ken and new manager Garry Wilson from Hyperactive Music Management, auditioned many actors and singers across London and found the remaining boys, throughout the audition period Ken worked with Sinitta on pop video's including "Shame Shame Shame", he also toured with Sinitta as one of her backing dancers around Europe. It was at this stage (due to Sinitta's success in the Japanese market)that she convinced Ken to drop out of Worlds Apart to follow a solo career in the Asian market.

After the demo recording period was finished, an image consultant was brought in to create a demo pop video and to create a 'manga' style image for Ken, these were the creators of Betty Boo's "Betty Boo" debut single/video, a new name was formed to match the 'manga' image: BLADE. This was prior to any of the Blade film's were conceived or released worldwide.

Blade became the first ever International/foreign act to be signed directly as a 'Japanese artist' being released in their own domestic chart - this was unheard of as all international acts were released in an International chart. Blade was signed to White Garden/Kitty Records, which was a sub label within the Polygram Japan Record label.

The debut single "This Time" ヒアトー・ウァー・ダッキー・セメット was released on 25th May 1995. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsREjnjToQ4

The mini album and debut album "Blade1" was relased on 25th October 1995. Blade ブレイド was one of the most played artists on Japanese radio for the whole of 1995, winning the Gold Award for the most played single of that year. In 1996-7 the second album "Hungry Love" was released.

After this release BLADE parted ways with both his agent, Nori Umeda from Brain Music: due to earned finances being withheld and with the label also.

Blade was later signed by Polygram Records Germany and started work on new material, working with Dance Producer legends Sven Kirshner & Alex Trime (from Haddaway fame). Blade toured Europe with "Worlds Apart" who were by this stage one of the biggest boyband's in Europe.