# Scandal (スキャンダル) (Japanese band)
**Scandal** (スキャンダル, stylized SCANDAL) is a Japanese all-female rock band formed in August 2006 in Osaka by four high school students who attended the same vocal and dance school: HARUNA (vocals and guitar), MAMI (guitar and vocals), TOMOMI (bass and vocals), and RINA (drums and vocals).[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) After making their major debut in 2008, they became one of Japan's best-known girl bands, were certified by [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) in 2023 as the longest-active rock band (female) with the same members, and announced in August 2026 that they will end their activities on August 21, 2027.[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2475854/) • [3](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 2006, Osaka (Kyobashi), by four high school girls from the same vocal and dance school[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
| Members | HARUNA (Vocal & Guitar, born 1988), MAMI (Guitar & Vocal, born 1990), TOMOMI (Bass & Vocal, born 1990), RINA (Drums & Vocal, born 1991)[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
| Major debut | Single "DOLL", October 2008, on EPIC Records Japan[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [4](https://www.j-enta.com/en/artist/96/SCANDAL) |
| Awards | New Artist Award at the 51st Japan Record Awards (2009)[5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html) |
| Guinness record | Certified on August 21, 2023 as the longest-active rock band (female) with the same members[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2475854/) |
| Own label | Band-run label "her", formed in 2018[5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html) |
| End of activities | Announced August 24, 2026; final date August 21, 2027, with a one-man concert at Yokohama Arena[3](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626) |
## Formation and early years
The four members met at a vocal and dance school in Osaka and formed the band in August 2006 while still in high school.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) They began by performing on weekends in Osaka Castle Park, at the open-air spot known locally as Shiroten, before moving to live houses in the [Kansai region](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansai-region).[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [6](https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/webmagazine/2015/06/scandal.html) Their early repertoire was pop-friendly punk rock, released on indie singles such as "Space Ranger" and "Koi Moyo".[7](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/scandal-mn0002126303/biography)
International attention came before their Japanese major debut. In March 2008 they were invited to the Sakura-Con convention in Seattle and toured six U.S. cities for a combined audience of more than 7,000; in July 2008 they drew 10,000 people at Japan Expo in France, and 8,000 at Anime Comic Fes in Hong Kong the following August.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/)
## Major-label years
**Debut and first awards.** Scandal signed with EPIC Records Japan and released the single "DOLL" in October 2008 as their major debut; the song received power play from more than 40 FM, AM, and CS radio stations in Japan.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [4](https://www.j-enta.com/en/artist/96/SCANDAL) Their third single, "Shoujo S" (2009), reached number 6 on the Oricon weekly chart in its first week, and in 2009 the band won a New Artist Award at the 51st [Japan Record Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/japan-record-awards).[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html) Their first album, *BEST★SCANDAL* (October 2009), entered the Oricon chart at number 5, the first time in about seven and a half years that a girl band's debut album had opened in the top five.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [8](https://www.scandal-4.com/profile/)
**Anime tie-ins and chart records.** Theme songs for anime series built the band a considerable international fanbase.[6](https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/webmagazine/2015/06/scandal.html) The single "Shunkan Sentimental" was used as the fourth ending theme for *Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood* and reached number 7 on Oricon.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) • [5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html) With their fourth major album, *Queens Are Trumps: Kirifuda wa Queen* (2012), Scandal became the first girl band to achieve four consecutive top-5 positions on the Oricon Weekly charts.[5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html) In March 2012 they played [Nippon Budokan](https://www.edgepedia.org/nippon-budokan), five years and seven months after formation, described on their profile page as the fastest such show for a girl band, and in March 2013 they fulfilled the goal they had set at formation by headlining Osaka-Jo Hall, the venue visible from their early outdoor performances in Osaka Castle Park.[8](https://www.scandal-4.com/profile/) • [5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html)
**World touring and independence.** In 2015 the band carried out its largest tour to that point, its first standalone world tour, covering 9 countries in 41 shows; in August 2016 it marked its tenth anniversary with an outdoor concert in Osaka that drew 10,000 people.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) In 2017 the band signed an endorsement agreement with Fender, the first for Japanese female artists, later producing signature models for HARUNA, MAMI, and TOMOMI.[9](https://fendernews.jp/special-interview-scandal-2/) In 2018 Scandal formed its own band-run label, "her", which gave the members the creative and executive freedom to explore their music; its first double-A-side CD single followed the next year.[5](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html)
**Later albums.** The tenth album *MIRROR* (2022) was made during the COVID-19 period, when live performances, the center of the band's activity, were largely unavailable; it incorporated dance music, gospel, and folk elements at slower tempos than earlier work.[10](https://bassmagazine.jp/player/interveiw-scandal202202/) The twelfth album, *ECHO*, was released on May 27, 2026, ahead of the band's twentieth anniversary.[11](https://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Link/A026399.html)
## Guinness World Record and longevity
On August 21, 2023, at a seventeenth-anniversary event at Namba Hatch in Osaka, Scandal was certified by Guinness World Records as the "longest-active rock band (female) with the same members".[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2475854/) Across twenty years the band has had no member changes and no hiatuses, a continuity the members themselves highlighted around their anniversary.[12](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/5288) Japanese commentary has credited the band with inspiring teenage girls to take up instruments.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/)
## Final chapter (2026–2027)
On August 21, 2026, Scandal celebrated its twentieth anniversary with the concert "SCANDAL 20th Anniversary Live 'Chapter 20'" at Osaka-Jo Hall, performing as the same four members who formed the band.[3](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626) Three days later, on August 24, 2026, the band announced on its official site that it would end its activities on August 21, 2027, its twenty-first anniversary, saying the four members had discussed the decision repeatedly before reaching it.[3](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626) • [13](https://smart.asahi.com/v/article/CMBfettp02608242559.php)
The farewell schedule consists of the **SCANDAL FINAL TOUR 2026-2027**, a tour of all 47 Japanese prefectures running from October 22, 2026 to May 1, 2027 in 52 shows, followed by a final one-man concert at Yokohama Arena on August 21, 2027.[14](https://www.scandal-4.com/live-tour/) • [3](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626) It is the second 47-prefecture tour in the band's history, after a similar tour in 2017.[14](https://www.scandal-4.com/live-tour/) • [15](https://www.ccc.co.jp/pdf/news/20170116_ce_SCANDAL.pdf)
## Members
| Member | Role | Born |
|---|---|---|
| HARUNA | Vocal & Guitar | 1988[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
| MAMI | Guitar & Vocal | 1990[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
| TOMOMI | Bass & Vocal | 1990[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
| RINA | Drums & Vocal | 1991[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/) |
## References
1. [SCANDAL profile, Sony Music official site](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/scandal/profile/)
2. [SCANDAL announces end of activities on August 21, 2027, ORICON NEWS](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2475854/)
3. [SCANDAL announcement to fans, SCANDAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB SCANDAL MANIA](https://scandalmania.jp/s/n12/news/detail/1953?ima=2626)
4. [SCANDAL artist page, J-Enta.com](https://www.j-enta.com/en/artist/96/SCANDAL)
5. [SCANDAL interview, JCC E-Magazine, Embassy of Japan in Singapore, August 2025](https://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JCC/E-Magazine-Aug-2025-Interview-1.html)
6. [Interview with Japanese all-girl rock band SCANDAL, Embassy of Japan in the UK](https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/webmagazine/2015/06/scandal.html)
7. [Scandal biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/scandal-mn0002126303/biography)
8. [SCANDAL profile page, scandal-4.com](https://www.scandal-4.com/profile/)
9. [Special Interview: SCANDAL (part 2), FenderNews Japan](https://fendernews.jp/special-interview-scandal-2/)
10. [Interview: TOMOMI (SCANDAL), Bass Magazine](https://bassmagazine.jp/player/interveiw-scandal202202/)
11. [SCANDAL discography and news, Victor Entertainment link page](https://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Link/A026399.html)
12. [SCANDAL interview, Billboard JAPAN](https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/5288)
13. [SCANDAL announces end of activities next August 21, Nikkan Sports via Asahi Shimbun](https://smart.asahi.com/v/article/CMBfettp02608242559.php)
14. [Live/Tour, SCANDAL Official Website](https://www.scandal-4.com/live-tour/)
15. [SCANDAL TOUR 2017 47-prefecture tour press release, Culture Entertainment](https://www.ccc.co.jp/pdf/news/20170116_ce_SCANDAL.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › National, regional, and scene band clusters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license