generasia:Featured article for 2010 week 19

SUPER MONKEYS

The SUPER MONKEYS were a Japanese pop group from Okinawa. They made their debut in 1992 with the single "Koi no Cute Beat / Mister U.S.A." on Toshiba-EMI. Initially their lineup consisted of Makino Anna, Amuro Namie, Ameku Minako, Takushi Nanako, and Aragaki Hisako, all former students of the Okinawa Actors School. Makino left in December 1992, and the remaining girls became known as SUPER MONKEY'S 4.

Soon Amuro began to gain prominence, and beginning with the fourth single the group's name changed again to Amuro Namie with SUPER MONKEYS. After the release of "PARADISE TRAIN", Aragaki left and Miyauchi Reina and Matsuda Rina (both former students of the Okinawa Actors School as well) joined.

The group then began to cover Eurobeat songs, and with the single "TRY ME ~Watashi wo Shinjite~", the group finally had a breakout hit. The next two singles featured Amuro exclusively, with the other four girls — who in May 1995 released their debut single as MAX on avex trax — as backup singers. After "Stop the music" was released that summer, Amuro switched to the avex trax as well and released her first single on that label, "Body Feels EXIT", in October. Her second solo avex single, "Chase the Chance", was released that December and marked the last time that MAX participated as backup for Amuro's songs.

MAX released their 32nd single, "CAT'S EYE", on May 12, 2010. The title track is a cover of ANRI's 1983 song of the same name.