Begin

Begin is a name used by more than one artist. One is BEGIN (ビギン), a Japanese three-man pop group from Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Japan. The group’s music draws heavily on Okinawan folk traditions and makes prominent use of the sanshin, an Okinawan three-string instrument. Its best-known song is often cited as “Nada Sousou”, and at least one song appears on the NHK programme Minna no Uta.

The group consists of Shimabukuro Masaru, Higa Eisho and Uechi Hitoshi. The members are friends from elementary school and also attended the same senior high school. After school they planned to go separate ways, but Eisho later brought them back together and they turned their attention to music. They first perform under the name BEGIN at a friend’s wedding on 5 December 1988.

BEGIN has released 22 singles, 24 albums and 8 DVDs. Another artist uses the same name as an alias: DJ James Holroyd, whose Begin project focuses on downtempo and nu-disco and includes collaborations and support work with The Chemical Brothers. The name is also associated with Brazil as an origin tag.