ClariS

Band name	Claris
Band type	duo (2 members)
Debut	2009 (active)
Label	SME Records
Official website	http://www.clarismusic.jp/

ClariS

ClariS is a Japanese pop music female duo consisting of junior high school students Clara(ｸﾗﾗ) and Alice (ｱﾘｽ). They started as Nico singers under the name of ｱﾘｽ☆ｸﾗﾗ (Alice☆Clara)

Originally known as “Alice Clara”, ClariS began singing covers of mainly songs featured in anime and songs originally sung by Vocaloids, and submitting them to the Nico Nico Douga video sharing website between October 2009 and June 2010. In September 2010, ClariS was signed to SME Records and released their debut single “Irony” in October 2010, which was used as the opening theme to the anime Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. ClariS released their second single “Connect” in February 2011, which was used as the opening theme to the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Since they are still junior high school students, they will not reveal their identities, and therefore, will be shown as illustrations.

You can find some of their dubbed Vocaloid songs on YouTube.

Members

ClariS consists of two female junior high school students known as Clara and Alice (both pseudonyms, done so to preserve their anonymity for the moment). ClariS is a portmanteau of the singers' names and was picked as an homage to the character Clarisse from the anime film The Castle of Cagliostro.As listed on their website, "ClariS" can also carry the meaning of "clear" and "bright" in Latin (though it is actually spelled "clarus").Both Clara and Alice have been singing since they were in kindergarten, when they started having lessons at the same music school where they met as classmates.Clara can play the piano^.
In order to put a priority on their schoolwork, ClariS have not released photos of themselves to the public and employ illustrators to draw their likenesses.When drawn, Clara is depicted wearing pink items, and Alice is shown wearing blue items. Images of the crescent moon are used as a motif to represent Clara, and the sun is used to represent Alice, which comes from their personal preferences. Clara is shown with slightly wavy hair and no bangs, while Alice is drawn with straight hair with bangs. To further preserve their anonymity, Clara and Alice have not told anyone they know (aside from their families) that they debuted as music artists.Both admit that they are otaku, and have taken an interest in anime and anime music. Clara says that she keeps her otaku interests a secret from others at school, and Alice has called herself a Disney otaku.

History

ClariS formed in late 2009 as "Alice Clara" when, as first-year junior high school students, Clara and Alice submitted a cover of the Vocaloid song "Step to You" onto the Nico Nico Douga video sharing website on October 10, 2009. ClariS released seven more covers in 2009. On April 24, 2010, the publisher Sony Magazines under Sony Music Entertainment Japan launched the anime music magazine Lis Ani! with an attached CD containing the original song "Drop" composed by Kz of Livetune and sung by ClariS.ClariS released five more covers in 2010, ending with the song "Listen!!" from the anime K-On!! as their 13th cover submitted on June 5, 2010. On July 24, 2010, the second issue of Lis Ani! was released with another attached CD containing the original song "Kimi no Yume o Miyō" (君の夢を見よう), again composed by Kz and sung by ClariS. A single containing both songs was released exclusively at Comiket 78 on August 13, 2010.
In September 2010, ClariS was signed to SME Records and released their major debut single "Irony" on October 20, 2010. "Irony" debuted at No. 7 on Oricon's weekly singles chart. "Irony" was composed by Kz, and was used as the opening theme of the anime TV series Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. ClariS released their second single "Connect" (コネクト) on February 2, 2011."Connect" debuted at No. 5 on Oricon's weekly singles chart, and was used as the opening theme of the anime TV series Puella Magi Madoka Magica.ClariS contributed the song "True Blue" on the Zone tribute album Zone Tribute: Kimi ga Kureta Mono (ZONEトリビュート～君がくれたもの～) released on August 10, 2011; "True Blue" is a cover of Zone's 2003 single. ClariS released their third single "Nexus" on September 14, 2011, and it debuted at No. 5 on Oricon's weekly singles chart. "Nexus" was composed by Kz, and is used as the theme song for the ninth volume of the Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai light novels; ClariS make a cameo appearance in the same volume. The song "Don't Cry" on the "Nexus" single is used as the theme song for volume 0.5 of Shueisha's Aoharu magazine.

ClariS Official Website: http://www.clarismusic.jp/index.html
Alice☆Clara Website: http://x82.peps.jp/alicekurara
Alice☆Clara’s Mylist: http://www.nicovideo.jp/mylist/15308474
ClariS at SonyMusic: http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/SMER/claris
LisAni! on ClariS: http://asianbeat.com/ja/feature/issue_music/claris/lisani.html
kz(livetune) on ClariS: http://asianbeat.com/ja/feature/issue_music/claris/kz.html