2013–2014: Early years and Maid in Japan From 2012 to early 2013, Miku Kobato was a member of the
idol group Lil Cumin, alongside Yuki Yano and Risa Aoyagi. The group released three singles, "Imishin Spicin," "Hatsukoi Ribbon," and "Super Trooper". After Lil Cumin disbanded, Kobato pitched her new management an idea: A band, wearing "cute" (
kawaii) costumes modeled on those she had worn working in
maid cafés, playing "cool" (
kakkoii) music. Management agreed that this juxtaposition was interesting and agreed to back the project. Lead guitarist Kanami Tōno was recruited after Kobato saw videos she had posted to YouTube. Tōno then recruited drummer Akane Hirose and Hirose in turn recuited bassist Misa, with whom she had previously performed. On July 24, 2013, they performed for the first time as a quartet, with Kobato singing, at the PP Band Audition held at Otsuka Deepa. The band then decided to recruit an additional lead singer and selected Saiki Atsumi during auditions. They released their debut mini-album
Maid in Japan in January 2014, written in collaboration with musicians Masahiko Fukui and Kentaro Akutsu. In August 2014, they released the maxi-single "Ai to Jōnetsu no Matador" (titled "Love, Passion, Matador" internationally).
2015–2017: International recognition, New Beginning, Brand New Maid, and Just Bring It Band-Maid first gained international notice in April 2015 when the English-language
Facebook page of internet radio station Jrock Radio promoted the music video for "Thrill", which led to over 1 million views in the following year. In November 2015 they released their sophomore mini-album
New Beginning, reaching No. 64 on the Japanese
Oricon weekly albums chart. The band undertook a tour of Tokyo venues to promote the album through February 2016, culminating in a sold-out concert on February 14. In March 2016 they had their first overseas performance at
Sakura-Con in
Seattle, Washington. The group released their third mini-album and major label debut,
Brand New Maid, in May 2016 on the
Nippon Crown sub-label Crown Stones, followed by a
JPU Records release in Europe in July. The album reached No. 19 on the Japanese
Oricon weekly albums chart. In October and November 2016, they went on their first world tour that took them to Mexico, Hong Kong, and several countries in Europe. In January 2017, Band-Maid released their first full-length album titled
Just Bring It. It was preceded by the single "
YOLO", released in November 2016.
Just Bring It reached No. 16 on the Japanese
Oricon weekly albums chart. Band-Maid appeared at the 2017
Golden Melody Awards and festival in Taiwan on June 23–24. The maxi-single "
Daydreaming/Choose Me" was released in July 2017. They covered "
Honey" for the November 2017
Mucc tribute album
Tribute of Mucc -En-.
2018–2019: Overseas tours, World Domination, and Conqueror The band released their second full-length album titled
World Domination in February 2018, reaching No. 9 on the Japanese
Oricon weekly albums chart. On the same day,
Maid in Japan was reissued with two bonus tracks. While the original release of that album had not charted, the reissued version reached No. 26 on the
Oricon weekly albums chart. On April 1, 2018, they performed at
Warped Tour at
Makuhari Messe as the first date of a world tour. The maxi-single "
Start Over" was released in July 2018. in New York City, September 2019 The singles "
Glory" and
Bubble" were released simultaneously in January 2019. "Glory" serves as the second ending theme for the
second season of the Japanese anime series
Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, while "Bubble" serves as the theme song for the Japanese drama series
Perfect Crime. In the same month, the band announced a tour of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Taiwan, and the United States in partnership with
Live Nation Entertainment. Later in 2019, the band signed a new deal with Revolver Records. The band's third full-length album,
Conqueror, was released in December 2019, including an English language song, "The Dragon Cries", produced by
Tony Visconti. It debuted at No. 9 on
Oricon Albums chart, and at No. 1 on
Oricon's Rock Albums chart.
2020–2023: Move to Pony Canyon, Unseen World, and Unleash Band-Maid released their first standalone concert video
Band-Maid World Domination Tour [Shinka] at Line Cube Shibuya in April 2020. In late 2020, the band left Revolver Records and signed with
Pony Canyon. The non-album single "
Different" was released in December 2020; the song also served as the opening theme for the Japanese anime series
Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table. The band's fourth full-length album,
Unseen World, was released in January 2021. It debuted at No. 8 on Japanese
Oricon weekly albums chart and at No. 1 on the
Oricon weekly Rock Albums chart. Band member Miku Kobato, under the stage name Cluppo, released the solo single "Peace & Love" in April and the double single "Peace & Love/Flapping Wings" in August of the same year. In March 2022 the EP
Hatofull was released, followed by a new single, "With You" in July 2022, which served as the ending theme for the Japanese anime series
Smile of the Arsnotoria. In January 2021, guitar brand
Zemaitis released a signature guitar for guitarist Miku Kobato under the name "Flappy Pigeon". Band-Maid made a cameo appearance in the 2021
Netflix film
Kate, playing themselves in a concert scene. Their songs "Blooming" and "Choose Me" were used in the film. The single "
Sense" was released in October 2021; the song also served as the opening theme for the Japanese anime series
Platinum End. In December 2021, they announced a second US tour, including an appearance at
Aftershock Festival, which took place in late 2022. "Choose Me" was used in the US TV series
Peacemaker. Band-Maid released an EP titled
Unleash on September 21, 2022. Band-Maid opened for
Guns N' Roses on their
We're F'N' Back! Tour on November 6. In early January 2023, the band announced a tenth anniversary tour, planned to begin in March in Japan, with U.S. shows in May and August, and culminating with a show at
Yokohama Arena in November 2023. The band appeared as the opening act for
The Last Rockstars on their American tour dates in February 2023. The band also appeared in several rock festivals in the US:
Welcome to Rockville,
Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, and
Pointfest in May 2023, and
Lollapalooza in August 2023. The band released two greatest hits albums in August 2023. In the same month, the band released the single "Shambles", which served as the ending theme for the second season of the Japanese anime series
Kengan Ashura.
2024–present: Epic Narratives and Scooooop On April 17, Band-Maid released "Bestie", a song written with
Mike Einziger of the band
Incubus, and on May 1, Band-Maid was the opener for Incubus' show in Tokyo. On June 12, Band-Maid played a two-man show with Mexican rock band
The Warning, debuting "Show Them", a song co-written with The Warning; a recorded version followed on August 7. In July, Band-Maid released the anime tie-in "Protect You" which served as the ending theme for
Grendizer U. All three songs later appeared on
Epic Narratives, released on September 25, 2024. In November 2024, Tōno released a limited edition signature guitar in collaboration with
PRS Guitars. In the first half of 2025, Band-Maid released three anime tie-in songs. "Zen" served as the opening theme for
Zenshu, "Ready to Rock" was the opening song for ''
Rock Is a Lady's Modesty (for which Hirose, Tōno, Misa, and Atsumi provided motion capture), and "What is Justice?" was an ending theme for Tougen Anki. After touring Japan throughout the year, Band-Maid released their third EP, titled Scooooop'', on October 22, 2025. During their concert at Tokyo Garden Theatre on December 7, 2025, the band announced their upcoming world tour for 2026, including shows in Asia, Europe, and North America. In November 2026, they will play at the
Nippon Budokan arena for the first time. == Image and music==