HY /ˌeɪtʃ ˈwaɪ/ is a Japanese rock band formed in 2000 by five high school friends from Okinawa. Their name comes from the initials of their hometown, Higashi Yakena. The band's popularity rose rapidly after a series of street performances; their debut album, Departure, released on 22 September 2001 (Okinawa-only), sold out immediately. In 2003, the band conducted a joint live performance with Linkin Park.
Their second album, Street Story, released on 16 April 2003 topped the Oricon charts, staying at number 1 for four straight weeks (Indies Artist Record). Their third album, Trunk, was released on 12 April 2004, and yet again debuted at number 1 — the first time such a feat has been accomplished by an indies artist.
The band's fourth album, Confidence released on 12 April 2006, created yet another indies music record by debuting at number 1 and retaining the top spot for two consecutive weeks. HY has sold out all of their solo concerts. Their 2006 tour was a 47-location nationwide tour which sold out the day that the tickets became available. The tour gathered over 88,000 people. In December 2006, HY's Kumakara Amae ("from the present to the future") concert held in Nippon Budokan and Osaka-jo Hall sold out immediately and gathered over 20,000 fans in two days. HY entered the international music scene, starting with their first-ever overseas tour, beginning in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and extending to seven major US cities as part of the Japan Nite tour.
Their fifth album, HeartY, was released on 16 April 2008. The album debuted at number 2 and sold over 300,000 units to date.