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1987:
The origin of Mr.Children can be found in 1987, when lead singer Kazutoshi Sakurai was just 17. The other group members Tahara Kenichi and Nakagawa Keisuke had gotten together to form a band and invited Kazutoshi Sakurai to join their group. Realizing they needed a drummer, Kazutoshi and Tahara invited Suzuki Hideya to join the group. At the time Suzuki was auditioning for the drummer role in Yui Asaka's band and was waiting for a response. He told them “Wait until the result comes back, since I have received an audition now." Suzuki didn’t get the part and joined the band. It was during this time the group came up with their new and soon to be temporary name. Originally called THE WALLS, the name was influenced by the band ‘Echoes’ and political activist Tsugi Jinsei. After having the name for not even a year, they decided to change it as they felt their music had become political and dry. While talking at a diner they decided to change their name to Mr.Children. In various interviews on radio and TV, the explanation they gave was that they felt that by calling themselves THE WALLS they were pretending to act like someone they weren't. The group also claimed that by changing their name it help broaden their horizons and also changed their attitude towards the group as a whole. Their one and only attempt to turn THE WALLS into a professional artist was a demo tape titled ‘Ticket’ that was recorded on December 3, 1987 and sent it to various record labels. Their attempt failed and the group received no interests.