Originally classmates since elementary school, VERBAL and ☆Taku Takahashi formed the group in 1998. Shortly after, LISA joined as the vocalist and the three of them officially debuted as "m-flo". The mixture of LISA’s unique vocals, VERBAL’s bilingual flow, and ☆Taku’s exceptional production resonated in the independent music scene, and they gained immediate attention nationally in Japan. Their first maxi-single "the tripod e.p." marked their major debut in July of 1999, which charted 9th on the Oricon charts. They went on to release 12 singles and 2 original albums, and their 2nd album "EXPO EXPO” sold over 800,000 units. LISA departed from the group in 2002 to pursue her solo career, but VERBAL and ☆Taku continued as m-flo. Their subsequent release in 2003, was the “Loves” series; a collection of songs which were collaborations with different artists, which was an unprecedented case in Japan. They held concerts in major venues such as Nippon Budokan and Yokohama Arena, and appeared at festivals such as “ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL” and “SUMMER SONIC”. Garnering dedicated followers and fans by collaborating with 41 different artists, ranging from underground and mainstream, they took the Japanese music scene by storm. In 2017, VERBAL and ☆Taku Takahashi welcomed back LISA to reunite as the original “m-flo”, after 15 years upon her departure. The original m-flo celebrated their 20th debut anniversary in 2018, and are getting ready to release new music as the original “tripod”.