Haylie, Eos, Gay-Yee, and Tania of Bond are not the only women using their beauty and talent to recharge classical music. The Chinese group 12 Girls Band appeared on the Japanese music scene two years ago to huge success. Now that these girls from the Mainland are taking their high-energy show on the road, to America and the rest of Asia, let’s see how these two class acts match up.

　　Bond:

　　Four classically trained women with fashion sense and sex appeal

　　12 Girls Band:

　　12 classically trained women with fashion sense and sex appeal

　　Bond:

　　Average Age: 25

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Average Age: 25

　　Bond:

　　Highly energized take on classical music

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Highly energized take on classical music

　　Bond:

　　Toured the US for the first time in 2001. First found success in Europe

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Toured the US for the first time in August 2004. First found success in Japan

　　Bond:

　　Band members are alumnae of the London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The Royal College of Music, The Sydney Conservatory, and Trinity College.

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Band members are alumnae of the China Academy of Music, the Chinese National Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory of Music.

　　Bond:

　　Influences include jazz, pop, and African beats

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Influences include jazz, pop, and traditional Chinese beats

　　Bond:

　　These girls play the electric violin, viola, and cello.

　　12 Girls Band:

　　These girls play Chinese traditional instruments including the pipa, erhu, dizi, and the Chinese dulcimer.

　　Bond:

　　Four albums, “Born,” “Shine,” “Remixed,” and “Classified.” 3 million copies sold worldwide

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Two albums, “Miracle” and “Eastern Energy.” 2 million copies sold in Japan, over 300,000 copies of their US debut sold in the first week

　　Bond:

　　Became the best-selling string quartet in history

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Marked the highest ranking debut of an Asian artist in the history of the US Billboard Top 200

　　Bond:

　　Met at a party

　　12 Girls Band:

　　Formed by legendary music producer Wang Xiaojing, who is also responsible for Cui Jian and Luo Bing’s rise to success