Chai was formed in 2012 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, by twin sisters Mana and Kana, alongside Yuna and Yuuki.

[5] The three were members of the light music club at their high school, performing covers of musicians such as Tokyo Jihen and Aiko.

[9] The band started releasing singles independently in 2013 and held a tour of central Japan in the summer holidays.

[11][12] In August 2016, the EP was released to streaming services globally, with the song "Gyaranboo" reaching number 36 on Spotify's UK top 50 chart.

[20] Pink was well received by critics, being chosen as one of the 10 finalists at the 2018 CD Shop Awards by record store staff from across Japan.

[21] In February, Pink was given a US release by Burger Records, who signed Chai after being impressed by their music video for "Boyz Seco Men".

[20] In the UK, Chai was signed to Heavenly Recordings and toured the country in October as a support act for Superorganism.

[27] In January 2022, the band signed a contract with Sony Music Japan International,[28] releasing the theme song to the NHK General TV drama Koisenu Futari in the same month.

[6] Japanese band Tokyo Jihen's Variety (2007) was an early influence for their music, inspiring them to make sure that every song on a release is distinct.