List of Japanese musicians
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Japanese musicians not listed in more specific Japanese musician articles.
See also List of Japanese rock bands, List of J-Pop artists
- A.B.'s
- Amuro NamieNamie Amurois a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
- Akino Arai
- Bonnie PinkBonnie Pink, known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She lived in New York during 1998 and speaks English . She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano...
- Dir en GreyDir en greyDir En Grey is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2011, they have recorded eight full-length records...
- GacktGacktis a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and author. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer....
- Gō HiromiHiromi Gois a Japanese singer, part of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His real name is .In the 1970s, he was called "New Big Three" with Goro Noguchi and Hideki Saijo. He belonged to Johnny & Associates, but later left the agency...
- Gotō MakiMaki Gotois a Japanese singer, lyricist and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine", topped the Oricon singles charts and sold over a million...
- Hakase TarōTaro Hakaseis a Japanese musician who specialises as a violinist.He is best known internationally for playing the violin on Celine Dion's song "To Love You More" which appears on the US edition of her Let's Talk About Love album...
- Hamasaki AyumiAyumi Hamasakiis a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
- Hisaishi JoeJoe Hisaishi, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
- Hirai KenKen Hiraiis a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and spokesperson.During his career, Hirai has released 32 singles and 11 albums up until October 2010. According to Oricon, his single Hitomi Wo Tojite became the best-selling single...
- Himuro KyōsukeKyosuke Himurois a popular Japanese singer. He was a member of the rock group Boøwy from 1981 to 1988. After the group disbanded he started a successful solo career. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Himuro at number 76 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts...
- Honda MinakoMinako Honda, born Minako Kudo was a Japanese "idol" pop-star and musical singer. She became famous and popular as "Japan's Madonna" because of her sexy fashion and live performances in the mid to late 1980s...
- Hotei TomoyasuTomoyasu Hoteiis a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Hotei at number 70 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.- Life and career :...
- Hyde
- Ifukube AkiraAkira Ifukubewas a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
- Inaba KōshiKoshi Inabais a Japanese vocalist. His real name is . He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics.- Musical career :...
- Kanno YokoYoko Kannois a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...
- Kasahara YuriYuri KasaharaYuri Kasahara is a Japanese opera singer.Kasahara is a graduate of Tokyo's "Star Woman High School of Urawa", with self-education in the Toho Gakuen School of Music, majoring in singing, minoring in piano. During university attendance, she debuted in A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Samita Hall...
- Kōda KumiKumi Koda, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. Having debuted in 2000 with the single "Take Back", Koda gained fame for her seventh single, "Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba", the songs of which were used as themes for the video game...
- Komuro TetsuyaTetsuya Komuro, also known as TK, is a Japanese keyboardist, guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer born on November 27, 1958 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. He is recognized as being the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced dance music to the Japanese mainstream...
- Kondō KōjiKoji Kondois a Japanese video game composer and sound director who has been employed at Nintendo since 1984. He is best known for scoring numerous titles in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.-Early life:...
- Kuraki MaiMai Kurakiis a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer from Funabashi, Chiba. Kuraki debuted in 1999 with the single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow". In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2,210,000 copies in its first week...
- Matsumoto HidetoHide (musician), better known by his stage name hide , was a popular Japanese musician. He was primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the heavy metal band X Japan from 1987 to 1997...
- Matsumoto TakahiroTak Matsumotois a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
- MinmiMinmiis a Japanese hip-hop, soca, and reggae musician, as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca artist from Japan. Since 2007, she has been married to , a member of Japanese reggae group Shōnan no Kaze....
- Misora HibariHibari Misorawas an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...
- MiyaviMiyavi, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese visual kei musician. His work as guitarist for Dué le Quartz and his successful solo career have established him as an accomplished musician in the Japanese music scene.- Early life :...
- Mochida KaoriKaori Mochidais the female lead singer of Japanese pop group Every Little Thing.- Biography :Kaori Mochida was a child actress, appearing in children's magazines and TV spots. Using the stage name of she sang with a girl band called , a group similar to Morning Musume. They changed their name to...
- Natsukawa RimiRimi Natsukawais an Okinawan singer. She is best known for her 2001 single "Nada Sōsō."- Childhood :Natsukawa was born in Ishigaki, the largest city in the Yaeyama Islands chain. From a young age she enjoyed singing, and wanted to be a singer after hearing her father sing Yaeyama folk songs, such as and...
- Ono YōkoYoko Onois a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
- Ōnuki AmiAmi Onukiis a member of the pop group PUFFY.She has co-hosted several Japanese TV shows with the "cool" half of PUFFY, Yumi Yoshimura, including the talk show Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy, part of a morning show called Saku-Saku, and the 2006 series Hi Hi Puffy Bu, in which Ami and Yumi perform one given task each...
- Ōtsuka AiAi Otsukais a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and actress from Suminoe-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo," which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.A piano...
- Ozawa SeijiSeiji Ozawais a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
- Saijō HidekiHideki Saijois a Japanese singer and television celebrity most famous for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song Y.M.C.A., called Young Man. Although the original version was camp, Saijō's version was intended to seriously inspire "young men"....
- Sakamoto KyuKyu Sakamotowas a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...
- Sakamoto RyuichiRyuichi SakamotoAfter working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
- Shiina RingoShiina Ringo, known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, music composer and music producer. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen.She describes herself as ""....
- Shimatani HitomiHitomi Shimatani, is a female pop singer signed to the Avex Trax label.Shimatani started her career as an Enka singer with the release of her debut single in 1999, but later decided to get into the dance/pop style for her music. Shimatani's music has also appeared in video games and also anime series.- Early life...
- Suzuki Hidetaro
- Suzuki Keiichi
- Suzuki MasayukiMasayuki SuzukiMasayuki Suzuki is a Japanese singer best known as a former member of Rats & Star...
- Suwanai AkikoAkiko Suwanaiis a Japanese classical violinist.She was the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In addition, she won second place in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 1989 and is a laureate of the International Japan Competition.She has studied with Toshiya Eto at the...
- Taki RentaroTaki Rentarowas a pianist and one of the best-known composers of Japan.Taki was born in Tokyo, but moved to many places during his childhood owing to his father's job. He graduated from the Tokyo Music School in 1901. One of his famous pieces is Kōjō no Tsuki, which was included in the songbook for junior high...
- Tatsuya IshiiTatsuya Ishii, also known as Tatuya Ishii is a Japanese singer, songwriter, artist, and industrial designer from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.- Biography :...
- Toko YasudaToko YasudaToko Yasuda is a Japanese singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and bass guitarist. She has played in the bands The Lapse and The Van Pelt before their disbandment, and had a brief stint in Blonde Redhead, although she doesn't appear on any Blonde Redhead recordings...
- Tomita IsaoIsao Tomita, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
- Uematsu NobuoNobuo Uematsuis a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
- Utada Hikaru
- Yaida HitomiHitomi Yaidaborn July 28, 1978 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan is a Japanese pop/folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. She often goes by the nickname Yaiko. Her musical style is often called "heart rock" by her fans. Yaida is an established musical artist in Japan and has also had minor club hits in the United...
- Yazawa EikichiEikichi Yazawais an influential Japanese singer-songwriter, and important figure in Japanese popular music.Yoko Yazawa of The Generous is his daughter.-Biography:...
- Yoshiki Hayashi
- Yumi YoshimuraYumi Yoshimurais a member of the Japanese pop duo PUFFY, along with Ami Onuki.She was born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan. In 1995, she learned that there was a talent search underway in Tokyo. She successfully tried out and was paired with Ami Onuki to form the group PUFFY.From 1999 to 2003 she was married to singer...
See also List of Japanese rock bands, List of J-Pop artists