Japan has a very vibrant entertainment industry. Though Westerners do not care much for it, in Asia, Japanese dramas and songs are pretty famous. Its television shows have many viewers in countries like India, South Korea, Thailand, and China. Japan's anime industry is celebrated all over the globe. J-pop gained a much-needed push when the South Korean band BTS started releasing versions of some of their songs in Japanese. Japan has produced a host of great musicians who, with their contribution, have changed the course of its music. Great music is only as good as its lyrics. Here is a list of ten celebrities born in another country who later came to Japan to accumulate vast fame.
1. Haruomi Hosono
Haruomi Hosono, also known as Harry Hosono, was born on 9 July 1947. Haruomi is mainly known as a lyricist, singer, and musician. He started his journey in music as a member of the band Apryl Fool. He achieved stardom as a founding member of the bands Yellow Magic Orchestra and Happy End. He has also received fame by releasing many solo albums that covered an array of genres. His work heavily influenced the J-pop industry as well as pop music internationally.
2. Yōsui Inoue
Yōsui Inoue was born in Kobukuro, Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan, on 30 August 1948. He is known for his work as a composer, songwriter, singer, record producer, and guitarist. He is considered a renowned figure in the Japanese music industry. He released his debut song "Candre Mandre '' under CBS Sony Records. He achieved fame in rock and folk music because of his album Kōri no Sekai.
3. Masashi Sada
Masashi Sada was born in Nagasaki, Japan, on 10 April 1952. He is known for his work as an actor, film producer, composer, lyricist, singer, and novelist. He and Masami Yoshida created the duo Grape in 1972. The success of their song, "Shourou Nagashi," made them famous in Japan. Grape dissolved later, and then Kikyorai started his career as a solo artist with his first album. He released over 35 solo albums, making him one of Japan's most successful artists.
4. Yumi Matsutoya
She was born on 10 April 1952 in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. Nicknamed Yuming, she is a singer, pianist, composer, and lyricist. Mostly the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs, she is well-known for her incredible voice and live performances. Yumi was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon. Yumi's music recording career has been highly successful, with more than 42 million copies sold.
5. Kazutoshi Sakurai
Kazutoshi Sakurai was born in Tokyo on 8 March 1970. As a solo act, Sakurai and Gaku-MC co-wrote and sang the song "Te Dasuna!" on May 31, 2006, and in Bank Band, he and Salyu teamed up to release the music 'to U.' Kazutoshi was chosen as one of the Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum 2009. As an entrepreneur, Sakurai co-founded AP Bank. He provided 1 million dollars of his funds to launch and fund the not-for-profit bank, which finances environmentally friendly projects.
6. Kan Mikami
He was born in Kodomari, Aomori, Japan, on March 20, 1950. He is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter and actor. His songs were highly influenced by American blues. Mikami's music was popular in the 1970s in Japan. He rewrote the lyrics of the song "Yume Yoru Hiraku '' for his cover, released in 1972. The Public Bath Press of Nara translated his autobiography into English and published it in 2017.
7. Masao Urbino
Masao was born in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan on 22 February, 1951. He is known for his work as a lyricist, scriptwriter, and film director. His debut song was Hoshi Kuzu no Dance Hall, released in 1981. He achieved recognition with the song Akina Nakamori Shōjo A in 1982. Masao has created the lyrics for singers like Hiromi Iwasaki, Jun'ichi Inagaki, and Yukiko Okada.
8. Rei Nakanishi
He was born in Mudanjiang, Manchukuo on 2 September 1938. He was a Japanese novelist and songwriter. Rei's work was prolific, including trending songs like "Kita sahaba" and "Kyou de owakare. " His songs have sold millions of copies, thus making him one of Japan's most renowned lyricists. He later left songwriting to work in opera and write essays and novels.
9. Kanon Fukuda
Fukuda Kanon, also known as Maro Kannagi, was born on March 12, 1995. Fukuda is known as a singer and voice actress. Formerly a member of Hello! Project idol group Angerme and Shugo Chara, Fukuda is currently a part of the group Metamuse. Her renowned albums are Warugaki 1, 2 Smile Sensation, and S/mileage Best Album Kanzenban 1. She declared the name of her new band as "S/mileage" in May 2009.
10. Change
The Change was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan, on 6 January 1958. Change's original name was Shuji Shibata. He is known as a Japanese musician, radio jokey, singer, and songwriter, and as the main vocalist and lyricist-composer of Change and Aska. Shuji released his first song in 1976, and his record label is EMI Music Japan. His genre is J-pop, Pop music, and Folk contemporâneo.
