Jin Akanishi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese idol
, singer-songwriter
, actor
, seiyū
, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop
group, KAT-TUN
, and was one of the two lead vocalists. Since the group's debut in 2006, it has achieved 14 consecutive number ones (including studio albums) on the Oricon
charts.
Akanishi is also a budding actor with roles in the second season of popular NTV
school drama, Gokusen 2, Anego and Yukan Club
. He was also a co-host of KAT-TUN's own variety show, Cartoon KAT-TUN
, and used to host a radio program called "KAT-TUN Style" with bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi from October 2007 to March 2008.
on July 4, 1984, Akanishi is the oldest child. His family consists of his parents and a younger brother, Reio, who also works in the entertainment industry as an actor under the stage name
, Fuuta. His given name, Jin ("benevolence
"), comes from one of the five Confucian
virtues. He moved to Tokyo
in the first grade. He is the best friend of Tomohisa Yamashita
and the two remain close today. In 1997, when he was still in grade school, a classmate sent in a photo of him to idol magazine, Myojo, and he was featured in the "Cool Classmates" corner of the issue. Akanishi expressed interest in the entertainment industry and his mother thus sent in an application to Johnny's Entertainment on his behalf in 1998. Though he technically failed his audition on November 8, 1998, he was told to stay when he tried to return his number plate to a man who happened to be Johnny Kitagawa
himself. He entered Johnny & Associates
at the same time as future bandmates Kazuya Kamenashi
and Yuichi Nakamaru.
, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda
and Yuichi Nakamaru. Though the group was originally meant to only be backup dancers for Koichi Domoto
of KinKi Kids
, the sextet's unexpected popularity led their agency to allow them to expand into a separate group called KAT-TUN, an acronym formed by the first letter of the members' surnames. Despite the group's popularity (they even released DVDs of their live concerts in 2003 and 2005—a first for JE groups that hadn't debuted), they were not allowed to make their bow until five years later.
and a DVD chronicling the making of their first music video. All three releases were immensely successful on the Oricon charts with "Real Face" and "Real Face Film" certified as the best-selling single and domestic music DVD of 2006 respectively. The group's next single, "Signal
", was also a massive hit debuting at number 1 and selling more than 500,000 copies.
Much to the Japanese public's surprise, Akanishi announced in a press conference on October 13, 2006 that he was leaving the country to study English abroad for an indefinite amount of time. Despite his absence, KAT-TUN were obliged to continue its activities and released their third single and second studio album, "Bokura no Machi de
" and Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
, which both topped the charts. Akanishi finally returned from Los Angeles, the United States
after six months on April 19, 2007. He quickly resumed work by joining his bandmates on their nationwide tour on April 21. All of KAT-TUN's subsequent singles and albums
have since debuted at number 1 and the band has sold more than 6 million records in just over three years.
Akanishi is also a songwriter having written songs for KAT-TUN and for himself, including "Hesitate", "Love or Like" (from Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
), "Lovejuice" (B-side of the limited edition 2 of "Don't U Ever Stop"), "Care" (from Break the Records: By You & For You
) and "Wonder." The song "Wonder" is a collaboration with R&B artist, Crystal Kay
. Akanishi is also featured in the song "Helpless Night" from Crystal Kay's greatest hits album Best of Crystal Kay
, released on September 2, 2009. He can play the guitar and has composed both music and lyrics for "", "ha-ha" and "Pinky". He also collaborated with bandmate Ueda to create the song, "Butterfly" (from Best of KAT-TUN
).
on September 5, 2009, Jin appeared as a special guest to promote his new movie, Bandage, he performed the movie's theme song which marked this as the solo debut under the temporary unit LANDS
with Takeshi Kobayashi, the producer of Mr. Children
. Kobayashi wrote the lyrics and music of their debut single "Bandage
." The song features drummer Nobuaki Kaneko of Rize
. It was released on November 25, 2009; each copy contains a postcard to enter the drawing for tickets to LANDS' special concert, held on January 16, 2010 in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area
.
On November 30, 2009, it was announced that LANDS would release an album, Olympos, on January 13, 2010. It includes "Bandage" and 7 other songs.
," on the 2nd limited edition on February 10, 2010. He composed and arranged the song "A Page." He also co-wrote its lyrics. Announced on March 24, 2010, Akanishi's solo tour "You & Jin" had a 3 show tour in Los Angeles, California on June 19 and June 20. The solo tour tickets were sold out in the first hour when it began to sell on April 15.
In the last show of his You&Jin concert Akanishi announced a tour in the United States. In July 2010, Akanishi announced that he would leave the band KAT-TUN, becoming a solo artist of Johnny & Associates. On 16 September 2010 dates for Akanishi's fall tour were released and the cities included were: Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The tour has been named 'Yellow Gold Tour 3010' after the tour's title song "Yellow Gold" written by Jin Akanishi, Jovette Rivera, and Joey Carbone.
The tour featured was held entirely in English, including 14 English-language songs that are mostly written and produced by the singer himself. On December 9, 2010, it was announced that Jin will be joining the Warner Music family. Warner Music Group and Warner Music Japan will sign Jin on a global basis and we will become responsible for his recording career in both English and Japanese language.
After the Yellow Gold tour 3010 ended with success, Jin returned to Japan. To thank his fans for their support and love, Jin held in total 12 concerts in Osaka-jō Hall
, World Memorial Hall
, Nippon Budokan
and Saitama Super Arena
.
Jin's first solo single titled "Eternal", was released on March 2, 2011 under Warner Music Group Japan. His debut single in the U.S entitled "Test Drive" is a collaboration with singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and produced by J.R Rotem. A DVD of his "Yellow Gold Tour 3011" concert tour was released on May 4, 2011. His first U.S. album will be released sometime in 2012.
. It was announced that Jin Akanishi will be releasing his first U.S. debut single titled "Test Drive" featuring Jason Derulo
. The release will be released on November 8, 2011 at 7AM PST. In addition to his U.S. debut, Akanishi will hold a LIVE U-STREAM to answer questions from his fans.
Documenting his US debut journey, Akanishi released the first episode of his web series, The Takeover, on October 27.
After debuting on November 8, 2011, Jin Akanishi's U.S. debut single "Test Drive featuring Jason Derulo" reached the #1 spot on iTunes
Dance Album Chart, the catchy EP composed of remixes of "Test Drive featuring Jason Derulo" is also climbing the iTunes General Album Chart at a #1 spot. To celebrate his debut, Akanishi also held a LIVE U-Stream and attended a conference at the Beverly Center, Los Angeles.
's Best Friend, Omae no yukichi ga naiteiru and in NHK
series, Haregi, Koko Ichiban. He also started appearing in musicals from 2000 taking on supporting roles in Millennium Shock (2000), Show Geki Shock (2001–2002), Dream Boy (2004) and Dream Boys (2006). Akanishi returned to the small screen in 2005 in the second season of the award-winning and popular NTV school drama, Gokusen
, starring opposite Yukie Nakama
and former bandmate Kazuya Kamenashi
. The show won "Best Drama" at the 44th Television Drama Academy Awards and ended its run with an average viewership rating of 27.8%. He also had a supporting role in NTV's romance series, Anego, the same year.
In 2007, Akanishi starred in his first lead role in Yukan Club, a school comedy series, alongside bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi and was voted "Best Actor" at the 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix. He made his debut as a voice actor in 2008 for the Japanese dub of Speed Racer
, providing the voice for protagonist Speed played by Emile Hirsch
.
In 2009, Akanishi was cast as the lead actor in the movie, Bandage, directed by Takeshi Kobayashi and which was scheduled for release on January 16, 2010. This was his big screen debut.
It has recently been announced that Akanishi will star in the Hollywood film "47 Ronin" which also stars Keanu Reeves
in the lead role. Akanishi will play the role of Chikara Oishi, a friend to Kai who is played by Reeves. The film's director, Carl Erik Rinsch, was apparently impressed by Akanishi's English abilities and motivation.
In this case Akanishi Jin would be the second Johnny's Entertainment artist within the agency after Ninomiya Kazunari in Letters From Iwo Jima
to star in a Hollywood movie and the third overal to work with an American director. Tegoshi Yuya from NEWS
was the second in Memoires of a Teenage Amnesiac but that movie is considered to be a Japanese production directed by Hans Canosa
.
Album
DVD
Japanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, seiyū
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
group, KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
, and was one of the two lead vocalists. Since the group's debut in 2006, it has achieved 14 consecutive number ones (including studio albums) on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts.
Akanishi is also a budding actor with roles in the second season of popular NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
school drama, Gokusen 2, Anego and Yukan Club
Yūkan Club
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yukari Ichijo. It is serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret. Yūkan Club received the 1986 Kodansha Manga Award for the shōjo category. The manga was adapted into an original video animation by Madhouse Studios...
. He was also a co-host of KAT-TUN's own variety show, Cartoon KAT-TUN
Cartoon KAT-TUN
was a Japanese variety show hosted by KAT-TUN, a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The show began airing on April 4, 2007, and ended on March 24, 2010. It aired every Wednesday from 11:55 pm to 12:26 am on NTV for 3 years...
, and used to host a radio program called "KAT-TUN Style" with bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi from October 2007 to March 2008.
Early life
Born in the Chiba PrefectureChiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
on July 4, 1984, Akanishi is the oldest child. His family consists of his parents and a younger brother, Reio, who also works in the entertainment industry as an actor under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Fuuta. His given name, Jin ("benevolence
Benevolence
Benevolence means an act of, or a general inclination towards, charity."Benevolence" may also refer to:* Benevolence , a faculty in the discredited theory of Phrenology* USS Benevolence , a Haven class hospital ship-See also:...
"), comes from one of the five Confucian
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
virtues. He moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in the first grade. He is the best friend of Tomohisa Yamashita
Tomohisa Yamashita
, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
and the two remain close today. In 1997, when he was still in grade school, a classmate sent in a photo of him to idol magazine, Myojo, and he was featured in the "Cool Classmates" corner of the issue. Akanishi expressed interest in the entertainment industry and his mother thus sent in an application to Johnny's Entertainment on his behalf in 1998. Though he technically failed his audition on November 8, 1998, he was told to stay when he tried to return his number plate to a man who happened to be Johnny Kitagawa
Johnny Kitagawa
, born , is the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, Hey! Say! JUMP, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence has...
himself. He entered Johnny & Associates
Johnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
at the same time as future bandmates Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
and Yuichi Nakamaru.
2001–2006: Early career
After he was made a Johnny's Jr. member in 2000, Akanishi was part of a number of groups like Musical Academy Dancing, J2000 and B.A.D. before being drafted into a six-member unit in 2001 with other juniors Kazuya KamenashiKazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda
Tatsuya Ueda
Tatsuya Ueda , born on October 4 1983, is a Japanese singer from the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Born in Kanagawa in Japan, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates in 1998.- Group Participation :* B.B.A.* M.A.D.* B.B.D....
and Yuichi Nakamaru. Though the group was originally meant to only be backup dancers for Koichi Domoto
Koichi Domoto
is a Japanese idol, singer, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, seiyū and actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto , he is a member of KinKi Kids, which is a Japanese duo under the management of Johnny & Associates.- Career :Born in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan, Domoto joined the...
of KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
, the sextet's unexpected popularity led their agency to allow them to expand into a separate group called KAT-TUN, an acronym formed by the first letter of the members' surnames. Despite the group's popularity (they even released DVDs of their live concerts in 2003 and 2005—a first for JE groups that hadn't debuted), they were not allowed to make their bow until five years later.
2006–2009: Debut as a member of KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN's debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a tripartite release of their debut single, debut albumBest of KAT-TUN
"Best of KAT-TUN" is the debut album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on March 22, 2006 by J-One Records. Despite the title, it is not a greatest hits compilation album...
and a DVD chronicling the making of their first music video. All three releases were immensely successful on the Oricon charts with "Real Face" and "Real Face Film" certified as the best-selling single and domestic music DVD of 2006 respectively. The group's next single, "Signal
Signal (KAT-TUN song)
"SIGNAL" is a song written by Ma-saya, Joker, Joey Carbone, Lisa Huang and Akira for the second single and second studio album of the Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN...
", was also a massive hit debuting at number 1 and selling more than 500,000 copies.
Much to the Japanese public's surprise, Akanishi announced in a press conference on October 13, 2006 that he was leaving the country to study English abroad for an indefinite amount of time. Despite his absence, KAT-TUN were obliged to continue its activities and released their third single and second studio album, "Bokura no Machi de
Bokura no Machi de
"Bokura no Machi de" is the third overall single by the Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, and the second from their second studio album, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You...
" and Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You is the second studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on April 18, 2007 by J-One Records. It is the group's first album to not feature all six members with Jin Akanishi taking a sabbatical to study overseas six months prior...
, which both topped the charts. Akanishi finally returned from Los Angeles, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after six months on April 19, 2007. He quickly resumed work by joining his bandmates on their nationwide tour on April 21. All of KAT-TUN's subsequent singles and albums
KAT-TUN discography
-Studio albums:-Singles:-Videos:...
have since debuted at number 1 and the band has sold more than 6 million records in just over three years.
Akanishi is also a songwriter having written songs for KAT-TUN and for himself, including "Hesitate", "Love or Like" (from Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You is the second studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on April 18, 2007 by J-One Records. It is the group's first album to not feature all six members with Jin Akanishi taking a sabbatical to study overseas six months prior...
), "Lovejuice" (B-side of the limited edition 2 of "Don't U Ever Stop"), "Care" (from Break the Records: By You & For You
Break the Records: By You & For You
Break the Records: By You & For You is the fourth studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN and was released in Japan on April 29, 2009 by J-One Records...
) and "Wonder." The song "Wonder" is a collaboration with R&B artist, Crystal Kay
Crystal Kay
Crystal Kay Williams , known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan...
. Akanishi is also featured in the song "Helpless Night" from Crystal Kay's greatest hits album Best of Crystal Kay
Best of Crystal Kay
- Charting and release :"Best of Crystal Kay" entered the Oricon Daily Chart at #2, and sold 26,929 units that day. The album ultimately dropped to #3 on the Weekly Chart, behind Superfly's Box Emotions and the third week sales of Arashi's All the Best! 1999-2009, selling 87,669 copies...
, released on September 2, 2009. He can play the guitar and has composed both music and lyrics for "", "ha-ha" and "Pinky". He also collaborated with bandmate Ueda to create the song, "Butterfly" (from Best of KAT-TUN
Best of KAT-TUN
"Best of KAT-TUN" is the debut album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on March 22, 2006 by J-One Records. Despite the title, it is not a greatest hits compilation album...
).
2009–2010: Rocking with LANDS
At the event of Tokyo Girls CollectionTokyo Girls Collection
The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. The fashion event showcases the seasons fashionable streetwear by domestic brands, and are usually modeled by popular celebrities from various entertainment scenes not by professional models...
on September 5, 2009, Jin appeared as a special guest to promote his new movie, Bandage, he performed the movie's theme song which marked this as the solo debut under the temporary unit LANDS
Lands (band)
Lands is a temporary musical band created by the producer of Japanese pop-rock band Mr. Children, . The group was created to promote the film Bandage, which stars KAT-TUN member Jin Akanishi as the leader and vocalist of the fictional band. The band released their debut single "Bandage", on...
with Takeshi Kobayashi, the producer of Mr. Children
Mr. Children
, commonly called , is a Japanese rock band formed in 1988 by Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki. As a group, they are one of the most successful Japanese rock artists, having sold over 50 million records and creating the in the mid 1990s in Japan...
. Kobayashi wrote the lyrics and music of their debut single "Bandage
Bandage (song)
-Chart performance:On the Japan Hot 100 "Bandage" debuted at number 87. The following week the song went straight to the number-one spot on the chart. On the Oricon chart, "Bandage" claimed the number-one spot with 211,000 copies sold...
." The song features drummer Nobuaki Kaneko of Rize
Rize (band)
RIZE was Formed in 1997, debuting in 2000. Current members are: Jesse/V&G, Kenken/V&B,& N.K/Dr.RIZE music style is a mix of alternative rock, hard rock, punk rock and even some reggae flavor, cultivated & created via their real international music DNA....
. It was released on November 25, 2009; each copy contains a postcard to enter the drawing for tickets to LANDS' special concert, held on January 16, 2010 in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
On November 30, 2009, it was announced that LANDS would release an album, Olympos, on January 13, 2010. It includes "Bandage" and 7 other songs.
2010: Solo concerts and United States tour
Akanishi had a series of solo concerts, "Akanishi Jin Star Live You & Jin", comprising a total of 32 shows from February 7, 2010 to February 28, 2010. The song "A Page" featured at his concerts, was released as part of KAT-TUN's 11th single, "Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki)Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki)
is the eleventh single by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN. It was released on February 10, 2010 by their record label J-One Records. The title track is was used as the theme song for the Tokyo Broadcasting System drama, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, which stars member Kazuya Kamenashi.-Background:In...
," on the 2nd limited edition on February 10, 2010. He composed and arranged the song "A Page." He also co-wrote its lyrics. Announced on March 24, 2010, Akanishi's solo tour "You & Jin" had a 3 show tour in Los Angeles, California on June 19 and June 20. The solo tour tickets were sold out in the first hour when it began to sell on April 15.
In the last show of his You&Jin concert Akanishi announced a tour in the United States. In July 2010, Akanishi announced that he would leave the band KAT-TUN, becoming a solo artist of Johnny & Associates. On 16 September 2010 dates for Akanishi's fall tour were released and the cities included were: Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The tour has been named 'Yellow Gold Tour 3010' after the tour's title song "Yellow Gold" written by Jin Akanishi, Jovette Rivera, and Joey Carbone.
The tour featured was held entirely in English, including 14 English-language songs that are mostly written and produced by the singer himself. On December 9, 2010, it was announced that Jin will be joining the Warner Music family. Warner Music Group and Warner Music Japan will sign Jin on a global basis and we will become responsible for his recording career in both English and Japanese language.
After the Yellow Gold tour 3010 ended with success, Jin returned to Japan. To thank his fans for their support and love, Jin held in total 12 concerts in Osaka-jō Hall
Osaka-jo Hall
, or Osaka Castle Hall, is a multi-purpose arena, in the Kyōbashi area, of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people...
, World Memorial Hall
World Memorial Hall
World Hall or World Memorial Hall is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Chūō-ku Ward of Kobe, Japan. It has a maximum capacity of 8,000 people and is optimized for large-scale meetings, sport events, trade shows and concerts...
, Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
and Saitama Super Arena
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings.This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and...
.
Jin's first solo single titled "Eternal", was released on March 2, 2011 under Warner Music Group Japan. His debut single in the U.S entitled "Test Drive" is a collaboration with singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and produced by J.R Rotem. A DVD of his "Yellow Gold Tour 3011" concert tour was released on May 4, 2011. His first U.S. album will be released sometime in 2012.
2011-Present: The Beginning of U.S. Debut
In December 2010, Jin Akanishi signed a global deal with Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. It was announced that Jin Akanishi will be releasing his first U.S. debut single titled "Test Drive" featuring Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
. The release will be released on November 8, 2011 at 7AM PST. In addition to his U.S. debut, Akanishi will hold a LIVE U-STREAM to answer questions from his fans.
Documenting his US debut journey, Akanishi released the first episode of his web series, The Takeover, on October 27.
After debuting on November 8, 2011, Jin Akanishi's U.S. debut single "Test Drive featuring Jason Derulo" reached the #1 spot on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Dance Album Chart, the catchy EP composed of remixes of "Test Drive featuring Jason Derulo" is also climbing the iTunes General Album Chart at a #1 spot. To celebrate his debut, Akanishi also held a LIVE U-Stream and attended a conference at the Beverly Center, Los Angeles.
Acting career
Akanishi made his debut as an actor in 1999 in a cameo appearance in the second episode of NTV's romance comedy, P.P.O.I., and also had small roles in TV AsahiTV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
's Best Friend, Omae no yukichi ga naiteiru and in NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
series, Haregi, Koko Ichiban. He also started appearing in musicals from 2000 taking on supporting roles in Millennium Shock (2000), Show Geki Shock (2001–2002), Dream Boy (2004) and Dream Boys (2006). Akanishi returned to the small screen in 2005 in the second season of the award-winning and popular NTV school drama, Gokusen
Gokusen
is a manga series by Kozueko Morimoto. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private high school. In 2008, a SP manga was out, featuring some of Yankumi's old students who are by now working adults.In 2002, the manga was adapted into a...
, starring opposite Yukie Nakama
Yukie Nakama
is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. She was born in Okinawa, Japan, in a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings.At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer , and appeared in bit roles until her career breakthrough playing Sadako in "Ring 0: Birthday ."In 2000,...
and former bandmate Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
. The show won "Best Drama" at the 44th Television Drama Academy Awards and ended its run with an average viewership rating of 27.8%. He also had a supporting role in NTV's romance series, Anego, the same year.
In 2007, Akanishi starred in his first lead role in Yukan Club, a school comedy series, alongside bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi and was voted "Best Actor" at the 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix. He made his debut as a voice actor in 2008 for the Japanese dub of Speed Racer
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
, providing the voice for protagonist Speed played by Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch
Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In...
.
In 2009, Akanishi was cast as the lead actor in the movie, Bandage, directed by Takeshi Kobayashi and which was scheduled for release on January 16, 2010. This was his big screen debut.
It has recently been announced that Akanishi will star in the Hollywood film "47 Ronin" which also stars Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
in the lead role. Akanishi will play the role of Chikara Oishi, a friend to Kai who is played by Reeves. The film's director, Carl Erik Rinsch, was apparently impressed by Akanishi's English abilities and motivation.
In this case Akanishi Jin would be the second Johnny's Entertainment artist within the agency after Ninomiya Kazunari in Letters From Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima
is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
to star in a Hollywood movie and the third overal to work with an American director. Tegoshi Yuya from NEWS
NeWS
NeWS was a windowing system developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid 1980s. Originally known as "SunDew", its primary authors were James Gosling and David S. H. Rosenthal...
was the second in Memoires of a Teenage Amnesiac but that movie is considered to be a Japanese production directed by Hans Canosa
Hans Canosa
Hans Canosa is an American film director, writer, film editor and producer. He is best known for his independent film Conversations with Other Women , starring Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter.-Background:...
.
Solo Recordings
Singles- "BandageBandage (song)-Chart performance:On the Japan Hot 100 "Bandage" debuted at number 87. The following week the song went straight to the number-one spot on the chart. On the Oricon chart, "Bandage" claimed the number-one spot with 211,000 copies sold...
" (25 November 2009) - "EternalEternal (Jin Akanishi song)-Single information:Single release from Jin Akanishi. Limited edition A comes with a bonus DVD with music video of "Eternal" and its making-of plus cover photo shooting meking-of. Limited edition B comes with a 24-page special photo booklet. Features an alternate cover artwork.-Chart...
" (2 March 2011) - "Test Drive" feat. Jason Derulo (8 November 2011)
- "SeasonsSeasons (Jin Akanishi song)-Single information:The upcoming single “Seasons” will be released in two different versions; the regular edition, which includes a special 16-page photo booklet, and a limited edition, which includes a DVD featuring the title track’s PV as well as its making-of video...
"
Album
- Olympos (13 January 2010)
- TBA (TBA)
DVD
- Yellow Gold Tour 3011 (4 May 2011)
Songs featured on CD releases by other artists
- Crystal KayCrystal KayCrystal Kay Williams , known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan...
- Best of Crystal KayBest of Crystal Kay- Charting and release :"Best of Crystal Kay" entered the Oricon Daily Chart at #2, and sold 26,929 units that day. The album ultimately dropped to #3 on the Weekly Chart, behind Superfly's Box Emotions and the third week sales of Arashi's All the Best! 1999-2009, selling 87,669 copies...
- 2009 - "Helpless Night"
Movies
- 47 Ronin as Chikara Oishi (2012)
- Bandage as Natsu Takasugi (2010)
Dramas
- Yukan ClubYūkan Clubis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yukari Ichijo. It is serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret. Yūkan Club received the 1986 Kodansha Manga Award for the shōjo category. The manga was adapted into an original video animation by Madhouse Studios...
(有閑倶楽部) as Shochikubai Miroku (NTV, 2007) - Anego (アネゴ) as Kurosawa Akihiko (NTV, 2005)
- Gokusen 2Gokusenis a manga series by Kozueko Morimoto. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private high school. In 2008, a SP manga was out, featuring some of Yankumi's old students who are by now working adults.In 2002, the manga was adapted into a...
(ごくせん 2005) as Yabuki Hayato (NTV, 2005) - Xmas Nante Daikirai as Kitagawa Sho (NTV, 2004)
- Omae no Yukichi ga Naiteiru (TV Asahi, 2001)
- Haregi, Koko Ichiban (NHK, 2000)
- Taiyō wa Shizumanai (Fuji TV, 2000)
- Best Friend (TV Asahi, 1999)
- Kowai Nichiyōbi (NTV, 1999)
- P.P.O.I. (NTV, 1999)
Awards
| Years | Awards |
|---|---|
| ???? |
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| 2007 |
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| 2008 |
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| 2009 |
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