Today I wanna share my top 10 list of japanese male solo artists with you. There is a good amount of solo male artists I listen to and if your favorite one is not on this list, I might still like to listen to him. I hope you will like these artists too and have fun checking out this list.
#10 Yamashita Tomohisa
Favorite Songs: Dreamer, Reason, You Make Me, I Texas, Your Step, Love Chase
Example:
Back when YamaP was still in NEWS I already liked him and always liked his voice, thought no one could ever beat Masu. After leaving NEWS I started to like YamaP even more. Sounds weird right!? The thing is that I really like his solo music and I got more interessted in him when he started to really go solo. I like nearly his whole discography a lot. I do like him as an actore as well. I know many people think he is way too overrated and maybe he is overrated. His acting is decent but I enjoy it and for his singing it actually is good and the music he releases is good. I also think dispite being so popular he is quite down to earth. This was kinde messy... at least I just want to say that I really like his music and enjoy listening to him.
#09 Daichi Miura
Favorite Songs: The Answer, Cry & Fight, U, Perfect Day Off, Garasubin
Example:
Back in August 2010 Daichi Miura released his single "The Answer" and that was the time I deeply fell in love with his music. This song is still one of my absolute favorites of him. Thought over the years he proofed again and again how talanted of an singer he is. I love so many of his songs a lot and enjoy his music videos so much because besides being an amazing vocal talent he is an extremly good dancer too. He is pretty popular already and I hope he can gain more and more popularity couse he deserves it.
#08 Akanishi Jin
Favorite Songs: Mi Amor, Miss California, All About You, Shine, Fill Me Up
Example:
The first time I actuelly liked one of his solo songs was when he released Mi Amor at the end of 2014. Up until today I haven't really listend to any of his songs before that time. My favorite albums of him are "Me" and "Blessed" and I still listen to these two on a daily basis. Most of the time his music is nothing deep, it's simply music you enjoy without thinking much. I do like this because the lyrics are simple and so are the beats. Most of the time I love the rythem of the songs. Most of his music feels like summer to me, fresh, simple, with a relaxing flow and his undeniable beautiful voice. Of course there are exceptions but there are rather less of them. Besides I am not a fan of him as a person, because of KAT-TUN I got to know him a little but never really liked him and until this day I still don't really like him BUT his music is awesome so whatever.
#07 ReN
Favorite Songs: Shake Your Body, Aurora, Live Safer, Sonzai Shoumei, Umbrella, What I'm Feeling
Example:
Whenever I listen to ReN I have Ed Sheeran in my head. They have a similar style of music and I personally love this style SO much. (I am a huge fan of Ed Sheerans music as well!) ReN has an very beautiful voice and besides his first album, that I am not so much into, I love pretty much all his releases up until today. He is still way to underrated and I hope he can gain much more popularity. It's hopefully a good start that he changed to Warner Music Japan just recently.
#06 Shimizu Shota
Favorite Songs: Dream, Home, Snow Smile, ByexBye, Kimi ga Suki
Example:
Who knows me an this blog since a while now, might know that Shimizu Shota has been my favorite solo artist for a long time. He still takes an important place in my heart but I am fed up with all the auto-tune he uses, not only on cds but even at his concerts. He has a beautiful voice and I love so many of his songs and while I still love him a lot I can't deny that others took over his place because I enjoy their music so much more now. It's not that I don't like his recent music but I prefer his old music and wish he would try making music without auto-tune again. However I will keep suporting him forever and for now I mostly listen to his good old song and there are many.
#05 Hirai Dai
Favorite Songs: Hajimari no Uta, Story of Our Life, Life is Beautiful, Sounds Like A Love Song, Song For Two, Slow & Easy, Beautiful Lane
Example:
I am so much in love with his extremly beautiful voice. He is one of the rare singer I know that are able to transfere emotions within a recorded song. For example when I listend to "Hajirmari no Uta" for the first time I started to cry. That's so not me but this song delivers so many feelings and that paired with his stunning voice got me tear up. Nowadays I am not crying anymore listening to the song but I still get the chills. Besides this song he released so many more extremly good songs and I get excited whenever he releases something new. Something else I love a lot is that he is writing the lyrics and music of pretty much all of his songs on his own. That always makes me like an artist so much more.
#04 Mhiro (former known as Mihiro)
Favorite Songs: Baby I Love U, Kimi ga Ireba feat. Ms OOJA, Tsunami, Kimi Iro Omoi, Zutto... dear Mama & Papa, I Want A Better Me, Sayonara no Mae ni, Makes Me Right, Crushed, Ai no Kotoba ~True Story~, Saiai, Wireless, Change For You
Example:
To be honest I can't even remember anymore when I started to listening to him, I just now it's been MANY years ago. Even though he has been active for so long, he is still isn't that well known and that makes me incredible sad because he is so talanted and it's a pleasure listening to his voice. Also because of not being so well known he isn't releasing new stuff a lot. That makes me even more sad. Please check out his music!
#03 Mukai Taichi
Favorite Songs: Konomama, Ego, SlowDown, Can't Wait Anymore, Reset, Fly, Malibu, Hero, Break Up, Agony, Answer feat. KREVA, Pure, Crazy, Kimi no Kiss Shite, Furusato, Thinking About You
Example:
I am so glad I found him around the time he released the Slow Down music video because that's the song that made me fell for him. I played this song so many times back then and until today still love to play it. After falling in love with his 2nd mini album I had to get the first one too, which is amazing as well and all the following releases never disapointed me. Thought it took me a little to absolutly love his album "Blue". His music is awesome and his music videos are freaking good nowadays as well. Definitly check him out if you haven't so far.
#02 SIRUP (former known as KYOtaro)
Favorite Songs: Rain, Do Well, Loop, LMN, Isshun, Synapse, WILYWNKA x SIRUP - Stay, Yosa Taar - Fever feat. SIRUP, Shin Sakiura - Cruisin feat. SIRUP, SWIM, Last Dance, Dancer, Heart Beat, Tower feat. erie
Example:
SIRUP is one of the artists I got to know through JPop Amino back when he was still called KYOtaro. I am super happy I found him through the app because I love his music so much. He has this special sound and flow to him that I absolutly love. I am so much looking forward to the new songs on his album that will be released at the end of May.
Another reason he got the second spot in this list is that I saw him live this year and kinde fell for him. XD He is such a lovely, funny and cute person on stage and his singing is so much more beautiful live than on cd. He did so well with the whole audience, the performance got me love him so much more and I wish to see him live again. His vocals are so stunning and I hope he will gain more and more popularity over time.
Another thing I like a lot is that he is collaborating with a lot of artists. You will find a good amount of songs feat. him and the best is that all the time he still wrote the lyrics on his own or together with the other artist. That's pretty awesome.
#01 AKLO
Favorite Songs: RGTO, Super Chingon, Outside The Frame, Beast Mode, Chaser, Under The Cliff feat. Jay'ed, We Go On feat. SALU & H.teflon, MF Problem
Example:
If you know AKLO you know he is an Rapper. It's quite a change to all the other artists on this list but I honestly love japanese rap or hip hop a lot and AKLO happens to be my absolutly favorite. I started to like him back when he released RGTO. I came accross the video on youtube, I thought it looked like the Crows Zero movie and therfore wanted to check it out and loved the song right away. Fun fact is that at this time I didn't like the part of SALU, who now is one of my favorite japanese rapper. Up until today RGTO is still my favorite song of him and I see myself as a granny still listening to this song. XD
Of course I had to check out all his other songs too and what should I say I love pretty much all songs of him. Especially his album "The Package" is played by me many times. I love his voice and his sence for music is so extremly good. He writes all of his songs on his own and since he is half mexican, he also includes english and spanish in his songs, which gives them a special touch. I especially love him rapping in spanish, that sounds freakin nice. I am always looking forward to new releases of him.
Was your favorite in this list? If not who is your favorite?
