Shota Shimizu
| Shota Shimizu | |
|---|---|
 Shota Shimizu performing at Japan Day 2008 in Central Park, New York City | |
| Background information | |
| Native name | 清水 翔太 |
| Born |
February 27, 1989 Yao, Osaka, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, rapper |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Mastersix Foundation |
| Website |
www |
Shota Shimizu (清水 翔太 Shimizu Shōta, born 27 February 1989) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician from Yao, Osaka, Japan, who debuted in 2008.[1] On June 1, 2008, Shimizu performed at Central Park in New York City, USA, during the annual Japan Day Festival. Shota Shimizu went to a local Christian school in Osaka where he learned how to sing gospel music. He became captivated with soul music, which is how his music career started. He was inspired by Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, and Ray Charles.[2]
Before his debut, in November 2007, Shimizu sang in English on amateur night at the Apollo Theater in New York City. He was called a "one in a million soul singer" by a local newspaper in New York. The second time he performed at the Apollo Theater was on November 19, 2008. He sang the song "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto in Japanese, where he was given a standing ovation from an audience of 1,500 people. He said he sang it because he wanted to show his Japanese pride and demonstrate the beauty of the Japanese language.[3]
Career
Umbrella (2008)
Shimizu's first single, titled "Home", was released on February 20, 2008, and he appeared on Music Station two days after the single's release to promote it. "Home" peaked at ranked at number 5 and sold 27,820 units in its first week. After 17 weeks, it had sold 125,735 copies. His second single, "Aishiteru" (アイシテル I Love You), was released on June 4, 2008 in Japan. It ranked at number 4 and sold 22,778 units in its first week. After 12 weeks, it had sold 47,114 copies. Shimizu released his third single "My Treasure" on October 22, 2008. It ranked at number 15 and sold 9,540 units in its first week. After 5 weeks, it had sold 15,365 copies.
He released his debut album titled Umbrella, on November 26, 2008 in Japan. The album ranked at number 2 and sold 56,442 units in its first week. After 8 weeks, it has sold 115,863 copies. In March 2009, Shimizu began his first headlining tour, the "Umbrella Tour 2009". The tickets sold out in one day.[2]
After Umbrella (2009)
Shimizu released his fourth single titled "Utsukushii Hibi yo" / "Sayonara wa Itsumo Sobani" on July 15, 2009 in Japan. It debuted at number 14 and sold 8,576 copies in the first week. The track "Kaze no Youni" from this single was inspired by the song "Kaze no Dōkei" from the Chrono Trigger Soundtrack. The single sold a total of 11,144 copies so far.
Collaborations
Shimizu worked with Dohzi-T on the single "One Love", which was released on July 18, 2007. He also collaborated with Miliyah Kato on the song "I'm Your Angel" on the album Tribute to Celine Dion, which was released on September 26, 2007. Shimizu collaborated with Miliyah Kato again in 2009 on her "Love Forever" single (which was also released onto Miliyah Kato's album, Ring), which was released on May 13, 2009. "Love Forever" was a hit in Japan, and its ringtone sold over two million downloads.[2] These Japanese singers/songwriters were both twenty years old and loved soul music, but still maintained very different music styles.[4] On September 16, 2009, M-flo released a tribute album named Tribute: Maison de M-Flo and Shimizu covered the song "Let Go". He then released a song, "Loving You", in a compilation album named Beat Connection with Crystal Kay, Seamo, Mummy-D, and Dohzi-T on October 27, 2010.
Discography
Singles
| # | Title | Release date | Oricon charts | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Ranking[5] |
Sales | ||||
| Debut | "Home"
|
20.02.2008 | 5 | 128,000 | Umbrella |
| 2nd | "Aishiteru" (「アイシテル」 I Love You) | 04.06.2008 | 4 | 47,000 | |
| 3rd | "My Treasure" | 22.10.2008 | 15 | 15,000 | |
| 4th | "Utsukushii Hibi yo/Sayonara wa Itsumo Sobani" (美しき日々よ/さよならはいつも側に) | 15.07.2009 | 14 | 13,000 | Journey |
| 5th | "Kimi ga Suki" (君が好き) | 09.12.2009 | 8 | 19,000 | |
| 6th | "Goodbye" | 07.07.2010 | 10 | 14,000 | Colors |
| 7th | "Kimi ga Kurasu Machi" (君が暮らす街) | 20.10.2010 | 12 | 9,000 | |
| 8th | "You & I" | 26.11.2011 | 14 | 11,000 | |
| 9th | "Love" | 29.06.2011 | 16 | 7,000 | Naturally |
| 10th | "Mada Owaranai" (マダオワラナイ) | 26.10.2011 | 17 | 7,000 | |
| 11th | "Fuyu ga Owaru Mae ni" (冬が終わる前に) | 21.12.2011 | 19 | 6,000 | |
| 12th | "Kimi Sae Ireba" (君さえいれば)
|
22.02.2012 | 15 | 7,000 | |
| 13th | "366 Nichi" (３６６日)
|
12.09.2012 | 11 | 10,000 | MELODY |
| 14th | "WOMAN DON'T CRY" | 03.07.2013 | 18 | 5,000 | |
| 15th | "Dream" | 29.01.2014 | TBA | xx | |
Albums
Studio albums
| No. | Information | Release date |
Oricon Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Albums Charts |
Sales | |||
| 1st album | Umbrella
|
26.11.2008 | 2 | 124,000 |
| 2nd album | Journey
|
03.03.2010 | 1[6] | 117,000 |
| 3rd album | Colors
|
09.03.2011 | 7 | 69,000 |
| 4th album | Naturally | 21.03.2012 | 6 | 29,000 |
| 5th album | Encore | 14.03.2014 | 11 | |
| 6th album | Proud | 30.03.2016 | 10 | 9,676 |
Cover albums
| # | Information | Release date |
Oricon Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Albums Charts |
Sales | |||
| 1 | MELODY | 28.11.2012 | 5 | 66,000 |
Collaborations
| No. | Information | Release date |
Oricon Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Single Charts |
Sales | |||
| Single | Love Forever
|
13.05.2009 | 5 | 90,000 |
"Oyasumi no Kisu Wo～Good Night my love～" (おやすみのキスを～Good Night My Love～)
|
11.11.2009 | 19 | 14,000 | |
Forever Love
|
03.02.2010 | 4 | 60,000 | |
Believe
|
13.07.2011 | 9 | 16,000 | |
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080409214501/http://www.shimizushota.com/prof.html. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - 1 2 3 清水 翔太 | プロフィール (in Japanese). Shimizushota.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "清水翔太アポロシアター凱旋！日本語「上を-」熱唱 ― スポニチ Sponichi Annex 大阪". Sponichi.co.jp. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "加藤ミリヤ×清水翔太『同年代のふたりが共通して言える"LOVE"とは？！』-ORICON STYLE ミュージック". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "清水翔太のCD・DVDリリース一覧 │ オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "清水翔太、"平成生まれ初"のアルバム首位獲得 | ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. 2010-03-09. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shōta Shimizu. |
- Official website (Japanese)
- Shota Shimizu Sony Music Online Japan official website (Japanese)