Hiroji Miyamoto

Overview

Hiroji Miyamoto (宮本浩次, born June 12, 1966, in Tokyo's Akabane, Kita ward) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, music producer and former children's choir singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Elephant Kashimashi. He is represented by elephants Inc. (Amuse) and records for Universal Music Japan. Nicknamed "Miyaji," he launched his solo career in 2018 and, in 2021, won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Art Encouragement and the Japan Gold Disc Award for Planning Album of the Year for his kayokyoku cover album Romance.

Career

Childhood and early singing

From the third to fifth grade of elementary school, Miyamoto belonged to the NHK Tokyo Children's Choir, receiving vocal training. A boy soprano trusted with solos, he was a star of the choir and reportedly had exchanges with the Vienna Boys' Choir. On September 1, 1976, he made his solo debut at age 10 with "Hajimete no Boku Desu," featured on NHK's Minna no Uta and released by Toshiba EMI. Competing versions were issued by several labels, and his sold over 100,000 copies. His name on the sleeve was written in hiragana rather than kanji.

Elephant Kashimashi and acting

In 1981, while in middle school, he formed Elephant Kashimashi with classmates; the band made its major debut in 1989 on Epic/Sony Records and remained active as of 2023. For 30 years after debut he declined every request to write for or produce other artists, but he readily accepted when actor Issey Takahashi asked.

After appearing on the music show HEY!HEY!HEY!, he was recommended by Masatoshi Hamada and made his acting debut in 2000 in the TBS drama Friends, playing a struggling scriptwriter, winning Best New Actor at the Television Drama Academy Awards. In 2016 he starred in Fuji TV's Ore no Sensei. In 2004, the documentary Tobira no Mukou: Miyamoto Hiroji to iu Ikikata, produced by Hirokazu Kore-eda, captured the recording of the album Tobira.

Setbacks

In summer 2003 he lost his assets to a person he had trusted to manage his finances. In September 2012 he lost hearing in his left ear to acute sensorineural hearing loss; he underwent surgery and recovered, but because his hearing remained unstable he announced a hiatus from live performances in October. The episode also led him to quit smoking.

Solo career

In 2018 he officially began his solo career with the digital duet single "Kemono Yuku Hosomichi" with Ringo Sheena, the theme of Nippon TV's news zero. That year he also appeared as a soloist at the 69th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. In 2019 he won Best Collaboration at the Space Shower Music Awards for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's "Ashita Igai Subete Moyase feat. Miyamoto Hiroji." His first full-length solo album, Miyamoto, Dokupo., arrived in 2020, along with the WOWOW Live program Miyamoto, Dokuho. Hikigatari. In 2021 he released Romance, his first kayokyoku cover album. In 2022, on his birthday, he released his first home-video DVD, Juo Mujin Kanketsu-hen, and in February 2024 NHK BS Premium 4K aired Hiroji Miyamoto "Romance no Yoru – Yurakucho". His solo output so far includes 4 albums, 5 physical singles, 4 digital singles and 2 DVD/BDs.

Musical style

Rooted in rock, Miyamoto also draws deeply on kayokyoku and J-pop. As a child he loved classical music such as Beethoven as well as popular songs and kayokyoku by artists like Kenji Sawada; in middle school he became devoted to Deep Purple, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, and he copied every song on RC Succession's BLUE. His most important influence and idol is Kiyoshiro Imawano. His choir training gave him a wide vocal range, including falsetto, and he has written songs whose range exceeds hihiA.