LANA

Overview

LANA (born April 3, 2004) is a Japanese artist and singer from Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture. Her older brother is the hip-hop artist LEX. Known for her husky voice and a style that moves between hip-hop and R&B, she has built a following especially among younger listeners. In 2025 she became the youngest artist in Japan's hip-hop scene to play the Nippon Budokan, and in 2026 she headlined POP YOURS 2026.

Career

2020–2022

LANA began her music career in 2020 by releasing "HATE ME" on SoundCloud, a song made at the suggestion of her brother LEX. In 2022 she debuted under the name LANA with "FLAME (feat. LEX, Saru jr.fool & taisyov)", which became her first hit.

2023

On February 1 she released "TURN IT UP" featuring Candee and ZOT on the WAVE. She performed at the hip-hop festival POP YOURS 2023 and took part in the festival's original track "Makuhari" alongside Bonbero, MFS and Watson. Her first EP, 19, followed on July 26, and in August she appeared on the "Spotify RADAR: Early Noise Stage" at SUMMER SONIC 2023. In November she ranked fourth in the People category of AMF's "JC/JK Buzzword Awards 2023", with attention from her appearance on Awich's "Bad Bitch 美学 Remix" cited as a reason. In TikTok's "Year on TikTok 2023", "TURN IT UP" placed ninth in the Japanese song ranking.

2024

She released the EP 19.5 on March 6. That month she wrote "MY LIFE" as the commercial song for the 2024 TV ad for the vocational school Mode Gakuen. On April 14 (local time) she appeared on the 88rising Futures stage at Coachella in the US, joining Awich's closing number "Bad Bitch 美学 Remix" with NENE, MaRI and Yurian Retriever. The same month she released "明るい部屋", a collaboration with LEX. She played POP YOURS 2024 on May 18, and followed with singles including "ティファニーで朝食を" (July), "it’s okay" (August), "Still Young More Rich (feat. Watson)" (September) and "HATE ME" (October). On August 23 she was named to Forbes JAPAN's "30 UNDER 30 2024" and appeared on the magazine's cover. On November 13 she released her first album, 20 (12 tracks), and announced her first Nippon Budokan show the same day. "Cartier" followed in December.

2025

In February she released "花・魁 (feat. Medusa, E.V.P & IFE)". On April 1 she held her first Budokan concert, 20 at BUDOKAN, drawing more than 8,000 people; it was reported as the youngest Budokan show by an artist in Japan's hip-hop scene. Near the end of the concert she announced her first arena tour. The next day, April 2, she released 20 +, a deluxe edition of 20 with seven new songs.

From April 24 to September 2 she hosted the six-episode Apple Music radio show LANA's ROOM Radio, with guests including Awich, YZERR, AI, Rira Ikuta, Saweetie, and her brother LEX and sister LiLi. On April 25 she appeared at adidas Originals' "THE ORIGINAL LIVE TOUR TOKYO 2025" and announced she was becoming a brand partner. She released "Summer Ride (feat. ¥ellow Bucks)" in July and "Icy Tale" in September, and the EP Like a Flower on September 24. She then held her first arena tour, LANA ARENA TOUR 2025 "LIKE A FLOWER", at Yokohama Arena on October 5 and Osaka-jo Hall on November 3.

2026

On April 3 she headlined the first day of POP YOURS 2026, releasing "こんな日は" with Elle Teresa ahead of the festival. From April 30 she embarked on her largest nationwide tour to date, LANA LIVE TOUR 2026 "DIAMONDS IN THE SKY", with the final held over two days, August 4 and 5, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium's First Gymnasium. That year she also made "Diamonds in the Sky", a collaboration with Red Bull, and "Drama Queen", the song for Tinder's 2026 brand campaign. On June 17 she released a digital cover of Ayumi Nakamura's 1985 song "翼の折れたエンジェル". She has said the song, which her mother taught her during a difficult period in her youth, saved her, and that she covered it for peers struggling with the pressure to "become an adult."

She performed the theme song "Truth in the dark" for the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV Sunday drama 一次元の挿し木 (starring Ryosuke Yamada), which began airing July 5 — her first drama theme. On August 29 she appeared with LEX on the NHK Educational TV special 居場所を探す君へ LEX LANA 10代と紡ぐ歌 PASS THE MIC, her first terrestrial TV appearance, where she debuted the new song "STARS", created from conversations with teenagers. On September 18 (late night of the 17th) she served as host of LANAのオールナイトニッポン0(ZERO), broadcast as part of Nippon Broadcasting's All Night Nippon MUSIC WEEK.

Musical Style and Reception

Writer Tsuyachan has pointed to the variety of beats across her songs, including Memphis rap, Jersey club and baile funk, describing a hybrid approach that absorbs many elements without fixed form. She is also described as a fusion of Japanese and Western gyaru culture, with an enka-style vocal technique using kobushi ornamentation that highlights her Japanese roots. Music critic Tomoyuki Mori cites her husky voice, flow shaped by current American hip-hop, and emotionally charged delivery, and says her singing and rapping evolved over the 2026 tour.

Her lyrics, which openly reflect difficult themes such as family circumstances, heartbreak and setbacks, are considered one reason for her popularity. Writer Kaori Komatsu says many fans connect with her honest, down-to-earth lyrics and her willingness to show vulnerability and instability, and notes that her recent songs convey a more positive strength than those from her mid-teens. Komatsu also observes that her concerts, where fans gather imitating her fashion and makeup, offer a sense of security that goes beyond simple admiration.

Personal Life

LANA grew up in a family of four with her mother, brother LEX and sister LiLi. LiLi works as a dancer and has performed as a dancer at LANA's arena shows.