Naoto Inti Raymi

Overview

Naoto Inti Raymi (ナオト・インティライミ, real name Naoto Nakamura, born August 15, 1979) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer. Born in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, he grew up in Noda, Chiba Prefecture. He performed under the name Naoto (なおと) in 2001–2002 and adopted his current stage name in 2005. "Inti" means sun and "Raymi" means festival in Quechua, the Incan language, so the name means "festival of the sun." He made his first Kohaku Uta Gassen appearance as a solo act in 2012 and drew 40,000 fans to Kyocera Dome Osaka in 2015. In 2019 he made a global debut as Naoto through Universal Music Latin, and in May 2026 he is set to debut globally again under the Naoto name after signing with a Colombian label. He is managed by Engine and releases through UNIVERSAL SIGMA, a Universal Music label. He is married and a father of three.

Career

Early years

Naoto began playing guitar and writing songs in 1993 at age 14, and in high school he produced a self-made album and began performing on the streets, including in Kashiwa, developing a signature style that draws the audience into the show. In 1999 he visited New York for the first time and was pulled onto the stage at Harlem's Apollo Theater, where he improvised with the band and won a standing ovation, planting the dream of becoming a world-class performer. In 2000 he took his first solo backpacking trip, to Thailand.

The "Naoto" period (2001–2004)

On September 19, 2001, while attending Chuo University, he debuted on Sony Music Records with "Growing up!!" as Naoto. He released three singles and one album (Funk Renaissance, June 2002), but none became hits and the contract ended. He graduated in 2002 and traveled to Kenya and Brazil, performing impromptu shows.

From August 2003 to the end of 2004 he made a 515-day journey through 28 countries. In Palestine he sang "Ue o Muite Arukou" for Chairman Yasser Arafat; in Egypt he was scouted by a pro football club; in Colombia he joined a famous local artist's national tour and was offered a debut; and in Miami he became the first Japanese performer at the LATIN FUNK FESTIVAL 04.

Restart as Naoto Inti Raymi (2005–2009)

He began working as Naoto Inti Raymi in April 2005, inspired by his visit to Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, building his base through street and live-house performances. He met Kazutoshi Sakurai of Mr.Children, and in 2008 joined the ap bank fes '08 as a backing vocalist; he also sang chorus on "GIFT" at the 59th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen that year and accompanied Mr.Children's 2009 tours. He signed with OORONG-SHA as a solo artist and from 2007 wrote a blog for Web Soccer Magazine.

The 2010s

In April 2010 (April 7) he made his "third debut" with "Carnival?" on UNIVERSAL SIGMA. The follow-up hits "Takaramono – Kono Koe ga Nakunaru Made –" (2010) and "Ima no Kimi o Wasurenai" (2011) were each downloaded more than one million times. He held his first nationwide tour in September–October 2010 and his first Nippon Budokan concert on December 13. In 2011 he staged "Naoto Day" at Ryogoku Kokugikan and a show at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. In December 2012 he held an arena tour and on December 31 made his first Kohaku appearance as a solo artist with "Brave."

In 2013 he appeared in the music documentary film Naoto Inti Raymi Boken-ki Tabiuta Diary and played a seven-city, ten-show arena tour. In 2014 he appeared in many programs tied to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. On June 10, 2015 he released his first best-of album THE BEST!, appeared in the film Kamisama wa Bali ni Iru, and on December 23 played his first dome show at Kyocera Dome Osaka. In 2016 he starred in the musical DNA-SHARAKU from January and toured halls from March to June.

In January 2017 he announced a trip around the world to return to his roots; after about six months in 19 countries he made a full comeback at "Naoto Day" on July 10. The trip was released as the two-part documentary Tabiuta Diary 2, and he appeared in the TBS drama Kounodori. In 2018 he completed his first 47-prefecture solo acoustic tour, released his seventh album "7" on December 12, and played Nagoya Dome at year's end. In 2019 his 22nd single "Mangetsu no Yoru" was used as a theme song for Fuji TV's Sukatto Japan, he toured 31 hall shows from September, and he made his global debut as Naoto via Universal Music Latin.

The 2020s

In 2020 he held his first livestreamed concert and on October 7 released his first EP, Omowaku Doori. On September 29, 2021 he released the 10th-anniversary best-of The Best -10th Anniversary- and held a 10th anniversary live tour. His eighth album, Nijiiro ∞ Octave, followed on November 30, 2022, after four years, including "The Day," written to support his hometown Noda. At December 2022 concerts he announced he would release new music every month in 2023.

In 2023 he released "Pakkyamarado" (January), "Secret" (February, with bassist Shingo Anami of Ryokuoushoku Shakai), "EQ (feat. Rin音)" (March, his first collaboration with a rapper), "Sakura Komachi (feat. Kankan)" (a remake of his 2006 song), "With" (April), "Aishiteta (feat. Ren)" (May, a remake of his 2012 song), "memo" (June) and "Hisoka ni Zekkocho (feat. wacci)", followed by the ninth album Adonine on July 19. Later releases include "Yugure Nostalgy" (October 2023), "First Christmas" (November), "MoonLight" (December), "Nitamono Doushi" (February 2024), the album Fantasista (April 2024), "Buena Gente" (August), "Believer" (October), "Fuyugare no Bolero" (January 2025), the album Intersection (April 2025), "The Distance" (May), "Dauto" (July) and "Utsukushiki Koi no Uta" (August). In December 2025 and January 2026 he released REBOOT versions of "Takaramono" and "Ima no Kimi o Wasurenai," and on February 4, 2026 he issued the album REBOOT. On February 11, 2024, "The Day" became the departure melody at Noda City Station on the Tobu Noda Line.

Musical style

His sound blends the 1970s–80s black music at his roots, the many genres he absorbed while traveling the world, and the pop sensibility he gained while supporting Mr.Children. He also writes songs for other artists and is working on music in languages other than Japanese with a world tour in mind. His audience-involving live style was honed in his street-performing days.

Acting and media

Beyond music, he has acted in the dramas Kounodori (2017) and others, including a 2020 TBS drama, and appears on football programs such as COOL JAPAN FOOTBALL. In January 2011 he won the futsal tournament Otokeri-hai and was named MVP.