Nissy

Overview

Nissy (real name Takahiro Nishijima, 西島隆弘) is a Japanese singer and actor born on September 30, 1986 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Selected in 2005 as a member of the eight-piece male-female music and dance group AAA, he made his major debut with the single "BLOOD on FIRE" and won the Japan Record Awards New Artist Award that year. He served as AAA's main vocalist until leaving the group on February 11, 2026 to focus on throat treatment, and he continues as the solo artist Nissy.

Career

Early years

Inspired by singer-songwriters, he played guitar on the street as a boy, where he discovered breakdancing; in his second year of junior high he was scouted by Actors Studio Hokkaido. In 2003 he became the first-generation member of the five-man vocal group japs, passed an Avex audition that August, and released the group's debut single in September. He left japs in March 2004 and moved to Tokyo.

AAA and acting

After debuting with AAA in 2005, he won the Japan Record Awards New Artist Award and performed at Nippon Budokan. That year he also appeared on the 56th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen as a backup dancer for Ami Suzuki. He made his stage debut in the reading play LOVE LETTERS in 2007 and starred in the TV drama Bimi Gakuin. In 2009 he made his film debut in a leading role in Sion Sono's Love Exposure, earning the Kinema Junpo Best New Actor award and the Mainichi Film Concours Sponichi Grand Prix New Talent Award. He went on to appear in Soup Opera, the NHK taiga drama Taira no Kiyomori (2012), and the 2016 Getsuku drama Itsuka Kono Koi wo Omoidashite Kitto Naiteshimau, as well as stage works including the musical Glory Days and Harold and Maude.

Solo career

In August 2013 he released his first music video under the name Nissy. His third solo song, "GIFT", hit No. 1 on Japan's iTunes chart. His first solo album, HOCUS POCUS (2016), reached No. 1 on the iTunes album ranking on release day and No. 1 on the weekly ranking, and HOCUS POCUS 2 followed in 2017. February 4 was officially registered as "Nissy Day" by the Japan Anniversary Association in 2018. In 2019 he held a four-dome tour, the youngest ever for a Japanese male solo artist and the fastest, five years after starting solo activity. He underwent vocal cord polyp surgery in August 2019 and launched an official Instagram and solo YouTube channel in 2020.

On March 31, 2022, his contract with Avex Management expired and he moved to an agent contract with Avex for freer, more self-directed activity. In 2022 he released "Trippin", "I Need You" and the album HOCUS POCUS 3 (May). From October 2022 to March 2023 he played a six-dome tour (Saitama, Aichi, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo and Sapporo), with every show sold out and a total attendance of 450,000. From August 2023 to March 2024, the "10th Anniversary LIVE VIEWING TOUR 2023 -Nissy Meets You-" took place nationwide to mark ten years since his solo debut. He released "Rendezvous", "When You Were Mine", "Feels" and "SUPER IDOL" in 2023, then "Stormy", "Soushiyouka", "SLAVE" and "WISH" in 2024, followed by the album HOCUS POCUS 4 in October 2024. From 2024 to 2025 he held "Nissy Entertainment “Re:10th Anniversary Final” BEST DOME TOUR", the first second nationwide six-dome tour by a solo artist, sold out at every show with 450,000 attendees.

Charity work

He volunteered after the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake and joined recovery efforts in typhoon-hit Chiba in 2019. In 2020 he donated toward Australian bushfire relief, COVID-19 response and Kyushu flood relief, and in February 2023 he gave about 10 million yen to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. In 2024 he ran an emergency fundraiser for the Noto Peninsula earthquake at tour venues, with the entire 12,065,323 yen raised going to relief supplies.

Musical style

Rooted in J-POP, Nissy is a dance-and-vocal performer known for entertainment-focused live shows that blend singing and choreography. He began playing guitar after hearing a Yuzu song and has cited Ami Suzuki, EXILE and Ne-Yo among his favorite listening. His catalog also includes remix releases such as the Cheat Codes remix of "When You Were Mine" and a sped-up version of "SUPER IDOL". He has also produced his own brands, including the fragrance line Ny...., the apparel brand Naptime. and the jewelry brand Soiree O.