SEAMO

Overview

SEAMO (born Naoki Takada, October 31, 1975) is a Japanese rapper and singer-songwriter from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, signed to tearbridge production. Nicknamed "Jukucho" (Cram School President), he re-debuted in March 2005 with the single "Kanpaku", scored hits with "Mata Aimashō" and "Lupin the Fire" in 2006, and made his first appearance on NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen that year. His second album, Live Goes On, entered the Oricon weekly albums chart at number one.

Career

Before SEAMO: Seamonator

Takada first performed as Seamonator, a name blending The Terminator with "shimoneta" (vulgar humor), inspired by a character in the manga Ike!! Nangoku Ice Hockey-bu. Until 1999 he worked as a comedian and performer in the band MAS; that year he met DJ Taki-Shit at the Nagoya club Lush The Underground and the two formed a hip-hop duo, releasing Sea Attacker 2000 in spring 2000. Live, he mixed gags into his act, such as wearing swim trunks and a tengu mask. In 2001 he took on a second alias, Jukucho, used for larger events and collaborations he organized, including the compilations Nagoya Basho (2001) and Otoko-juku Densetsu (2002). Seamonator & DJ Taki-Shit made their major debut in 2002 with "Roman Stream" and performed it on NHK's POP JAM in 2003. After their final album Shimodasu (2003), DJ Taki-Shit moved to Tokyo.

About a year after the major debut, the record company abruptly terminated the contract and the duo disbanded. Takada considered retiring but spent nearly a year pitching himself in pursuit of a comeback, eventually signing with his current label and changing his name to SEAMO, feeling he had exhausted the Seamonator persona.

As SEAMO

• 2005: Solo debut with "Kanpaku" on BMG Japan, followed by the first album Get Back On Stage on October 31. He gained attention through "A Love Story" with the duo Bennie K.
• 2006: "Mata Aimashō" became his best-known song, peaking at number 14 but charting for 34 weeks and selling more than 160,000 copies. Live Goes On debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly albums chart dated October 2, and he appeared on the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, where he sang through a backdrop video failure without incident.
• 2007: Released the album Round About.
• 2008: Every single from "Mata Aimashō" through "Continue" (excluding the re-cut "Honey Honey feat. Ayuse Kozue") reached the Oricon daily top 10, and "Mother" (May 7) debuted at number five on the weekly chart, his single career high. He wrote "Happy Birthday" for NEWS, his first song for an artist from Johnny's & Associates, later self-covered on Love Song Collection. "Honey Honey" was the ending theme of the anime xxxHolic: Kei, and "Continue" (October 15) was the theme of the special drama Yume o Kanaeru Zo. He also released Stock Delivery and Scrap & Build. "My Answer" served as the tenth ending of Naruto Shippuden.
• 2009–2010: Released the compilation Best Of Seamo (2009); "Umi e Ikou" was the ending theme of the 2010 live-action drama Moyashimon; the EP 5 WOMEN followed in 2010.
• 2011: Released the album messenger, the EP ONE LIFE and the compilation Collabo Densetsu.
• 2012: On October 17 he released the collaboration single "Rock This Way" with rock band SPYAIR, which came about after he appeared at a SPYAIR-hosted live show. The album REVOLUTION also appeared.
• 2013–2019: Albums and releases include To The Future (2013), Love Song Collection (2014), Moshi Moseamo? (2018), Glory (2019) and Wave My Flag (2019).

Collaborations

He has worked with artists including Bennie K, HOME MADE Kazoku, Nobodyknows+, AZU, MONKEY MAJIK, Akiko Wada, Ukatrats FC (centered on m-flo's Taku Takahashi), BoA and SPYAIR. He remains in contact with fellow Nagoya acts such as HOME MADE Kazoku, and he is the founder of the summer festival TOKAI SUMMIT at Nagashima Spa Land.

Musical Style

SEAMO is a hip-hop based rapper and singer-songwriter whose roots lie in a "strong style" approach; even after renaming himself, he sometimes performs live in the Seamonator style as the "legendary man." He lists Biz Markie, Kool Keith, MC Hammer, and Japanese acts UNICORN, Sing Like Talking and Original Love among his favorites and influences. His work spans anime and drama theme songs and numerous featuring collaborations.

Personal Notes

A Nagoya native and Chunichi Dragons fan, SEAMO is a horse racing enthusiast who invests in racehorses as a partial owner; his favorite horse is Oguri Cap.