Shintaro Sakamoto

Overview

Shintaro Sakamoto (坂本慎太郎, born September 9, 1967 in Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was a founding member and frontman of the underground psychedelic rock band Yura Yura Teikoku (ゆらゆら帝国). Since the band's breakup in 2010 he has worked independently and has released five solo albums to date. He is a graduate of the graphic design department at Tama Art University.

Career

Yura Yura Teikoku

In 1989 Sakamoto formed Yura Yura Teikoku, serving as vocalist and guitarist, with drummer Atsushi Yoshida and bassist Chiyo Kamekawa, fellow students at Tama Art University. The band released 21 albums between 1989 and 2010. They worked with indie labels until 1997, then moved on to Sony Music Entertainment and DFA Records. After reaching a peak in reputation and popularity in Japan, they disbanded on March 31, 2010, following their 11th album Kuudou desu (空洞です).

Solo career

2011: Sakamoto wrote lyrics for three songs on salyu × salyu's album s(o)un(d)beams, then founded his own label, zelone records. He made his solo debut in September with the 7-inch single "Yurei no Kibun de" and released his first solo album, How to Live with a Phantom, on November 18. The album was a significant departure from his rock persona, described as "soft, groovy, mellow" funk, and drew comparisons to Todd Rundgren.
He also worked on an album for the female pop band Mamaguitar and provided incidental music for the TV drama Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi.
2014: On May 28 he released his second album, Let's Dance Raw, with drummer Yuta Suganuma and bassist AyA of OOIOO, while handling much of the instrumentation himself. The album blended his psychedelic rock and funk with a variety of global influences. Of his steel guitar playing, he said: "Without making it feel too Hawaiian, I wanted to incorporate the damp style of Japanese instruments. I wanted to feel the outskirts of a city." NPR Music called the steel guitar on "You Can Be a Robot, Too" "vibrant and infectious," and many of the album's music videos featured animated watercolors painted by Sakamoto himself. Both of his first two albums were also released overseas.
2016: Released Love If Possible.
2017: On October 27 he performed at Week-End Festival #7 in Cologne, Germany, his first solo show, seven years after the band's breakup. Until then he had not played live apart from a secret-guest appearance at a Yo La Tengo concert in Japan.
2018: On January 17 and 29 he played his first solo shows in Japan at Tokyo's LIQUIDROOM, resuming regular live activity.
2019: He toured the United States, contributed to split singles with Mayer Hawthorne and Devendra Banhart, and appeared on a track from the new work by O Terno of São Paulo, Brazil. His latest single, "Kobune," was released on 7-inch vinyl and digitally.
2020: He voiced the protagonist Kenji in the animated film On-Gaku: Our Sound, which won the Noburo Ofuji Award at the 75th Mainichi Film Awards.
2022: Released Like a Fable.
2026: Yoo-hoo is listed in his discography.

Musical style

Beginning in psychedelic rock, Sakamoto's solo work moves toward funk, mellow grooves and global influences, and he is associated with Japanese indie, Shibuya-kei and city pop. Manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge has been a major influence on his music and lyrical worldview. He admires Shigeru Mizuki and Peter Ivers, once meeting Mizuki, who drew an illustration on his favorite guitar, and names Jimi Hendrix as his idol.

In both Yura Yura Teikoku and his solo work, Sakamoto has been central to building a distinctive world, writing most of the lyrics and creating most of the artwork himself. He has also published a book of his artwork.

Personal background

Born in Osaka, Sakamoto moved to Yokohama at age two and grew up in Kawasaki, Koganei in Tokyo, and Shimonoseki, then attended middle school in Fukuoka Prefecture and high school in Nagano Prefecture. He is married with children. He is known for his voluminous natural curls, very thin closely trimmed eyebrows and the red flared trousers he often wears on stage. He rarely appears in media by voice, and his favorite food is udon.