Shota Shimizu

Overview

Shota Shimizu (清水翔太, born 27 February 1989) is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter from Yao, Osaka. He writes and composes his own songs and also handles arrangement. Since his major-label debut in 2008, he has been a leading voice in J-pop and J-R&B. His debut single "Home" reached No. 5 on the Oricon weekly singles chart, the highest position ever for a male teenage singer, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

Early Life

Shimizu attended a local Christian school in Osaka, where he learned gospel singing and fell in love with soul music. He cites Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Ray Charles as inspirations. He has said he rarely managed to attend school, and after junior high he enrolled in the vocal and dance school CALESS ENTERTAINMENT LABO. In November 2007, before his debut, he sang in English at amateur night at New York's Apollo Theater, where a local newspaper called him a "one in a million soul singer."

Career

2008-2015: First Period

• He debuted in February 2008 with "Home" (released February 20), which sold 27,820 copies in its first week and was certified double platinum for digital downloads and gold for CD. In March he held a free live show at Osaka Castle Park, and on June 1 he performed at the Japan Day Festival in Central Park, New York.
• His second single "Aishiteru" (June 2008) reached No. 4, followed by "My Treasure" in October. On November 19, 2008 he returned to the Apollo Theater and sang Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" in Japanese, earning a standing ovation from 1,500 people.
• His debut album Umbrella (November 26, 2008) debuted at No. 2 with 56,442 copies in its first week and was certified gold. It drew on R&B, soul, jazz, hip-hop and funk. In December he held his first solo concert at Billboard Live Osaka.
• In March 2009 he launched his first headlining tour, the Umbrella Tour 2009, which sold out in a day. In May he released "Love Forever" with Miliyah Kato, a dance-oriented hit certified double platinum for downloads, and in July the double A-side "Utsukushii Hibi yo" / "Sayonara wa Itsumo Soba ni."
• His second album Journey (March 2010) hit No. 1 on Oricon, his first, and the first album chart-topper for a solo singer born in the Heisei era. The July 2010 single "Goodbye" included "Be With You," a duet with R&B star JOE recorded in New York. He also held a Christmas live at Universal Studios Japan in December.
• In 2011 he released the album COLORS (March), "love" (June, with "Song for you" written after the Great East Japan Earthquake), "Believe" with Miliyah Kato (July), "Mada Owaranai" (October) and "Fuyu ga Owaru Mae ni" (December).
• In 2012 came "Kimi sae Ireba" with Kazumasa Oda (February) and the album Naturally (March). The Naturally Tour 2012 played 18 shows at 15 venues and ended with his first Nippon Budokan show. The cover album MELODY followed in November.
• He released "Woman Don't Cry" (2013), "Dream" and the album ENCORE (2014), "Snow Smile" (2014), and his first best-of, ALL SINGLES BEST (February 2015).

2015-2020: Second Period

• In 2015 he released "Bye x Bye," a marked change in sound, and "Hanataba no Kawari ni Melody wo," the theme for an NHK drama.
• The 2016 album PROUD shifted decisively toward his black-music roots in R&B and hip-hop. "My Boo" (October 2016) became his biggest streaming hit.
• In 2017, the 10th anniversary of his major debut, he toured and released the album FLY (June), featuring KANDYTOWN's IO and YOUNG JUJU. At Budokan in August he performed "Tokyo" in tears.
• 2018 brought "Good Life," "Friday" and the album WHITE (June), followed by a national tour.
• In 2019 he released the digital singles "Sorry" and "Breathe Again" and toured nationwide from September.
• In 2020 he released "416" (April), launched the [re:] project with Taka of ONE OK ROCK (June), issued his first mini-album period (November), and held a two-day solo show at Nippon Budokan despite the pandemic.

2021 Onward

• In 2021 he released "Koiuta" (May), appeared on THE FIRST TAKE (June), released "Curtain Call feat. Taka" (July) and the album HOPE (July 21).
• In January and February 2024, live releases including LIVE TOUR 2016 "PROUD", 2017 "FLY", 2018 "WHITE", LIVE TOUR 2019, BUDOKAN LIVE 2020, LIVE TOUR "HOPE" and LIVE TOUR 2023 "Insomnia" arrived on streaming platforms.
• He released the single "PUZZLE" (October 2024), "Syrup" (April 2025), "PUZZLE - From THE FIRST TAKE" and "DON'T FORGET MY NAME" (May 2025) and "tomato" (June 2025), followed by the album Pulsatilla cernua on June 18, 2025. LIVE TOUR 2024 and LIVE TOUR 2025 'Pulsatilla cernua' were released in January and February 2026.

Musical Style

Rooted in R&B and soul, Shimizu draws on hip-hop, jazz, funk, new jack swing, dance tracks and lo-fi textures. He writes, composes and arranges his own material, and is known for strong vocals and a soaring voice. He values cohesion within an album, and has collaborated widely with artists such as Miliyah Kato, Taka, JOE and Kazumasa Oda.