Tatsuya Kitani

Overview

Tatsuya Kitani (キタニタツヤ, born 28 February 1996) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, lyricist, composer, arranger and bassist. He was also active as a Vocaloid producer under the name "Konnichiwa Tanita-san" (こんにちは谷田さん) and is a former member of the project Sajou no Hana. He is signed to Smile Company, with Echoes under Sony Music Labels as his label, and his official fan club is "CLUB UNREALITY". He is best known for the 2023 hit "Ao no Sumika", his first appearance at the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, his first Nippon Budokan show in 2024, and the unit GEMN with Kento Nakajima.

Career

Band era

Kitani discovered rock through Asian Kung-Fu Generation in elementary school, then fell for Vola & The Oriental Machine and 8otto. After junior high he bought a bass and formed an Asian Kung-Fu Generation cover band with friends. In high school he listened to math rock and covered Zankyo Records-affiliated bands such as People In The Box and the cabs. While making original songs with his band he realized he was suited to composing and went independent; around then he also became interested in Vocaloid.

In October 2011 he formed the one-man band Hitsuji no Mure wa Warawanai. (羊の群れは笑わない。) and began performing live as Tatsuya Kitani (木谷竜也), playing bass and singing over recorded guitar and programmed drums. After joining the Honeybee Light Music Club, he formed the three-piece band humanic in 2012 as bassist-vocalist; Kid'z, who later joined MY FIRST STORY, played drums. humanic was active until February 2013, when he paused band activity to study for university entrance exams. In spring 2014 a guitarist and drummer joined Hitsuji no Mure wa Warawanai. and the band restarted in Tokyo. It placed in RO69JACK in 2015, played its last live show in May 2018, and officially ended with the EP "Rakuyo" (3rd EP, digital release on 7 March 2020).

Vocaloid producer, bassist and composer

In May 2014 he began releasing Vocaloid music as "Konnichiwa Tanita-san", posting "Kujira to Suisei" with Hatsune Miku on Nico Nico Douga. In July 2016 he distributed his first full album, "Kare wa Tenjo kara Mite iru" (He's Watching from the Ceiling), at THE VOC@LOiD M@STER 35.

From 2016 he joined live performances of n-buna and Takeaki Wada as a support bassist and, signed to Smile Company, began providing songs and performances to other artists. From the formation of Yorushika by n-buna in 2017 until 2026 he served as the band's support bassist; it was announced that his involvement ended with the "Yorushika LIVE TOUR 2026 'Ichininsho'", which concluded on 16 September.

Turning to singer-songwriter work and Sajou no Hana

On 30 March 2017, to celebrate his Vocaloid song "Akuta no Heya wa Sabiiro ni Shizumu" reaching 100,000 plays on Nico Nico Douga, he posted a self-cover. It was the first work credited to Tatsuya Kitani, and from then on his singer-songwriter activity became prominent.

He graduated from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo in spring 2018. That year he formed the band Sajou no Hana with composer Sho Watanabe and vocalist sana; their debut single "Hoshie" (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, August 2018) marked their major debut, and the title track was the ending theme of the anime "Sirius the Jaeger". On 26 September 2018 he released his first singer-songwriter album, "I DO (NOT) LOVE YOU."

He held his first one-man live, "I DO LOVE YOU.", at Shimokitazawa MOSAiC in February 2019, followed by a second at Shibuya WWW on 31 May. In March–April he toured with seeeeecun and Takeaki Wada ("Vox Box"). "Seven Girls' H(e)avens" was released on 25 September 2019 and selected for Tower Records' "Tawarecomen" program. In October he held his first self-organized event, "Hugs Vol.1", and was chosen as a 2019 artist for SPACE SHOWER RETSUDEN NEW FORCE. A Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka tour followed in January 2020.

Solo major debut

On 26 August 2020 he made his solo major debut with the album "DEMAGOG" on MASTERSIX FOUNDATION (Sony Music Records). In July 2020 he had appeared on THE HOME TAKE performing "Hide and Seek". Much of his nationwide tour was cancelled due to COVID-19, but he performed at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM in November. In December he announced four consecutive monthly digital singles: "Shiromuku" (23 Dec 2020), "Cinnamon" featuring Harushi Ejima of Polkadot Stingray (Jan 2021), "Tosogeki" in collaboration with Atsushi Kaneko's manga "EVOL" (Feb), and "Ghost!?" featuring ALI (Mar).

In 2021 tie-ups increased: "Seija no Koshin", the opening of the anime "Idaten-tachi" (CD single, 18 August, his first solo tie-up), "Rapport", the theme of the BLEACH exhibition "BLEACH EX.", and the image song "Thanatophobia". On 12 June he released "In the margin", a collection of past Vocaloid works under the Konnichiwa Tanita-san name. He toured with "BOUNDARIES" (June–July) and a seven-city "Seija no Koshin" tour (October–November), and launched the demo-release series "Leaks From His Laptop".

In 2022 he provided the theme songs "Tsumetai Uzu" and "Planetes" for the Fuji TV drama "Gossip", plus "Chiharu feat. n-buna from Yorushika" for an Asahi Super Dry × THE FIRST TAKE campaign. His second major album, "BIPOLAR", arrived on 25 May. He then wrote "Gekko" for the mobile rhythm game Project SEKAI, and "Scar", the opening for the anime "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War"; the EP "Scar" was released on 23 November.

"Ao no Sumika" and the Kohaku debut

In 2023 "Ao no Sumika", the lead track of the EP "Where Our Blue Is" and the opening theme for the Jujutsu Kaisen "Hidden Inventory / Premature Death" arc, topped 23 digital charts on its first day. It passed 100 million cumulative streams, was certified Platinum by the RIAJ, and charted on Billboard JAPAN's year-end rankings, becoming one of 2023's signature hits. He performed it at the 74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen on New Year's Eve, his first appearance.

First Budokan show and GEMN

His album "ROUNDABOUT" came out on 10 January 2024, and on 14 May he held his first Nippon Budokan concert, "Tatsuya Kitani 10th Anniversary Live: Kare wa Tenjo kara Mite iru". That year he formed the unit GEMN with former Sexy Zone member Kento Nakajima; its song "Fatal" became the opening theme of season 2 of "Oshi no Ko". It surpassed 100 million streams the following March, earned RIAJ Platinum certification, and won Best Trending Video at the MTV VMAJ.

He kept releasing singles through 2024–2025, including "Jikai Yokoku", "Zuutto Issho!", "Iranai Mono", "Whisper", "Humor", "Anata no Koto o Oshiete", "Ao no Sumika (Acoustic ver.)", "Nakushimono", "Manazashi wa Hikari" and "Culture". In January 2026 he released "Kasuka na Hana", a collaboration with metal band BABYMETAL, as the opening theme of season 2 of "Hell's Paradise". He is scheduled to release two studio albums, "Dekai" and "Pure", simultaneously on 4 November 2026.

Discography (studio albums)

• I Do (Not) Love You. (2018)
• Seven Girls' H(e)avens (2019)
• Demagog (2020)
• Bipolar (2022)
• Roundabout (2024)
• Dekai (2026, upcoming)
• Pure (2026, upcoming)

EPs include "Scar", "Love: Amplified" and "Where Our Blue Is".

Musical style

Shaped by rock bands such as Asian Kung-Fu Generation, plus math rock and Zankyo Records-affiliated acts, Kitani grew from Vocaloid culture into a bassist, composer and singer-songwriter who writes, composes and arranges his own material. His work spans J-pop, J-rock and anime music, and he has delivered a large number of anime theme songs and tie-up tracks.