Tele

Overview

Tele is the solo project of Japanese musician Kitaro Taniguchi (谷口喜多朗), born June 1, 2000. Launched in 2022, the project is signed to TOY'S FACTORY and managed by RED. Taniguchi handles lyrics, composition and arrangement entirely on his own, and is praised for poetic, cathartic expression.

The name "Tele" comes from the story behind the naming of the Telecaster electric guitar developed by Fender in the United States, which was reportedly named to capitalize on the television then becoming widespread. Taniguchi was drawn to that very "meaninglessness" and chose the name to reflect his view that the project is merely a framework. He describes it as a solo project rather than a singer-songwriter act because he loves bands and finds meaning in music being born when people come together.

On TV Asahi's "EIGHT-JAM" special on Kenshi Yonezu, Yonezu himself named Tele as an artist he had been listening to recently.

Career

As a student, Taniguchi formed a three-piece band called "TELE," but the other members left around 2020. Feeling that he had achieved nothing despite having named the band, he decided to keep the name "Tele" and continue making music. On January 1, 2022, "Birthday" (バースデイ) received its first airplay on FM802, restarting his activities.

His first album, NEW BORN GHOST, was released on June 1, 2022. He continued to release songs, and on November 2 held his first solo concert, "Tokyo Sengen," at Tokyo Kinema Club.

In 2023, Tele was selected for Spotify's "RADAR: Early Noise 2023," a program highlighting artists expected to break through. In February he held a second solo show, "nai ma ze," in Tokyo and Osaka, and from September he embarked on his first nationwide tour, "Shuku /Ju."

In 2024 he held the solo tour "Hakoniwa no Akari," which included his first show at Nippon Budokan. The Budokan date, June 1, was both the release anniversary of NEW BORN GHOST and Taniguchi's birthday.

In 2025 he held the nationwide tour "Zanzo no Aishikata," including a Yokohama Arena show, and released his second album on April 23. On June 25 he made his major debut with the digital single "Garasu no Sen" (硝子の線) on TOY'S FACTORY. Its tracks "Garasu no Sen" (がらすの線 / 硝子の線) were used as ending themes for the web anime Takopii's Original Sin, while the track "Rabyu" (らびゅー) was used in the film version. From December he began the nationwide tour "Mushi," opening with his first Makuhari Messe show and traveling the country through March of the following year.

On March 20, 2026, the "Mushi" tour concluded at Zepp Osaka Bayside. He released the digital single "Ropeway" on March 25 and "Kazamidori" on August 19. His first show at K-Arena Yokohama is scheduled for March 2027.

Radio

Tele served as a regular DJ on FM802's MUSIC FREAKS from October 13, 2024 to September 28, 2025, and hosted "Tele's All Night Nippon 0 (ZERO)" on Nippon Broadcasting System on May 24, 2025.

Musical Style

A self-producing artist who writes, composes and arranges everything himself, Tele is known for poetic and cathartic expression. Rooted in a love of bands and the belief that music is born when people gather, he treats the project as a flexible framework. His genre is classified as J-pop.