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Ken Hirai

Encyclopedia : K : KE : KEN : Ken Hirai

, born January 17, 1972, is a Japanese R&B singer, born in Higashi-osaka, Osaka prefecture, who grew up in Nabari, Mie Prefecture. His soulful voice, piercing falsettos and unconventional looks had won his fans' hearts when he made his debut back in the 1990s. Some musical artists whom he respects are Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye etc.

Contents

Biography

Ken Hirai, current king of Japanese R&B, began his music career back in 1993 when he signed with Sony Music following an audition in Yokohama the previous year while he was a student. His debut single "Precious Junk" and album were recorded the following year and released in 1995. The first single, used as the theme to a TV drama, immediately garnered Hirai attention and his second single, "Kataho zutsu no earphone" also used for a drama, further capitalized on his unique sound. Hirai's debut album, "un-balanced", went on sale the same year and was followed by a second, "Stare At", in December of the following year.

Taking things more slowly, Hirai used the next four years to consolidate his style and take time out - he only released one single each in 1997 and '98 and didn't produce any new music during 1999. Fans had to wait until 2000 for a third album from Hirai, "The Changing Same", and it was the first single "Rakuen" (paradise) that established him as a major player in the domestic charts and overseas. He was the first Japanese artist to take the classic test of a true R&B performer - playing at the Apollo Theater in New York, where he got a warm reception. Capitalizing on a strong fan base in Asia, Hirai appeared at the MTV Music Summit in Taiwan in August 2000. Voted Best New Japanese Act in a pop poll organized by the RTHK radio station in Hong Kong.

Japanese R&B artist, Ken Hirai, performing at MTV Unplugged
Japanese R&B artist, Ken Hirai, performing at MTV Unplugged

2001 saw his single "Kiss of Life" used as the theme for the popular "Love Revolution" TV drama series. His fourth album "Gaining Through Losing" (it went to sell 1.5 million all over Asia including Japan) and a national tour of the same name built on his solid reputation. 1st remix album "Kh remixed-up 1" was released in November, 2001. Through the album, the artist showed wholly new part of himself to the audience, and appealed to club-goers and DJs for the first time.

He had already shown that he had the urge to perform abroad, so his live appearance on the Music Fair show in March 2002 with producer/singer Babyface from an LA studio was very much part of the plan. In the summer, recognition like winning the Best Male Artist at the inaugral MTV Video Music Awards Japan and appearing in the official FIFA World Cup concert with CHEMISTRY and Lauryn Hill seemed like they were just par for the course. Already an established star, Hirai went one step further when he released a cover of "Okina Furudokei" (My Grandfather's Clock) in 2002. A popular nursery rhyme, it was expected to be a minor success, but it went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year.

In 2003, Ken performed for MTV Unplugged Live in New York, as the 1st Japanese male solo vocalist. Also, he was interviewed by CNN "THE MUSIC ROOM", which was televised in 210 countries, and watched by 230 million viewers.

5th album "LIFE is...", which contains "Strawberry Sex", "Ring", and super-hit single "Okina Furudokei" (My Grandfather's Clock) was released on January 22, 2003.

In December 10, 2003, conceptual album "Ken's Bar" was released. In the album, Ken selected his favorite songs and covered in his own style.

In May 2004 "SENTIMENTALovers" was made public. The album spawned 4 singles, with "Hitomi wo Tojite" (Close my eyes) the most successful, also becoming the biggest-selling single of that year.

Discography

Singles

Albums

  1. un-balanced, July 7, 1995 – #57; over 18,000 sold
  2. Stare At, December 1, 1996
  3. THE CHANGING SAME, June 21, 2000 – #1; over 913,000 copies sold
  4. gaining through losing, July 4, 2001 – #2; over 1,068,000 copies sold
  5. LIFE is..., January 22, 2003 – #1 over 806,000 copies sold
  6. SENTIMENTALovers, November 24, 2004 – #1; over 1,661,000 copies sold

Compilations

Others

Trivia

External links















 





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