Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) (Vocaloid producer)
Movies
Kenshi Yonezu (born March 10, 1991) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, illustrator, and filmmaker who was born in Tokushima prefecture. He is currently affiliated with SME Records (Sony Music Labels).
About the Artist
Yonezu began his singing and songwriting career in 2009. He creates Vocaloid music under the moniker, Hachi (ハチ). In 2012, he made his solo debut with the album "diorama" using his real name and the following year made his major debut with Universal Sigma. Since 2016, he has been with Universal Records. His album "BOOTLED", released in 2017, continued to chart throughout the next year and became a commercial success. He won the 60th Japan Record Grand Prize. Yonezu's release of "Lemon" in 2018 became the biggest hit song of the year, with over 3 million sales through both physical CDs and digital downloads. The song currently has over 500 million views on YouTube. During 2018, he had 10 chart-toppers in the Oricon 100 weekly rankings at the same time, a first in the history of the rankings.
Career
Yonezu started using desktop music (DTM) software using the nickname "Hachi", and released around 30 songs using Vocaloids such as Hatsune Miku. He released the tracks on Nico Nico Douga, YouTube, and other video streaming platforms before removing many of them. Within the Vocaloid community, he has gained attention from not only his home in Japan, but also from the world for his addictive rock sound. He also works on illustrations and videos by himself.
After graduating from Tokushima Commercial High School, he attended an art school in Osaka, and provided vocals and played the bass for the band "Ernst Eckmann".
In 2009, Yonezu began producing original Vocaloid music in parallel with his band activities. In May, he uploaded his debut song featuring Hatsune Miku "Princess Sleeps with Electronic Sounds". In 2010, his self-produced albums "Hanataba to Suisou" and "OFFICIAL ORANGE" were released. In 2011, his hit songs "Matryoshka" (Hatsune Miku and GUMI) and "Panda Hero" (GUMI) gained millions of views.
Since 2012, Yonezu has been producing music under his real name. On May 16, he released his album "diorama" under the BALLOOM label. The album was a smash hit and reached 6th place in the Oricon Weekly Album Rankings. In addition to writing the lyrics, composition, arrangement, and singing and performing, Yonezu produced the videos and illustrations himself.
From 2013, he released two singles, "Santa Maria" and "MAD HEAD LOVE/Poppin Apathy" and after an almost 3-year absence from Vocaloid, returned as Hachi to release "Donut Hole".
In 2014, his 2nd album "YANKEE" was released and reached 2nd on the Oricon charts. It was awarded best album in the iTunes annual ranking of "This Year's Best 2014" awards.
In February 2017, he wrote the ending theme "orion" for the anime "March's Lion". It was his first anime theme song-related work, and was quickly reached 1st place on the iTunes store. In June, "Peace Sign", which was written as the opening theme song for the TV anime "My Hero Academia" ranked 2nd in the Oricon Weekly ranking, 1st in the Billboard JAPAN HOT100, and 1st in the iTunes charts.
In August, after an almost 4-year break from Vocaloid, he released "DUNE", the theme song for Hatsune Miku's 10th anniversary "Magical Mirai 2017" event. "Fireworks" (Uchiage Hanabi) was the theme song for the anime film "Fireworks" (literal title: Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?) which received critical acclaim. It was written and sung by Yonezu and famous J-pop singer DAOKO. The song would be so popular that it was voted one of the top hits for summer by fans nationwide.
In August 2019, self-covered "Paprika" was announced as a song for NHK's "Minna no Uta".
Popular Songs Featuring Hatsune Miku
Because Hachi has released so many songs, here are our top five most recommended songs.
| Song Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Matryoshka | Aug 19, 2010 |
| Mrs. Pumpkin's Ridiculous Dream | Oct 12, 2009 |
| THE WORLD END UMBRELLA | Feb 8, 2010 |
| DUNE | Jul 21, 2017 |
| Demons and the Dead | Jul 6, 2009 |
Yonezu's songs under the moniker Hachi, and using Hatsune Miku for vocals, have been featured in television commercials, concerts, and games. His strong musical abilities have influences hundreds of musicians, though not necessarily using Vocaloid software.
Links
Yonezu Kenshi official site「REISSUE RECORDS」
Yonezu Kenshi LINE OFFICIAL BLOG
Sony Music - Yonezu Kenshi
UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN - Yonezu Kenshi
Twitter account
Instagram account
LINE official account
Nico Nico Douga user page
YouTube channel
SoundCloud
pixiv
iTunes