～Onlyyoujin～

Music is the universal language. It knows no gender, 
race, religion, or political party. No matter who we are, 
a brilliant melody can move us. A driving beat 
can groove us. A stirring timbre can improve us.

Great music is great music, whether it’s Lithuanian, 
Latvian, or Latin – well, let’s not carried away. 
But those Gregorian chants do sound pretty sweet.

Is it any wonder then that American audiences 
from coast to coast have greeted Japanese superstar 
Jin Akanishi as one of their own? The music luminary 
is already a top selling multi-talented entertainer, 
musician, vocalist and actor in his native Japan.

On the eve of his “2012 Japonicana U.S. Tour,” 
Jin took the time to speak with Examiner.com 
about his storied career and recently released album.

Jin’s success story began early as the lead vocalist 
for the Japanese supergroup KAT-TUN. 
With the gifted Akanishi leading the way, 
the band set the platinum standard for the Japanese music industry. 
Each of their 11 singles, 4 albums, and 7 DVDs 
reached #1 on the Japanese National Charts.

In 2009, the successful group became the first artists 
ever to perform ten consecutive days at Tokyo Dome Stadium – 
one of the largest and most prestigious venues in Japan.

It was just more of the same for Jin as a solo artist, 
launching his career that same year with a platinum 
selling debut single, “Bandage,” title track for a hit movie 
with the versatile singer in a starring role. 
Since then it’s been nothing but #1 singles, 
sold out arena tours, and dozens of television credits.

But the versatile performer still isn’t satisfied. 
Having dominated his homeland, the pop music 
and acting superstar is out to conquer the world 
with the recent release of his Warner Music Group debut album, Japonicana, 
and his role as Keanu Reeves’ best friend in Universal Pictures’ 47 Ronin, 
set for a November 2012 release.

As an established, successful artist in Japan, 
you might think that Jin would a bit anxious about “starting over.” 
But he looks at it a little differently.

“I’m really more excited than nervous about it,” said the popular artist. 
“I view it as a great opportunity.  I am very happy to be able to 
share my music with more people.  I’m not starting over anything. 
It is just one of the waypoints.”

Although he’s had only limited exposure to American audiences, 
Jin has already tasted success in the U.S. His 32 exceptionally 
successful Japanese solo shows in 2009 led to his first U.S. tour in 2010, 
selling out 2,000 to 2,500-seat venues in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, 
New York and San Francisco – astoundingly, all without a U.S. release 
or support from a record company.

Jin’s first U.S. single, “Test Drive,” featuring Jason Derulo 
and produced by JR Rotem, debuted at #1 on the iTunes 
Dance Album Chart this past November.  Incredibly, the video for the song 
had over 1 million streams on YouTube. He released his second single 
“Sun Burns Down” on January 26th, again reaching the top spot 
on the iTunes Dance Album Chart.

While fans across the globe seem to appreciate Jin’s catchy music, 
he has noticed a difference in how they show that appreciation.

“I really appreciate all my fans.  But maybe during concerts 
my U.S. fans will dance more and be more high energy 
while my Japanese fans are more focused on listening to my music. 
I’m just trying to be me and make music that hopefully 
can be enjoyed by people from all over the world.”

The talented Jin is one of those rare artists to have had success 
as both a solo performer and as a bandmember. 
He was quick to note the biggest difference between the two.

“Well, in a group, you have other people that can help cover you up 
if you make a mistake.  But as a solo artist, you have to really just be spot on.”

Judging by the fans’ extraordinarily positive reaction to his music, 
Jin has hit the bulls-eye. Implausibly, the Japanese superstar 
has only relatively recently focused on mastering English. 
The beloved Japanese performer surprised his countrymen 
by announcing in a 2006 press conference that he was leaving Japan 
to study English abroad for an indefinite amount of time.

Jin acknowledged the unique difficulty of recording in a different language.

“It’s definitely a challenge since English is my second language. 
But, I welcome it and just push myself to be better.”

After so much fantastic music, millions of records and thousands of fans, 
it’s hard to believe that Jin Akanishi could get any better. 
But it will definitely be worth the wait.

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