I love Jin Akanishi

As many people did, I also thought Jin Akanishi was over.

Who is Jin Akanishi?

Jin Akanishi is a Japanese musician and actor. He was a member of the popular Japanese idol group (“KAT-TUN”), which became the fourth Johnny group. The group was so successful that they were able to hold concerts at the 5 big domes in Japan.

At the height of the group’s success, Jin surprised everybody by announcing his intent to go to Los Angeles to study English.

I do not think people took his intent very seriously. Ok, Japanese pop star wants to learn English…alright, then..

It is very challenging for Japanese people to succeed in Hollywood.

This isn’t limited to Japanese people but Asian Americans are underrepresented in Hollywood..especially in music industry. I really can’t name very successful Asian singers in Hollywood.

Utada Hikaru, a renowned Japanese singer did debut in the US but she couldn’t get the kind of recognition in the West. She speaks English and Japanese fluently and since she was born in the US, Utada is technically a Japanese American singer. But she still didn’t quite make it.

Jin Akanishi in Hollywood.

His first debut single in the US was released digitally. His song “Test Drive” was released on November8, 2011. The song reached the number one spot on the iTunes Dance Charts!

It didn’t stop there. In 2012, his second single “Sun Burns Down” was released digitally in the US. The song reached the number one spot on the iTunes Dance Charts again. Then Jin held a promotional concert tour in the US in March, 2012.

His further concerts were cancelled abruptly 

A series of concerts that were scheduled in Japan were cancelled by Jin’s agency Johnny’s Entertainment.

It was because the agency found out that Jin had gotten married to Meisa Kuroki, a popular Japanese actress, model and singer without notifying the agency. The Johnny’s Entertainment had to give some kind of penalty to Jin as he shocked the public by suddenly getting married to Meisa and it was found that Meisa was pregnant.

I am not going to make any comment on the penalty as this is part of Japanese culture and how Japanese business operates. (not just its entertainment industry). Jin didn’t just shocked his fans and general public, but his decision and subsequent act also negatively affected the reputation of his agency.

Everybody thought Jin Akanishi was a done deal in Japan and it means he was done everywhere.

..But Jin Akanishi is back and going stronger than ever!

While traveling Japan recently, I came across his live performance youtube videos. I was super impressed. His English is so good. His accents are excellent, given the fact that he wasn’t raised bilingual like Utada Hikaru. I personally know how difficult it is as I pretty much learned how to speak English on my own in my early 20s. 🙂

Live tour 2015 ~me~ DVD is out now!

This is a typical R&B uptempo music that I Love.

Not only that, I do respect musicians who write his own music and Jin’s talent and tremendous effort, strength and perseverance are impressive. Many artists come and go each year, but Jin is no longer just a former Johnny’s idol member.

Women used to make up the majority of Jin’s concert audiences, but a considerable number of male fans were present at his latest concerts in Japan.

Jin Akanishi is now an international artist and I look forward to his continued growth and success!

I do love his music.