Kenshi Yonezu

Okay, Kenshi Yonezu is just absurdly talented and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Picture some lanky kid from Tokushima posting Vocaloid tracks as "Hachi" in the dingy corners of Niconico, and now he's writing songs, melodies, lyrics, and the cover art himself, the full one-man-band creator. "Lemon" became one of those tunes you literally cannot escape in Japan, and "Paprika" turned into a national kids' anthem. What I love is he got massive without sanding off the weird, melancholy edge that made him him; "KICK BACK" is unhinged in the best way, and then Ghibli hands him a theme song. He's an introvert's introvert standing dead center of the mainstream, and somehow it works perfectly. Genuinely my favorite kind of artist.

Kenshi Yonezu is a Japanese singer-songwriter, music producer, and illustrator from Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture. He first gained attention starting in 2009 by posting songs under the name "Hachi" on Niconico, before making his major-label debut in 2013. His 2018 single "Lemon" became a landmark hit, and his 2020 album STRAY SHEEP swept 46 annual music chart prizes. He writes, composes, arranges, and illustrates across his own projects while also producing for other artists, notably creating "Paprika" for the children's group Foorin.

Name (English)

Kenshi Yonezu

Name (Japanese)

米津玄師

Reading

よねづけんし

Born

March 10, 1991 (age 35)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Goat

Origin

Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

Blood type

O

Height

188 cm

Agency

REISSUE RECORDS

Active years

2009–present

Occupation

Singer-songwriter / Music producer / Vocaloid producer / Illustrator

Elementary school

Tokushima Municipal Tsuda Elementary School

Junior high

Tokushima Municipal Tsuda Junior High School

High school

Tokushima Prefectural Tokushima Commercial High School

University

Osaka University of Arts Junior College (withdrew)

Debut

Released the album "diorama" under his real name in 2012; major-label debut with "Santa Maria" in 2013

Awards & achievements

• 2018 62nd Japan Record Award – Best Album (BOOTLEG)
• 2019 61st Japan Record Award – Excellence Award (Paprika / Foorin, produced by Yonezu)
• 2021 71st Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Festival – Minister of Education Award for New Artist (Popular Entertainment Division)

Timeline

1. 2009Began posting songs on Niconico under the name Hachi
2. 2013Major-label debut with the single Santa Maria
3. 2018Lemon became a record-breaking hit; first appearance on NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen
4. 2019Paprika, produced for Foorin, became a major hit
5. 2020Album STRAY SHEEP achieved 46 annual chart titles
6. 2022Released KICK BACK as the opening theme for Chainsaw Man
7. 2023Released Chikyugi as the theme song for The Boy and the Heron
8. 2024Released the album LOST CORNER

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Hobbies

• Gaming
• Manga
• Illustration

Specialties

• Songwriting (lyrics)
• Composition
• Arrangement
• Illustration

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://reissuerecords.net/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/hachi_08/
• Xhttps://x.com/hachi_08
• YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@KenshiYonezu
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/米津玄師

Tags

• From Tokushima
• Singer-songwriter
• Vocaloid producer
• Lemon
• STRAY SHEEP
• Hachi

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.