Photo: 首相官邸 / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I came to Shinji Harada way after the fact, and honestly I get why teenage Japan lost its mind over him in the late '70s. A kid from Hiroshima barely out of high school, writing his own songs and singing them with this bright, breezy pop sensibility, that's a genuinely rare thing. "Teens' Blues" and "Time Travel" still sound springtime-fresh to me, melodies that just lift off the page. What I respect most is that he didn't coast on the heartthrob thing. He kept going as a real musician and producer, building a long, quietly stubborn career instead of fading after the screaming-fans era. His first three singles charting in the Oricon top 20 at the same time, a first, is the kind of feat that outlives trends. There's a steadiness under all that lightness that I find easy to root for.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
Overview
Shinji Harada is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer born on December 5, 1958, in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. He attended Hiroshima Municipal Funairi Senior High School and rose to prominence in 1977 when his first three singles, "Teens' Blues," "Candy" and "Shadow Boxer," all entered the Oricon top 20 at once, followed by "Time Travel" in 1978. He has also written songs for other artists and has an official website and social media accounts.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shinji Harada
- Name (Japanese)
- 原田真二
- Reading
- はらだ しんじ
- Born
- December 5, 1958 (age 67)
- Origin
- Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- Singer-songwriter / Musician / Music producer / Recording artist
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dog
- Active years
- 1977 -
2. Background
- High school
- Hiroshima Municipal Funairi Senior High School
3. Works & records
Works summary
- Works
- 245
- By year (titles with a known year)
- 1977: 4, 1978: 5, 1979: 5, 1980: 2, 1981: 4, 1982: 1, 1983: 2, 1984: 1, 1985: 1, 1986: 5, 1987: 1, 1988: 1, 1989: 1, 1992: 5, 1993: 4, 1994: 5, 1995: 1, 1996: 1, 1997: 2, 1998: 3, 1999: 1, 2000: 1, 2001: 2, 2002: 1, 2003: 3, 2004: 4, 2005: 4, 2006: 2, 2007: 5, 2008: 2, 2009: 4, 2010: 5, 2011: 4, 2012: 4, 2013: 5, 2014: 3, 2015: 3, 2017: 3, 2019: 2, year unknown: 133
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Representative work | Christmas That Never Ends |
| Representative work | Teenus Blues |
| Representative work | Time Travel / Joy |
4. Links
- Official sitehttp://shinji-harada.com/
- Xhttps://x.com/THECHORDAI
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8E%9F%E7%94%B0%E7%9C%9F%E4%BA%8C
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7497579
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Shinji Harada born?
Shinji Harada was born on December 5, 1958 and is 67 years old.
Where is Shinji Harada from?
Shinji Harada is from Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
What does Shinji Harada do?
Shinji Harada works as Singer-songwriter, Musician, Music producer, Recording artist.
Which high school did Shinji Harada attend?
Shinji Harada attended Hiroshima Municipal Funairi Senior High School.
How long has Shinji Harada been active?
Shinji Harada has been active since 1977.
What is Shinji Harada known for?
Shinji Harada's notable works include Christmas That Never Ends, Teenus Blues, Time Travel / Joy.
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