Subaru Shibutani
| Subaru Shibutani 渋谷 すばる |
|
|---|---|
| Born | September 22, 1981 |
| Origin | Osaka, Japan |
| Genres | Enka, pop, rock, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor, lyricist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Teichiku Records, Imperial Records |
| Associated acts | Kanjani Eight |
Subaru Shibutani (渋谷 すばる Shibutani Subaru?, born September 22, 1981) is a Japanese idol, singer, actor and lyricist. He is also the main vocalist of Japanese male idol group Kanjani Eight, which debuted with modern enka. Shibutani was already a singer in his own right before the group's debut, immensely popular among Johnny's Jr. fans as the top Kansai Jr. of his time. His image color in the group is red.
Shibutani entered Johnny & Associates in 1996 on his birthday, September 22 (along with future fellow Kanjani Eight member Ryūhei Maruyama) after passing an audition. He did not hear from the agency until December 1996, when he was called to a second audition for a KinKi Kids concert. It was there where he first met two other future fellow members You Yokoyama and Shingo Murakami.
Shibutani's singing talent first became apparent during the recording of an original Kansai Jr. song "Boys in the West Side", theme song for Kanjani Knights, a Kansai Jr. show that ran in 1998. He was a regular on the show together with Yokoyama and Murakami. The trio went on to appear on many Jr shows together, becoming close co-workers and dubbing themselves "3baka" ("the 3 idiots"). Together with Ryo Nishikido, they were the four top Kansai Jrs. This meant increased exposure, with opportunities to appear in many Jr shows in Tokyo as well. Shibutani's big break was an outstanding solo performance on Music Station which would see him move to live in Tokyo, followed shortly by Yokoyama and Murakami. At Tokyo, he received many singing jobs and the 3baka became a fixture in the Tokyo Jr TV programs; They went on to star in their own TV series, IkeIkeIkemen, and were regulars on Koichi Domoto's show Pikaichi.
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