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Hironobu Kageyama (Japanese: 影山 ヒロノブ, Hepburn: Kageyama Hironobu, real name written 景山 浩宣, born February 18, 1961) is a Japanese musician, singer and composer. He is best known for his work on anime, video game and tokusatsu soundtracks. Kageyama first rose to prominence as a teenager in the 1970s as lead singer of the rock band Lazy. Following their breakup in 1981, Kageyama began a solo career. He struggled until finding major success in the mid-1980s, when he started singing theme songs for anime and tokusatsu television shows. The music to such programs is called anison in Japan, and Kageyama became immensely popular, earning the nickname "Prince of the Anison World" (アニソン界のプリンス, Anison-kai no Purinsu).[1][2]
While still a high school student in Osaka, Kageyama formed the rock band Lazy with classmates Akira Takasaki and Shunji Inoue at age 16. The group appeared on Asahi Broascasting, where they were discovered by Hiroshi Kamayatsu. The group moved to Tokyo and released five albums with Kageyama as their vocalist before breaking up in 1981. That year, Kageyama released his first solo album on the Tokuma record label. He would later describe the period after leaving Lazy as the hardest of his career, "I just couldn't find a good groove, and the crowd numbers at my gigs started to dwindle."[4] For several years, he continued to work part-time at construction sites in order to support his family while continuing to play the music he loved.[4]
He signed with Nippon Columbia in 1985. The director of Columbia recommended him to Toei as the singer of the opening theme to Dengeki Sentai Changeman.[4][5] With his background in a rock band, Kageyama said the director revitalized his career by choosing him to sing that song as he wanted a rock singer who could sing the upbeat themes that were being written for anime in increasing numbers in the 1980s.[4] The song, performed under the pseudonym "KAGE", led Kageyama to pivot to a career in anison. In 1988, he performed "Saint Shinwa ~Soldier Dream~" as the theme to Saint Seiya.[4] The following year he was selected to sing the opening theme of Dragon Ball Z, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La".[4] Kageyama referred to landing these two themes to anime adaptations of Weekly Shōnen Jumpmanga back to back as "what altered the direction of my life for good."[4] "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" sold 1.7million copies.[6] In Kageyama's estimate, Columbia was behind about 70% of all anime songs being released at the time, so "Recording three or four songs in a day was a regular occurrence. It was just day after day of recording."[4] Kageyama was part of a special team at Columbia called Project Monolith, which focused on music for Dragon Ball Z. It included himself, Shinichi Ishihara, Kuko (now known as "Ikuko") and Yuka as singers, Chiho Kiyooka and Hideki Matsutake as composers, and Sakiko Iwamuro and Dai Satō as lyricists.[4] Kageyama estimated that he went on to sing around 70 songs for the Dragon Ball franchise as of 2021.[4]
The Chōjin Sentai Jetman Hit Song Collection, which features songs Kageyama recorded for Chōjin Sentai Jetman, won a Japan Gold Disc Award in 1991.[7] Kageyama's 1993 song "Suki Suki Suki" was certified Gold by the RIAJ for sales of 200,000 copies.[8] Lazy reunited in 1997. Kageyama briefly worked with Masaaki Endoh as the duo Metal Brothers from 1997 to 1998. In 2000, he signed with Lantis, then run by his Lazy bandmate Inoue, and co-founded the anison supergroup JAM Project with Endoh and Ichiro Mizuki.
Along with Endoh, Kageyama hosted Anipara Ongakukan, a TV show that aired on the Kids Station Channel that showed live performances of the theme songs of recent anime and tokusatsu shows. The show was canceled in 2017.[9] Kageyama is also the voice of Zaruba, a mystical talking ring, as well as the loyal ally and advisor to the titular hero of the tokusatsu franchise Garo, for which JAM Project has performed the opening themes.
Personal life
Kageyama is married and the father of two daughters. His elder daughter, Risa (梨彩), is a voice actress and Korean-to-Japanese translator and interpreter.[10] His younger daughter, Nana (菜奈), is a dancer, choreographer and singer-songwriter who has written songs with her father.[11][12] Kageyama is an avid cyclist,[13] and practices learning English via the TOEIC.[4]
Discography
Studio albums
[1981.12.01] Broken Heart
[1982.04.01] It's Live Runnin
[1982.12.15] First at Last
[1983.08.25] Horizon
[1985.06.21] Born Again
[2000.04.26] I'm in you.
[2005.12.07] Cold Rain
[2007.07.25] 30years3ounce
[2012.02.08] Rock Japan
[2017.07.25] A.O.R
[2022.03.18] Hangeki no o Uchi Rock (反撃のおうちロック)
Compilation albums
[1989.02.25] The Best of Hironobu Kageyama
[1992.03.21] Stardust Boys
[1994.04.21] CYVOX
[1996.04.20] Hironobu Kageyama Best Album 3: Mixture
