Hironobu Kageyama


Hironobu Kageyama 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".
Kageyama's best known works include the title tracks for Dengeki Sentai Changeman and Hikari Sentai Maskman, "Saint Shinwa ~Soldier Dream~" for Saint Seiya, and "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" for Dragon Ball Z. Lazy reunited in 1997, and Kageyama briefly worked with Masaaki Endoh as the duo Metal Brothers before they formed the anison supergroup JAM Project in 2000 with several other vocalists.
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Career

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 Broadcasting, 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." 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.
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. 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. 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. The following year he was selected to sing the opening theme of Dragon Ball Z, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La". Kageyama referred to landing these two themes to anime adaptations of Weekly Shōnen Jump manga back to back as "what altered the direction of my life for good." "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" sold 1.7million copies. 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." 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 and Yuka as singers, Chiho Kiyooka and Hideki Matsutake as composers, and Sakiko Iwamuro and Dai Satō as lyricists. Kageyama estimated that he went on to sing around 70 songs for the Dragon Ball franchise as of 2021.
The Chōjin Sentai Jetman Hit Song Collection, which features songs Kageyama recorded for Chōjin Sentai Jetman, won a Japan Gold Disc Award in 1991. Kageyama's 1993 song "Suki Suki Suki" was certified Gold by the RIAJ for sales of 200,000 copies. 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. 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, is a voice actress and Korean-to-Japanese translator and interpreter. His younger daughter, Nana, is a dancer, choreographer and singer-songwriter who has written songs with her father. Kageyama is an avid cyclist, and practices learning English via the TOEIC.

Discography

Studio albums

Broken HeartIt's Live RunninFirst at LastHorizonBorn AgainI'm in you.Cold Rain30years3ounceRock JapanA.O.R
  • ''Hangeki no o Uchi Rock''

Compilation albums

The Best of Hironobu KageyamaStardust BoysCYVOXHironobu Kageyama Best Album 3: MixtureHironobu Kageyama Eternity 20th Anniversary Box Best & LiveGolden☆Best
  • ''Kage-chan Pack ~Kimi to Boku no Daikoushin~''

Live albums

Power Live '95 CYVOX ~Complete Version~Power Live '98
  • Akogi na Futaritabi Daze!! Live Album - Dai 1 Shou

Cover albums

  • ''Dare ga Cover Yanen Anison Show''

Singles

  • "Kyou wo Ikiyou"
  • "Try Me"
  • "Hotondo Crazy"
  • "Mayonaka no Dance"
  • "Star Dust Memory"
  • "Dengeki Sentai Changeman"
  • "Wakasa de Changeman"
  • "Natsu ga Kowarete Iku -Day Dream Blues-"
  • "St. Elmo's Fire"
  • "Stardust Boys"
  • "Honoo no Violence"
  • "Wild Boy" - credited to "Hironobu Kageyama with Do-ya"
  • "Hikari Sentai Maskman"
  • "The Headmasters"
  • "Saint Shinwa ~Soldier Dream~"
  • "Cha-La Head Cha-La"
  • "Chōjin Sentai Jetman"
  • "Ready to Love"
  • "Dark Water"
  • "Suki Suki Suki"
  • "Skyscraper ~Mantenrou ni Dakarete~"
  • "Aka no Ryuusei Hata"
  • "Cashian ~Kaze no Hakajirushi~"
  • "Tatakau Tame ni Umareta Senshi"
  • "We Gotta Power"
  • "Hitomi wo Tojite Emilia"
  • "Kiseki no Big Fight"
  • "We Are Reysol"
  • "Do! Challenge"
  • "Dragon Power ∞"
  • "Detazo! In Daijyougun!!"
  • "Mini Yonku da! Let's & Go!!"
  • "Kishin Douji Zenki"
  • "Saikyou no Fusion"
  • "Get Win the "J""
  • "Boku-tachi no Start"
  • "Ore ga Yaranakya Dare ga Yaru"
  • "Chou Kishin Zenki, Raigou Sei Rin!"
  • "Te to Te wo Tsunagou!"
  • "Dokkan Beat"
  • "Power Up Turtles"
  • "Get Up! V Magnum"
  • "It Was 30 Years Ago"
  • "One Dream, One Love"
  • "Get the World"
  • "Take a Journey"
  • ""Ore-tachi" no Theme"
  • "Ganbare Goemon no Theme"
  • "My Name is Cowboy"
  • "Naseba Naruhodo Robotack"
  • "Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack"
  • "Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack 2"
  • "Power of Love"
  • "Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack 3"
  • "Ame no Chi Egao Egao no Chihare"
  • "Heats"
  • "Smile Again"
  • "Baseball Tengoku"
  • "Win a Fight"
  • "Kon no Evolution"
  • "Hero wa Housou Naka"
  • "Sennen no Soldier"
  • "Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!"
  • "Cha-La Head-Cha-La (2005 Ver.)"
  • "Eternal Love 2006"
  • "Fuuun Musou Ten"
  • "Hikari no Sasu Mirai e!"
  • "Progression"
  • "Ever Last"
  • "Battle of Omega"
  • "Kiba -Tusk of Darkness-"
  • "Yohsoro ~Hoshi no Umi wo Koete~"
  • "Kanata Tooku / Hikari Kanata"
  • "Sora no Kanata e"
  • "Winner Win!"

Other singles