Gen Hoshino (星野 源, Hoshino Gen, born January 28, 1981) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and writer.
Career
Music
From its formation in 2000 until its disbandment in 2015, Hoshino led the instrumental band Sakerock, where he played marimba and guitar. They released over ten albums. As a solo artist, he debuted with his first album Baka no Uta on June 23, 2010. His first physical single, "Kudaranai no Naka ni" was released on March 2, 2011, and peaked at number 17 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The subsequent singles – "Film", "Yume no Soto e", "Shiranai" (2012), and "Gag" (2013) – all charted in the top 10. His second album, Episode, released on September 28, 2011, peaked at number five. Hoshino's third album, Stranger, followed on May 1, 2013. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[1]
Since 2011, Hoshino has co-hosted the Ustream program Sake no Sakana (サケノサカナ) with Ichirō Yamaguchi of Sakanaction.[2] In 2014, the program officially changed its name to Yoru no Television.
Hoshino's fourth album, Yellow Dancer, was released on December 2, 2015, in Japan through Speedstar Records; it debuted atop both Oricon and Billboard Japan's album charts. Yellow Dancer was certified platinum by the RIAJ that same month for surpassing 250,000 physical shipments,[3] and became one of the few albums to receive a gold certification for digital downloads.[4]
On February 18, 2018, Hoshino uploaded a music video for his song "Doraemon", which was written in tribute to the Japanese franchise of the same name. The song was used as the theme of the 38th Doraemon movie, Nobita's Treasure Island, and has been used as the opening theme of the Doraemon anime from October 5, 2019, to November 2, 2024.[5][6]Pop Virus, Hoshino's fifth album, was released on December 17.[7] It spent four consecutive weeks atop the Oricon Album Chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAJ that same month.[8] The album's commercial performance, within just a few months of its release, earned Hoshino a Best Album prize at the 33rd Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2019, as well as a Best Song prize for the digital success of the single "Idea", which was used as a theme for Asadora.[9][10]
In March 2019, Hoshino also became the first artist to win four trophies at the Space Shower Music Awards.[11] On August 30, all of Hoshino's music was made available on streaming services.[12]
On December 27, 2023, Hoshino released the double A-side single "Why" / "Life" (光の跡／生命体). It features the song "Why", used in the end credits of the movie Spy × Family Code: White.[16]
Hoshino at a screening for Samurai Shifters in 2019
In 2013, he played the lead character in Masahide Ichii's Blindly in Love (箱入り息子の恋, Hakoiri Musuko no Koi) alongside Kaho, and starred in the Sion Sono film Why Don't You Play in Hell?. In 2016, Hoshino starred in TBS's The Full-Time Wife Escapist. With Yui Aragaki as his co-star, he portrayed a salaryman named Hiramasa Tsuzaki. The drama achieved steadily rising ratings, with a real-time viewership peak rating of 20.8% on the final episode, and an overall rating of 14.5%.[18][19] Hoshino's performance earned him several Best Supporting Actor awards.[20][21][22] He also provided the theme song for the drama, titled "Koi".[23] Gen Hoshino created the parody character "Akira Nise" (ニセ明, Nise Akira, literally Fake Akira) as a tribute to Akira Fuse.[24][25][26] In 2017, Hoshino lent his voice to the main character of award-winning animated film Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. He also became the voice of the Father in Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, which was released into theaters in Japan on July 20, 2018. On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Hoshino will star in Samurai Shifters, the film adaptation of Akihiro Dobashi's historical novel Hikkoshi Daimyo Sanzenri, set to premier on August 30, 2019.[27] In the movie, he plays a bookworm samurai called Harunosuke Katagiri, who receives the mission to help a daimyo move. It will be Hoshino's first lead role in a live-action movie since Blindly in Love in 2013. Idaten, NHK's 2019 Taiga drama, chosen for the theme to encourage the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Hoshino portrayed Kazushige Hirasawa, who delivered the persuasive speech that helped determine the venue for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.[28][29]
Personal life
On December 22, 2012, Hoshino was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage and underwent surgery.[30] He officially returned to public life on February 28, 2013, with his appearance at the Tokyo J-Wave Awards.[31]
^"「ドラえもん」TVアニメのオープニングが5年ぶりにリニューアル 11月9日から映画45周年記念の特別仕様に" [The *Doraemon* TV Anime Opening Renewed for the First Time in 5 Years — Special Edition for the 45th Anniversary of the Movie Starting November 9]. アニメハック (in Japanese). Retrieved November 1, 2024.
^"土曜午後５時放送になった「ドラえもん」、ネット上で新オープニング映像＆主題歌に反響…「めっちゃ好き」、「なんかちょっと違う気がする」" [Doraemon, Now Airing on Saturdays at 5 PM, Receives Reactions Online for New Opening Video and Theme Song… "I really like it," "It feels a bit different."]. スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
^"星野源"人間もおばけも踊る"新曲完成 新垣結衣&神木隆之介ら出演の実写映画『おばけずかん』主題歌に決定" [Gen Hoshino's New Song "Humans and Ghosts Dance" Completed — Chosen as the Theme Song for the Live-Action Movie *Obake Zukan*, Starring Yu Aoi and Ryunosuke Kamiki] (in Japanese). Oricon. May 25, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
^"星野源 大河「いだてん」で滝クリ級スピーチ カンペ見ずに流ちょうな英語で五輪招致導く / December 15, 2018" [Gen Hoshino Delivers Takigawa Christel-Level Speech in Taiga Drama "Idaten" — Leads Olympic Bid with Fluent English Without Using a Script / December 15, 2018] (in Japanese). Suponichi Annex. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^"新垣結衣と星野源が結婚を発表「互いに支え合い豊かな時間を積み重ねていけたら」" [Yu Aoi and Gen Hoshino Announce Their Marriage: "We Hope to Support Each Other and Build a Rich Time Together."]. Oricon. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
^"細田守「未来のミライ」に上白石萌歌、黒木華、星野源、麻生久美子らが出演" [Mamoru Hosoda's *Mirai* Features Moka Kamishiraishi, Hana Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, and Others.]. Natalie (in Japanese). April 11, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
^"星野源、"薬物前科者"役でWOWOW初主演「最もだらしなくてダメな人」" [Gen Hoshino Stars in His First Lead Role on WOWOW as a "Former Drug Offender" — "The Most Careless and Useless Person"]. Oricon (in Japanese). May 16, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
^"ドラマ「コウノドリ」新シリーズ放送決定！綾野剛「皆様の心に残るように」" [New Series of the Drama *Kounodori* Announced! Tatsuya Ayano: "I Hope It Stays in Everyone's Hearts"]. Natalie (in Japanese). June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
^"星野源 大河「いだてん」で滝クリ級スピーチ カンペ見ずに流ちょうな英語で五輪招致導く / December 15, 2018" [Gen Hoshino Delivers a Takigawa Christel-Level Speech in the Taiga Drama *Idaten*, Leading the Olympic Bid with Fluent English Without a Script / December 15, 2018] (in Japanese). Suponichi Annex. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^"神尾楓珠:NHKドラマ初主演で17歳の若き総理に 共演に山田杏奈、星野源 脚本は吉田玲子" [Fuju Kamio: First Starring Role in an NHK Drama as a 17-Year-Old Young Prime Minister – Co-starring Anna Yamada and Gen Hoshino, Script by Reiko Yoshida]. Mantan-web. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
^"おげんさんといっしょ" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
^"ドコモ(docomo)のキャッシュレスCM、ゼニクレージーから考える現金とキャッシュレス" [Docomo's Cashless Commercial: Rethinking Cash and Cashless Payments Through Zeni-Crazy]. dataway (in Japanese). March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
^"ドコモのキャッシュレスCM第二弾、星野源がゼニクレージーをプロデュース!?" [Docomo's Second Cashless Commercial: Gen Hoshino Produces "Zeni-Crazy"!?]. dataway (in Japanese). March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
^"星野源×マーク・ロンソン、対談や撮り下ろしフォト・ページなど『rockin'on』表紙巻頭で特集" [Gen Hoshino × Mark Ronson Featured on the Cover and Opening Pages of *rockin'on* with Special Interview and Exclusive Photo Spread] (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. January 23, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
