Chris Hart (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Hart
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 25 August 1984 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Labels | Universal Sigma |
Chris Hart, born on August 25, 1984, is a singer, songwriter, and producer. He was born in America but became very popular in Japan. He is known for his J-pop music. He also writes and produces his own songs.
Contents
Early Life and Learning Japanese
Chris Hart was born in Palo Alto, California. His parents were musicians. They separated when he was two years old. He has an older sister and a younger half-brother.
When Chris was 12, he started learning Japanese at school. He became very interested in Japanese music, language, and culture. In college, he studied music and Japanese. He worked at an airport and for a Japanese makeup company. This helped him stay connected to Japan. Later, he moved to Japan and worked with vending machines.
Music Career Beginnings
Chris Hart started his music journey in 2003. He was the singer for a band called NIKITA w/Metallic Beasts. They played cover songs by Japanese visual kei artists.
In 2007, Chris started his own solo project called LYV. He wrote all the lyrics and music in Japanese. He released a digital album called Voyager.
After moving to Japan, Chris performed on his own. He sang at many places like live houses, events, and festivals. He also appeared on TV shows and sang at weddings. In 2011, he joined a singing group called "Triple Trip." They had a regular radio show. They released one digital song called "NEW WORLD." Chris also wrote the English lyrics for the Tsukuba Daigaku theme song, "Imagine The Future."
Rising to Fame in Japan
In 2012, Chris Hart posted a video on YouTube. Executives from the TV show Nodojiman The World saw it. This show is a singing contest for non-Japanese people who sing Japanese songs. Chris was invited to compete and appeared on the show three times that year.
A music producer named Jeff Miyahara noticed Chris's singing. He offered to help Chris with his music. In 2013, Chris released a cover song of "Home" by Yusaku Kiyama. It became very popular, reaching number 8 on the Japanese sales charts. Soon after, he released an album of cover songs. This album reached number 3 and sold over 300,000 copies.
Chris also worked with famous J-pop singer Matsuda Seiko. They released a song together called "Yume Ga Samete." This song was for their record label's 10th anniversary. Chris and Seiko Matsuda performed "Yume ga Samete" at the 64th annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen. This is a very famous music show in Japan.
Original Music and Success
On February 26, 2014, Chris Hart released his first original song, "I LOVE YOU." His first original album, Song for You, came out on March 19, 2014. It reached number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.
Chris then released "Heart Song II" on June 25, 2014. This album reached number 2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts. He also released a Christmas album, Christmas Hearts, on November 12, 2014. This album reached number 8. It was Chris's fourth album in a row to be in the top 10. He also performed at the 65th annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen, singing his cover of "Ito" by Miyuki Nakajima.
In 2015, Chris Hart released a song with the group Gospellers called "Tsuzuku Michi with Gospellers." He also started his third nationwide tour. This tour visited all 47 prefectures (regions) of Japan. It was the first time a non-Japanese artist had done such a tour.
By June 25, 2015, Chris Hart had sold over 1 million albums in total. He also sang the theme song for a TV drama called Saikyo no Futari. This new song, "Anata e," was released as a single on August 26, 2015. It was his third original song.
Tours and New Projects
In 2016, Chris Hart helped write the song "Boku wa kokode ikiteiku." This song was featured on NHK Minna no Uta, a popular children's music program. He also announced the final show of his 47-prefecture tour at Nippon Budokan.
Chris then started a second 47-prefecture tour called "Chris Hart 2nd 47 Prefecture Tour~My Hometown~." This tour lasted from 2016 to 2017. He had local mascots at each show. The tour ended in Tokyo at the Tokyo International Forum Hall A. In total, Chris held 98 concerts on his two tours.
On April 6, 2017, Chris Hart announced that he had become a Japanese citizen.
On December 5, 2017, Chris announced he would take a break from music. He wanted to study music more and spend time with his family. He released a best-of album called "Kokoro no Uta~Chris Hart BEST~." It included his old songs and new ones. The album featured a new cover of "Daijoubu" by Kazumasa Oda and a new original song called "Dreams." The music video for "Dreams" featured famous ballet dancer Shoko Nakamura.
Chris performed his last solo show at NHK Hall on April 13, 2018. He sang a duet called "Fanfare" with singer Murakami Keisuke. Chris, Murakami, and Paul Ballard wrote this song together.
In 2018, Chris Hart's song "I Love You" became very popular for karaoke. It reached number 13 on the Oricon Karaoke Ranking. Other artists, like FUKI, also covered his song.
In 2019, Chris started a new project called A.P.E. with songwriter Paul Ballard. They wrote music for the song "For One's Smile feat Chris Hart" for artist Ai Kawashima. Chris also sang on this song. A.P.E. also arranged May J.'s cover of Chris Hart's "I Love You" for her album.
A.P.E. also created the music and sound for a Canadian film called "Viaticum." The film won an award for Best Sound Design.
In 2021, Chris Hart released three digital songs: "monochromatic," "chanto~mother's blues~," and "flashback." These were followed by his third original album, COMPLEX. Chris produced and wrote these songs and the album himself.
In September 2022, Chris Hart was featured on a remix of "Life Was a Beach." This song was by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. The original song had become popular in Japan.
In January 2025, Chris Hart announced that he had left his record label, Universal Sigma. He said it was due to personal reasons.
Personal Life
Chris Hart grew up in Palo Alto, California. He went to Gunn High School. He married Japanese singer Hitomi Fukunaga in 2012. They have three children together. As of 2024, he is married to Mayuko Kaneshita, and they have two children. Chris became a Japanese citizen in 2017. When he became a Japanese citizen, he gave up his American citizenship.
Music Albums
- Heart Song (2013)
- Heart Song -Special Edition- (2013)
- Song for You (2014)
- Heart Song II (2014)
- Christmas Hearts (2014)
- Heart Song III (2015)
- Kokorono Uta -Chris Hart Best (2017)
- Complex (2021)
Music Singles
- "home" (2013)
- "Yume ga Samete" (夢がさめて, "Waking From a Dream") (2013)
- "I LOVE YOU" (2014)
- Mamoritai ~magic of a touch~
- Tsuzuku Michi with Gospellers (2015)
- "I LOVE YOU" (2020)
Awards and Recognitions
- 28th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards
- New Artist of the Year (Japanese Domestic): Chris Hart
- 5 Best New Artists (Japanese Domestic)
