Gen Hoshino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gen Hoshino
星野 源
Gen Hoshino at the Space Shower Music Awards in 2016.
Born	(1981-01-28) January 28, 1981 (age 44) Warabi, Saitama, Japan
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician actor voice actor writer
Agent	Otona Keikaku (acting) Amuse (music)
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Spouse(s)	Yui Aragaki ​ (m. 2021)​
Musical career
Genres	J-Pop folk dance smooth jazz
Instruments	Vocals marimba guitar
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Daisyworld Discs Speedstar Records
Associated acts	Sakerock

Gen Hoshino, born on January 28, 1981, is a talented Japanese artist. He is well-known as a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also a successful actor and writer. Many people in Japan and around the world enjoy his work.

Career Highlights

Music Journey

Gen Hoshino started his music career in 2000 with the band Sakerock. He played the marimba and guitar in this instrumental band. Sakerock released more than ten albums before they stopped playing together in 2015.

As a solo artist, Gen Hoshino released his first album, Baka no Uta, on June 23, 2010. His first single, "Kudaranai no Naka ni", came out in 2011. It became very popular, reaching number 17 on the Oricon Singles Chart. His next singles, like "Film" and "Yume no Soto e", also made it into the top 10.

His second album, Episode, was released in 2011 and reached number five on the charts. In 2013, his third album, Stranger, was released. It was very successful, reaching number two and earning a "gold" award for its sales.

In 2015, Gen Hoshino released his fourth album, Yellow Dancer. This album was a huge hit, topping both the Oricon and Billboard Japan charts. It sold over 250,000 copies and also did very well with digital downloads.

In 2018, he released the song "Doraemon" as a tribute to the famous Japanese cartoon. This song was used in a Doraemon movie and later became the opening theme for the Doraemon TV show. His fifth album, Pop Virus, came out in December 2018. It stayed at the top of the Oricon Album Chart for four weeks. This album earned him a "Best Album" award in 2019. He also won a "Best Song" award for his digital single "Idea".

In 2019, Gen Hoshino made history by winning four awards at the Space Shower Music Awards. Later that year, all his music became available on streaming services. In 2022, his song "Comedy" was used as the ending theme for the anime show Spy × Family. He also released "I Wanna Be Your Ghost" in 2022, which was the main theme for the film Yokaipedia. This song quickly became number one on the Digital Singles Chart.

In December 2023, he released a double single featuring "Why" and "Life". The song "Why" was featured in the movie Spy × Family Code: White.

Acting Roles

Gen Hoshino is also a talented actor. His first movie role was in 69 in 2004. Before that, he acted in many TV shows and plays. In 2012, he started voice acting, playing Buddha in an animated movie called Saint Young Men. He also sang the theme song "Gag" for the movie.

In 2013, he played the main character in the movie Blindly in Love. He also appeared in the film Why Don't You Play in Hell?. A big role for him was in the 2016 TV drama The Full-Time Wife Escapist. He played Hiramasa Tsuzaki alongside actress Yui Aragaki. The show was very popular and his performance earned him several "Best Supporting Actor" awards. He also sang the theme song for the drama, called "Koi".

Gen Hoshino also lent his voice to animated films. He was the main character's voice in Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017). In 2018, he voiced the Father in the movie Mirai. In 2019, he starred in Samurai Shifters, playing a bookworm samurai. This was his first main role in a live-action movie since 2013. He also appeared in the 2019 historical TV drama Idaten, which was about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Hoshino at a screening for Samurai Shifters in 2019

Personal Life

In December 2012, Gen Hoshino had a health issue and needed surgery. He recovered well and returned to public life in February 2013. In 2021, he married actress Yui Aragaki. They had worked together on the TV series The Full-Time Wife Escapist.

Music Albums

Here are some of Gen Hoshino's studio albums:

• Baka no Uta (2010)
• Episode (2011)
• Stranger (2013)
• Yellow Dancer (2015)
• Pop Virus (2018)
• Gen (2025)

Movies and TV Shows

Film Roles

Television Drama Roles

Videogames

Variety Shows

TV Commercials

• NTT DOCOMO, "ZeniCrazy Ver1.0" (February 2019)
• NTT DOCOMO, "ZeniCrazy Ver2.0" (March 2019)
• Nintendo, "Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary" (September 2020)

Original Video Animation

• Onna no Sono no Hoshi (2022), Hoshi

Concerts and Tours

Gen Hoshino has performed many concerts and tours for his fans:

Headlining tours

• Baka no Uta Hatsubai Kinen no Live (2010)
• Hoshino Gen no Aisatsu Mawari Tour (2010)
• Hoshino Gen no Betsu Episode: Heya (2011)
• Episode Hatsubai Kinen Tour: Episode 2 Ikou (2012)
• Hoshino Gen One-Man no Aki (2012)
• Hoshino Gen no Fukkatsu Live Tour (2014)
• Hoshino Gen Live Tour 2016: Yellow Voyage (2016)
• Hoshino Gen Live Tour 2017: Continues (2017)
• Hoshino Gen Dome Tour 2019: Pop Virus (2019)

Concerts

• Live in Japan 2018 Gen Hoshino & Mark Ronson

Awards and Nominations

Gen Hoshino has received many awards and nominations for his work in music and acting.

See also

In Spanish: Gen Hoshino para niños