Takanori Nishikawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Takanori Nishikawa
|
|
|---|---|
| 西川 貴教 | |
.jpg)
Nishikawa in 2022
|
|
| Born | September 19, 1970 Yasu, Japan
|
| Other names |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
|
Takanori Nishikawa (西川 貴教, Nishikawa Takanori, born September 19, 1970) is a Japanese musician, singer, actor, and businessman. He is most famous for his solo music project, T.M.Revolution (T.M.R.). This name stands for "Takanori Makes Revolution."
Many fans know him for creating exciting opening and ending songs for popular anime and video games. His music has been featured in famous series like Rurouni Kenshin, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, and Soul Eater. He also provided songs for the Sengoku Basara video game series.
Besides his solo work, Nishikawa is the lead singer of the rock band Abingdon Boys School. He was the first artist signed to Tofu Records, a music label that helped bring Japanese music to North America. He has performed for fans at many conventions in the United States, including Otakon and the New York Comic Con.
Contents
Early Life and First Band
Takanori Nishikawa was born in Hikone, Japan, and grew up in the town of Yasu. His father was a government worker and his mother was a dental hygienist. As a child, he was very close to his grandfather, who encouraged him to study kendo, a type of Japanese sword fighting.
In middle school, Nishikawa decided he wanted to have a career in music. He eventually left high school to follow his dream. In 1990, he joined a rock band called Luis-Mary as the lead singer. The band released a few singles before breaking up in 1993.
The Start of T.M.Revolution
In 1995, Nishikawa began working with the music producer Daisuke Asakura. A year later, they launched his solo project, T.M.Revolution. His first single was called "Dokusai (Monopolize)" (独裁 -monopolize-).
His big break came later that year. His third single, "Heart of Sword (Yoake Mae)" (HEART OF SWORD ～夜明け前～), was used as an ending theme for the popular anime Rurouni Kenshin. This song introduced his music to a huge new audience of anime fans.
Becoming a Superstar
In 1997, T.M.Revolution became one of Japan's biggest music stars. His single "High Pressure" was a huge hit. His next song, "White Breath," sold over a million copies and reached #1 on the Oricon music charts. He even performed on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a famous New Year's Eve music show in Japan.
His third album, triple joker, sold two million copies. He followed this success with more hit songs like "Hot Limit" and "Wild Rush." By 1999, he was so popular that he performed two concerts at the Tokyo Dome, a giant stadium, for 100,000 fans.
Music for Gundam and Games
Nishikawa's music became closely linked with anime and video games. The director of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED was a fan of his music and asked him to create the show's first opening song, "Invoke." The song was a massive hit. Nishikawa also voiced a character named Miguel Aiman in the series.
He went on to create six songs for the Gundam SEED franchise. These include "ignited" for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, where he also voiced the character Heine Westenfluss. This character was even designed to look like Nishikawa.
His songs have also been used in other media. "Web of Night" was the theme song for the Japanese release of the movie Spider-Man 2. His songs "Crosswise" and "Naked Arms" were used in the Sengoku Basara video game series.
Other Music Projects
Abingdon Boys School
In 2005, Nishikawa formed a new rock band called Abingdon Boys School. The band had a heavier rock sound compared to T.M.Revolution's electronic style. They released two albums and toured in Europe, gaining fans around the world.
Working Under His Own Name
Starting in 2017, Nishikawa began releasing music under his real name. He wanted to explore different music styles. He released the song "Bright Burning Shout" as the opening theme for the anime Fate/Extra Last Encore. He also worked with other artists, like the band Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas and the musician Tomoyasu Hotei.
In 2019, he sang "Real×Eyez," the theme song for the TV show Kamen Rider Zero-One. He also sang the theme for the anime White Cat Project: Zero Chronicle with the singer ASCA.
Other Activities
Besides music, Nishikawa is involved in many other things.
- Ambassador for Shiga: Nishikawa is the first Cultural Ambassador for Shiga Prefecture, his home region. To give back to his hometown, he started a large outdoor music festival in 2009 called "Inazuma Rock Fes." The festival is held every year by Lake Biwa.
- Acting: He has acted in movies, TV dramas, and stage plays. He voiced the Silver Samurai in the anime Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers and Arataki Itto in the video game Genshin Impact.
- Business: He runs his own company, Diesel Corporation, which manages his fan club. He also started his own clothing line called Defröck.
Personal Life
Nishikawa was married to Yumi Yoshimura, a singer from the pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, from 1999 to 2002. In August 2020, he announced that he had married again. His second wife is not a celebrity.
Discography
Nishikawa has released many albums and singles throughout his career.
Studio Albums as T.M.Revolution
- Makes Revolution (1996)
- Restoration Level 3 (1997)
- Triple Joker (1998)
- The Force (1999)
- Progress (2000)
- Coordinate (2003)
- Seventh Heaven (2004)
- Vertical Infinity (2005)
- Cloud Nine (2011)
- Ten (2015)
Studio Albums as Takanori Nishikawa
- SINGularity (2019)
- SINGularity II - Hyperpaslia protoCOL (2022)
- SINGularity III - VOYAGE - (2025)
Selected Film and Game Roles
Anime
- Rurouni Kenshin (1996) – Orochi no Ren
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) – Miguel Aiman
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2005) – Heine Westenfluss
- Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014) – Silver Samurai
- B-Project: Kodō＊Ambitious (2016) - Nishiyama
- Edens Zero (2021) - Sings the opening theme "Eden through the rough"
Video Games
- Genshin Impact (2021) - Arataki Itto
Puppetry
- Thunderbolt Fantasy (2017-2024) - Làng Wū Yáo
See also
In Spanish: Takanori Nishikawa para niños
- TM Network
- abingdon boys school
- Tofu Records
