Taro Hakase facts for kids

Taro Hakase (born January 23, 1968) is a famous Japanese musician. He is best known as a talented violinist and a composer, which means he writes music. He was born in Suita, Osaka, Japan.

About Taro Hakase

Early Career and Kryzler & Kompany

Taro Hakase started his music journey in a Japanese band called Kryzler & Kompany. He formed this band while he was in college. In the band, Taro played the violin. Tsuneyoshi Saito played the keyboards, and Yoshinobu Takeshita played the bass.

Their first album, released in September 1990, sold 74,000 copies. Their second album, Kryzler And Company #, sold over 81,000 copies. The band became very popular in Japan. They even attracted many excited fans, which was unusual for classical music groups at the time.

Working with Celine Dion

Kryzler & Kompany created the music for Celine Dion's song "To Love You More." This song was the theme for a Japanese TV drama called Koibito Yo (My Dear Lover). The song became a number one hit in Japan.

Taro Hakase then joined Celine Dion on her tours. He appeared on television with her and performed "To Love You More" as a guest violinist. He played with her during her 1996–1997 Falling into You Tour and her 1998–1999 Let's Talk About Love Tour.

Solo Career and Reunions

After Celine Dion took a break from touring, Taro Hakase started his solo career. Kryzler & Kompany had released 11 albums before they decided to disband.

In 2006, Taro Hakase reunited with Celine Dion in Las Vegas. They performed "To Love You More" again to celebrate his 10 years of success.

He also worked on other projects. In 2007, he performed a song called "Addio monti" for an album honoring the composer Ennio Morricone. He also helped create music for the video game Final Fantasy XII.

Music for Famous Brands

Taro Hakase's music is used in many places. His song "Another Sky" is the theme song for All Nippon Airways, a major airline. His song "Color Your Life" is the theme song for Shinsei Bank.

Recent Collaborations

Taro Hakase has also worked with other famous artists. In 2013, he was featured on a song called "I Love You" by D-Lite from the K-pop group BigBang.

In 2014, he was featured on a new version of Namie Amuro's song "Can You Celebrate?." He also worked on a remix of American singer Ariana Grande's song "Baby I." This remix was included on the Japanese version of Ariana Grande's album My Everything.

Kryzler & Kompany later reunited. They released a new album called New World in February 2015. This album celebrated their 25th anniversary.

Personal Life

Taro Hakase is married to Japanese actress Mayuko Takata. They live together in Tokyo, Japan.

Music Albums and Songs

Albums

• Watashi (May 21, 1997)
• Canary (April 22, 1998, with Toshi)
• 髪結い伊三次 Original Sound Track (May 21, 1999)
• Duets (October 21, 1999)
• Tango Nostalgia (タンゴ・ノスタルジア) (August 30, 2000)
• Violinism (Acoustic Best) (September 1, 2000)
• Endless Violin (September 5, 2001)
• The Best Track (August 21, 2002)
• Violinism II (October 2, 2002)
• Traveling Notes (October 8, 2003)
• Migration (November 27, 2003)
• What a Day... (November 15, 2004)
• Der Wunder: 葉加瀬太郎 meets 松本零士 (November 25, 2004)
• Violinism with Love (October 5, 2005)
• The Best of Mozart Selected by Taro Hakase (May 3, 2006)
• Sweet Melodies: Taro Plays Hakase (September 6, 2006)
• Songs (July 4, 2007)
• Classical Tuning (September 10, 2008)
• The Best Track (September 2, 2009)
• My Favorite Songs (September 9, 2009)
• Emotionism (September 29, 2010)
• The Best of Taro Hakase (August 10, 2011)
• With One Wish (November 7, 2012)
• Japonism (August 21, 2013)
• Etupirka (Best Acoustic) (2014)

Singles

• "Ben" (May 21, 1997)
• "Natural High" (November 21, 1997, with Toshi)
• "Brazil" (November 21, 1997)
• "So Nice (Summer Samba)" (August 21, 1999)
• "交響詩「希望」Symphonic Poem 'Hope'" (March 1, 2006)

Collaborations

• "Baby I" in collaboration with Ariana Grande, from My Everything Japanese edition (August 25, 2014)