is a Filipino-Japanese actor, singer, and songwriter known for being a member and lead vocalist of the Filipino boy group

BGYO BGYO (formerly Star Hunt Academy Boys or SHA Boys) is a Filipino boy band formed in 2018 through ABS-CBN's ''Star Hunt Academy (SHA)''. The group is composed of five members: Akira, Gelo, JL, Mikki, and Nate. BGYO debuted on January 29, 20 ...

. Morishita has co-written several tracks released by BGYO: " The Light" (2021), " Runnin'" (2021), " The Baddest" (2021), "Kundiman" (2021), "Fly Away" (2021) and an original soundtrack for a series '' Bola Bola'' titled " Mahal Na Kita" (2022), of which he released a solo version of the song. Prior to his music career, Morishita started as an actor known for four movies: ''Sundalong Kanin'' (Rice Soldiers) (2014), ''Alienasyon'' (2014), ''Kalel, 15'' (2019), Tol'' (2019); a television series '' All of Me'' (2015) and have appeared on several television commercials aired in the Philippines:

Jollibee Jollibee is a Filipino chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) which serves as its flagship brand. Established in 1978 by Tony Tan Caktiong, it is the Philippines' top fast food restaurant and is among the ...

, Cherifer and

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

. In March 2022, he became part of

iWantTFC iWantTFC (formerly known as iWant TV and iWant) is a Filipino over-the-top media service and production company owned and operated by ABS-CBN Digital Media, a division of ABS-CBN Corporation. It was formed in 2020 through the merger of two st ...

's original

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Bola Bola''. In 2023, Morishita made a stage debut in '' Tabing Ilog: The Musical'' as "Rovic".Citations about Morishita's Stage Debut, as follows: * *

Early life

Akira Morishita was born on April 27, 2001, to a Japanese father and a Filipino mother; both of them worked as musicians in Japan. At a young age, he aspired to become part of the military or the airforce but these were put aside when their family needed financial support by auditioning him for television and print ads.

Career

Television and film career

His career in the entertainment industry began in 2014 when he played the role of Carding in the indie film ''Sundalong Kanin'', a

Cinemalaya The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, more commonly known as Cinemalaya, is a film festival in the Philippines held annually during the month of August, traditionally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, but in rece ...

film entry by Janice O'Hara that served as his first film appearance. He also appeared in other independent films including ''Alienasyon'', also in 2014 and ''Kalel, 15'' in 2019. In 2015, he made his first television appearance in

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

's afternoon drama series '' All of Me'', playing the role of Ringo Dimaculangan. In 2022, while being a member of BGYO, he returned to acting through a main role in

's teen romantic comedy series '' Bola Bola'', starring

Francine Diaz Francine Carrel Saenz Diaz ( born January 27, 2004) is a Filipino actress and singer. She began her career at age 10, playing minor and supporting roles in a number of television programs as young versions of the lead characters. She rose to p ...

, KD Estrada, and Ashton Salvador. He plays Lucas Benitez, the long-time crush of Diaz's character Thea Balderama. He and his co-members from BGYO served as the performers of the show's theme song "Mahal Na Kita".

Musical career

He joined the Star Hunt Academy after he met and was recommended by Laurenti M. Dyogi, ABS-CBN's resident director and head of its entertainment division. Morishita was part of the original trainees of the Star Hunt Academy program, alongside

Nate Porcalla Nathaniel Porcalla (born June 26, 2003), known professionally as Nate Porcalla, is an American-born Filipino singer-songwriter, rapper and a member of the Filipino boy group BGYO. Porcalla has co-written several tracks released by BGYO: " The L ...

, in 2018 and became part of "SHA Boys". He and his four co-members were trained for two years under Filipino and South Korean mentors from MU Doctor Academy; vocal coach Kitchy Molina; and dance coach Mickey Perz. They were officially announced in the pre-show of PBB Otso Big Night as Star Hunt trainees on August 3, 2019.

Artistry

Morishita have cited

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

and

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...

as musical inspirations.

Impact and influence

Aside from being an idol, Morishita was known also as a dean's lister of his class.

Personal life

He was raised in Bulacan with his three sisters and one brother. His hobbies are drawing and painting, and playing various sports including basketball where he was a varsity player in high school, and eventually, he became part of the Star Magic All-Star Games; tennis; and badminton. A fan of anime, he cites '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' and its main character

Tanjiro Kamado is a fictional character and the protagonist of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba''. Tanjiro goes on a quest to restore the humanity of his sister, Nezuko Kamado, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon after his family was ...

as his favorite anime and character, respectively.

Discography

Collaborations

Soundtracks

Production credits

All song credits are adapted from the Tidal, unless otherwise noted.

Filmography

Film

Television (linear and digital)

Theater

Series

Webcast

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morishita, Akira BGYO BGYO members Living people 2001 births Filipino people of Japanese descent Star Magic Star Magic personalities Star Music artists ABS-CBN people 21st-century Filipino male singers Filipino male models Filipino male film actors Filipino male television actors Actors from Bulacan Singers from Bulacan Male actors from Bulacan