, is a Japanese

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

singer and songwriter, and older brother to the musician

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

. Debuting as a soloist in 1999, Shiina released four albums with major label

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

between 2001 and 2004, later signing a contract with R and C to release his fourth album ''Cruisin'' (2006). In 2008 Shiina formed the band Junpei Shiina & The Soul Force, who renamed themselves Dezille Brothers in 2010, releasing their debut album ''Dashi no Torikata'' through King Records in the same year. In 2014, Shiina formed the four member band Hitosarai with

Tomotaka Imamichi , (born October 12, 1959) is a Japanese music producer, guitarist and songwriter from Tokyo, Japan. He first got his huge break in the Japanese music circuit in 1984 as the guitarist and primary songwriter for the rock band, Barbee Boys, although ...

. Shiina has often collaborated with his sister Ringo Sheena by singing duets together, most notably the theme song of the

Mika Ninagawa is a Japanese photographer and Film director, director, known for her brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes. Biography Daughter of acclaimed theatre director Yukio Ninagawa, she first came to prominence in the late ...

directed film ''

Sakuran , is a Japanese manga series by Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl who goes through different names throughout the story and becomes a , or high ranking (courtesan). North American publisher Vertical Inc published it in English in July 2 ...

'' (2007), " Kono Yo no Kagiri".

Biography

Junpei Shiina was born in

Urawa, Saitama was a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. On May 1, 2001, Urawa was merged with the cities of Ōmiya and Yono to create the city of Saitama. Since April 1, 2003, the area of former Urawa City has been divided into 4 wards: Urawa-ku, ...

on August 6, 1974. He first began learning the piano at five years of age, and in high school became a part of his school's brass band, learning how to play the drums. In 1998 he began songwriting, and in 1999 won the grand prize at the Sony Music SDN 'The Another Goal '99' auditions. Shiina released his first album, ''Live'', in December 1999 through the

imprint Knockers Records, later debuting properly under Sony in November 2000 with the

Shinichi Osawa , also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has worked in genres ranging from acid jazz to house, with strong influences of underground club music, th ...

-produced single "Sekai". His second single "Mujō" was used as an insert song for the

Miho Kanno is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is ''Kanchan'' (菅ちゃん). She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan. Career In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called '' Sakurakko Club'' after passing the orientation ...

-starring drama ''Nisenichi-nen no Otoko Un''. Though Shiina often worked with producers, many of his songs were performed and arranged by himself, with his back-up band the Evil Vibrations: guitarist

Ryosuke Nagaoka , is a Japanese musician, and singer and guitar player for the band Petrolz. Under the stage name , he was the second guitarist for Ringo Sheena's band Tokyo Jihen from 2005 until 2012. In 2013, Nagoka joined the band Gokumontō Ikka, a project ...

, drummers Takeshi Hatae and Toshiki Hata, bassist Tomohiko Ohkanda and

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member Tabu Zombie on trumpet. The Evil Vibrations recorded much of his debut album ''Shiina Junpei'', which was released in July 2001. In 2002, Shiina collaborated with his sister Ringo Sheena on three cover duets, beginning with Toto's " Georgy Porgy", which they recorded together as a part of a special unit called Yokoshima, featuring Jumpei Shiina on keyboards and Ringo Sheena on chorus. The siblings both released cover albums in May 2002: Junpei Shiina's, ''Discover'', featured a cover of

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

's 1972 duet "

Where Is the Love "Where's the Love" is a 1997 song by Hanson. Where's the Love or Where Is the Love may also refer to: * "Where Is the Love?", a 2003 song by The Black Eyed Peas from ''Elephunk'' * Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song), "Where ...

" sung with his sister, while Ringo Sheena's, '' Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi'', featured the pair dueting

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

and

Tammi Terrell Thomasina Winifred Montgomery (April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970), professionally known as Tammi Terrell, was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with ...

's "

The Onion Song "The Onion Song" was a hit for soul singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1969. It reached the top ten overseas, where it became Gaye & Terrell's biggest hit in the United Kingdom, entering the singles chart on 15 November 1969 and peaking at ...

" (1969). In addition to his sister, Shiina's album ''Discover'' featured collaborations with rapper Twigy, members of

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra , commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene. At the time, the band's sound was unlike t ...

and singer-songwriter Daisuke Kawaguchi. In June 2003, Shiina released his second original album ''Amai Yoru no Kaori'', led by the single "Time of Gold", a duet with Ryoko Shinohara used in a Japanese commercial campaign for

Canada Dry Canada Dry () is a Canadian-American brand of soft drinks founded in Toronto, Ontario, in 1904, and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper). For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its g ...

ginger ale Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph ...

. In 2004, Shiina parted with Sony, after releasing the compilation album ''Rhodes to Freedom''. Two years later, Shiina began to be managed by Kronekodow, his sister's personal management agency, and switched labels to R and C with the single "Zanzō" / "Zero-One". He released his third original album ''Cruisin in November 2006. In January 2007, Shiina collaborated with his sister and composer

Neko Saito , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese violinist, conductor, composer and music arranger. Saito is the leader of the Saito Neko Quartet, and is known for his many collaborations with musician Ringo Sheena. Biography Saito began playi ...

on the song " Kono Yo no Kagiri", which was used as the theme song for the film ''

'' (2007) for which his sister was acting as the musical director for. In 2008, Junpei Shiina formed the soul and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band Junpei Shiina & the Soul Force, who later renamed themselves the Dezille Brothers in 2010. After performing at the

Rising Sun Rock Festival Rising Sun Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan. The two-day event is organized by WESS. It chiefly features Japanese rock , sometimes abbreviated to , is rock music from Japan. Influenced by American and ...

in 2010, the group released their debut album ''Dashi no Torikata''. In November 2014, Shiina began collaborating with guitarist

, when they formed the band .

Artistry

Shiina is inspired by soul and R&B singers, including

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

and

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation album

Live album

Singles

As a lead artist

As a collaborating artist

References

External links

Kronekodow management profileFormer official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiina, Junpei 1974 births English-language singers from Japan Japanese male pop singers Japanese rhythm and blues singers Japanese male singer-songwriters Keio University alumni Living people Singers from Saitama (city) 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers 21st-century Japanese singers