, known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

ously as Shotaro (, ), is a Japanese rapper, singer and dancer based in South Korea. Shotaro first came to public attention in 2020 when he joined NCT, a South Korean boy band managed by

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

. After departing NCT in 2023, he later debuted as a member of another SM boy band,

Riize Riize (; stylized in all caps; pronounced as "Rise") is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of six members: Shotaro (rapper), Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton. Originally a seven-piece ense ...

Early life

Osaki Shotaro was born on November 25, 2000 in

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan, and was raised in the city of Zama. He began dancing at the age of five, after being inspired by his mother, who is also a dancer. After deciding in middle school to pursue dance professionally, Shotaro trained at LDH's EXPG Studio in Tokyo. During this time, he appeared as an extra in advertisements for brands such as Pocari Sweat. He also performed a backup dancer for artists such as Japanese boy band

Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

and singer-songwriter

Gackt , better known as Gackt (stylized in all caps), is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. Born in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa to a Ryukyuan people, Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was rai ...

. Shotaro knew he wanted to become an idol after seeing NCT in concert. Prior to joining SM Entertainment, Shotaro operated a

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

account and had posted videos dancing to NCT's songs.

Career

2020–2023: Debut in NCT and departure

After being spotted on social media by a

talent scout in 2019, Shotaro moved to South Korea in 2020 and began training with the company. Shotaro joined South Korean boy band NCT in 2020, after being revealed as a surprise new member, along with Sungchan, becoming the 22nd and 23rd members of the band. The news was released in conjunction with announcement the band's second album, '' NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1'', on September 20, with further information revealed the next day. The album was released on October 12. Shotaro participated in the album's lead single, "Make A Wish (Birthday Song)", as a member of

NCT U NCT U (; ) is the first sub-unit from the South Korean boy band NCT. They debuted on April 9, 2016, with the double digital single "The 7th Sense" and "Without You" under the label SM Entertainment. The member line of NCT U is rotational, chan ...

. At the 2020 ''

KBS Song Festival The ''KBS Song Festival'' () is an annual South Korean music show that airs on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at the end of every year. It first aired in 1965 as an awards show, but KBS discontinued the awards ceremony in 2006. It has con ...

'', Shotaro performed a cover of Got7's "Hard Carry" alongside

Hyunjin Hwang Hyun-jin (; born March 20, 2000), known mononymously as Hyunjin, is a South Korean rapper, singer and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017. Aside from his work with Stray K ...

Moonbin Moon Bin (; January 26, 1998 – April 19, 2023), also known professionally as Moonbin, was a South Korean singer, actor, and dancer under the label Fantagio. He was a member of the South Korean boy group Astro and its sub-unit Moonbin & San ...

, and Juyeon. In 2021, Shotaro received a pictorial in the August issue of '' Vogue Korea'', becoming his first solo magazine photoshoot, modelling brands such as

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen (brand), Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His ac ...

, and

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

. Aside from his activities as a member of NCT, Shotaro participated in the SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express concert tour throughout August 2022, performing "Outro: Dream Routine" with fellow NCT member Sungchan, and

SM Rookies SM Rookies (, stylized in all caps as SMROOKIES) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2023, the team officiall ...

members

Seunghan Hong Seung-han (; born October 2, 2003), known mononymously as Seunghan, is a South Korean singer. He is a former member of the South Korean boy band Riize, debuting under SM Entertainment in 2023. He will debut as a soloist in July 2025 unde ...

, Eunseok and Shohei. He also starred in ''Welcome to NCT Universe'', a variety show showing Shotaro and Sungchan guiding SM Rookies Seunghan, Eunseok and Shohei through "everything about NCT". The ten-episode series aired from November 2022 to February 2023 on

TVING TVING () is a South Korean subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture comprising CJ ENM Entertainment Division (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC by its JTBC Studios, now calle ...

in South Korea, and

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

and

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

in Japan.

2023–present: Move to Riize

Though he was originally believed to become a member of NCT's new Japan-based subunit, Shotaro never joined a fixed NCT sub-unit. On May 24, 2023, the band's agency announced that Shotaro, along with fellow member Sungchan, would be leaving NCT. In the statement, the agency said that the duo would be "closing their chapter with NCT", while indicating that both would be joining a new boy band, set to debut in late 2023. Shotaro and Sungchan was among three members to depart the band that month, with

Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, or the Lucas, a 19th-century African-American singing group * Lucas, a 1960s Swedish pop group formed by Janne Lucas Perss ...

also departing the band weeks earlier. That July, ''

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ), also known as ''The Chosun Daily,'' is a Korean-language newspaper of record for South Korea and among the oldest active newspapers in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, ''The'' ''Chosun Ilbo ...

'' reported that the new boy band was preparing for debut and were filming a music video in Los Angeles. This was later confirmed by SM. Shotaro was officially introduced as a member of

on August 1, and made his first appearance with the group in a performance video for " Siren" on August 7. The group made their official debut on September 4 with the single album ''

Get a Guitar ''Get a Guitar'' is the debut single album by South Korean boy band Riize. Released on September 4, 2023, by SM Entertainment through Kakao Entertainment, the single album consists of two tracks, "Memories" and the title track of the same name, ...

'', which sold more than a million copies in its first week, becoming the second-highest-selling debut album by a band. In December 2024, Shotaro was named "Artist of the Month" by

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's Studio Choom, a special series highlighting artists considered to have exceptional dance skills. As part of the selection, Shotaro released a dance performance to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's "

Clique A clique (AusE, CanE, or ; ), in the social sciences, is a small group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests rather than include others. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardles ...

Endorsements

In 2022, Shotaro was named the face of MAC Cosmetics Japan. The partnership included Shotaro starring in a "MACxShotaro" campaign, advertising the company's tinted primers and foundation. Shotaro was also named a brand model for South Korean skincare brand Round Around, starring in a pictorial advertising the company's cleaning foam line.

Discography

Filmography

Television shows

References

External links

* {{NCT (group) 2000 births Living people 21st-century Japanese male singers Japanese male rappers K-pop singers Singers from Kanagawa Prefecture People from Zama, Kanagawa Japanese male pop singers Japanese male dancers Japanese male idols NCT (group) members SM Entertainment artists Riize members Japanese expatriates in South Korea Korean-language singers of Japan Japanese K-pop singers