Gen Hoshino

Gen Hoshino was born on January 28, 1981, in Warabi, Saitama, Japan. He began his career in music, leading the instrumental band Sakerock from its formation in 2000 until its disbandment in 2015. During his time with Sakerock, he played marimba and guitar, and the band released over ten albums. Concurrently, Hoshino initiated a solo music career. His debut solo album, “Baka no Uta,” was released on June 23, 2010. His first physical single, “Kudaranai no Naka ni,” released on March 2, 2011, reached number 17 on the Oricon Singles Chart. Subsequent singles, including “Film,” “Yume no Soto e,” “Shiranai” (2012), and “Gag” (2013), all charted within the top 10. His second album, “Episode” (2011), peaked at number five, followed by “Stranger” (2013) which reached number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Hoshino’s career expanded into acting with his movie debut in Lee Sang-il’s “69” in 2004. He has appeared in various television dramas and stage plays. In 2012, he debuted as a voice actor, portraying Buddha in the OVA adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura’s manga “Saint Young Men,” and reprised the role for the 2013 theatrical version, for which he also provided the theme song “Gag.” A significant turning point in his acting career was his lead role in the 2016 TBS drama “The Full-Time Wife Escapist,” where he played Hiramasa Tsuzaki opposite Yui Aragaki. The series achieved a real-time viewership peak rating of 20.8% on its final episode, contributing to Hoshino receiving several Best Supporting Actor awards. He also performed the drama’s theme song, “Koi.”

His musical achievements continued with his fourth album, “Yellow Dancer” (2015), which topped both Oricon and Billboard Japan’s album charts and achieved platinum certification from the RIAJ. His fifth album, “Pop Virus” (2018), spent four consecutive weeks atop the Oricon Album Chart and was certified double platinum. “Pop Virus” earned him a Best Album prize at the 33rd Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2019, alongside a Best Song prize for his single “Idea.” In 2022, his song “Comedy” was used as the ending theme for the anime adaptation of “Spy x Family,” followed by the single “I Wanna Be Your Ghost” as the main theme for the film “Yokaipedia” (2022), which debuted at number one on Oricon’s weekly Digital Singles Chart.