While Akanishi Jin's first brush with stardom was performing in the Japanese drama "Nekketsu Ren-ai Dou," he soon after became a Johnny's Jr. member in 2000.
Within one year, he was placed in a six-member unit designed to be backup dancers for Kinki Kids, but the group became popular enough that Johnny's Entertainment chose to create a new band with the line-up and named it KAT-TUN. From their official birth in 2006, the band grew rapidly in popularity, frequently winning awards and reaching the highest spots on the Oricon rating charts.
In 2006, Akanishi took a short break from KAT-TUN to study abroad in California for six months.
Throughout his activity with KAT-TUN, Akanishi regularly performed in television dramas on NTV, including "P.P.O.I," "Gokusen 2" and "Anego." In 2007, he took the award for best actor in "Yukan Club" at the 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix and the 17th TV LIFE Drama awards.
In April 2007, Akanishi co-hosted the radio show "KAT-TUN STYLE" with Taguchi Junnosuke, a role which lasted about six months. During the same time, he was also a host for "Cartoon KAT-TUN," a variety television show, and he continued those duties until the show ended in 2010.
In 2009, Akanishi appeared in the movie "Bandage" and joined the one-year temporary unit LANDS, which was created by Kobayashi Takeshi to promote this movie. LANDS released the single Bandage and one album, Olympos.
The following year, Akanishi embarked on his first thirty-two stop solo tour, Akanishi Jin Star Live You & Jin, which ran through the month of February. It was later announced that he would continue the tour overseas and would play in June in Los Angeles. In July, he announced that he would be leaving KAT-TUN and pursuing a solo career under Johnny's Entertainment and Warner Music, who would oversee his music both in Japan and overseas.
By the fall, Akanishi announced that he would be holding a nationwide United States tour, Yellow Gold Tour 3010, with concerts spanning Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Houston. He later also held an exclusive MTV concert in New York.
After the success of his Yellow Gold Tour 3010, Akanishi returned to his home country for a tour consisting of 12 performances. In December he signed a contract with Warner Music Group Japan, and three months later followed the release of his first solo single, Eternal. The ex-KAT-TUN member's American debut came in November 2011 because of the collaboration with singer-songwriter Jason Derülo for the song, Test Drive. The single reached number 1 in the iTunes Dance Album Chart, and its Japanese release rocketed to number 14 in the Japan Hot 100.
Back in Japan, Akanishi's second single was released on December 28, 2011, while the release of his second US single, Sun Burns Down, became a fact in January 2012. JAPONICANA, Akanishi's first full album, was released in the US on March 6. The album contains both singles, Test Drive and Sun Burns Down. One month later, JAPONICANA appeared on the Japanese market.
Akanishi's second US tour, JAPONICANA, started soon after the release of the album on March 9, with stops in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and Honolulu.
Currently, Akanishi is working on the Hollywood movie, "47 Ronin", also starring Keanu Reeves, in which he plays a samurai. The movie will appear in US theatres in December.
Fans of this upcoming artist should definitely keep an eye on what this talented singer has planned next.
