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平井堅

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(1993 – present)

Ken Hirai stands out from the rest of the pack - literally, since he’s 183 cm tall (6 feet). But what really makes Hirai special is his utterly unique falsetto, which is ethereal without being wimpy. Hirai was born in Osaka, Japan on January 17, 1972, and began his musical career in 1993 when he signed with Sony following an audition held by that record label in Yokohama in 1992. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, , , , spokesperson.

For a long time he’d been captivated by the sound of American soul music; he says his favorite artist is the late American soul singer Donny Hathaway. Hirai made his debut with the single “Precious Junk” in 1995. Hirai’s debut album, “un-balanced”, went on sale the same year and was followed by a second, “Stare At”, in December of the following year. Fans had to wait until 2000 for a third album from Hirai, “THE CHANGING SAME”, and it was the first single, “Rakuen” (楽園, lit. Paradise), that established him as a major player in the domestic charts and overseas.

Like several other mainstream J-pop artists, Hirai has attracted a loyal following in Asia outside of Japan. In the summer of 2000 he performed in Taipei before a crowd of 30,000 and sold more than 60,000 copies of his album “Gaining Through Losing” in Taiwan.

2001 saw Hirai’s single, “KISS OF LIFE”, used as the theme for the popular “Love Revolution” TV drama series.
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