Motohiro Hata

Biography

Motohiro Hata (秦基博, Hata Motohiro; born 11 October 1980) is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted under the major label BMG Japan in 2006 with the single "Synchro" (シンクロ, Shinkuro).

Early life and career

Hata is the youngest of three brothers. He moved to Yokohama when he was 2. He began playing the guitar at age 3, after his eldest brother received a cheap guitar from a friend. In junior high school, he began writing songs, and after entering high school started working fully as a musician.
In 1999, he performed at his first big concert at the F.A.D Yokohama live house, after a referral by one of his friends.
In 2004, he released an independent EP, "Orange no Haikei no Akai Seibutsu" (オレンジの背景の赤い静物, Red Object with an Orange Background). In 2006 he was signed to Augusta Records after catching the attention of one of the staff members. He was the opening act of Augusta Camp 2006 in July. He debuted with the single "Synchro" (シンクロ, Shinkuro).
His 2008 single "Kimi, Meguru, Boku" (キミ、メグル、ボク, You, Turn, Me), was his first top 20 hit, reaching No. 15 on Oricon charts. "Kimi, Meguru, Boku" was used as the opening theme for the anime series Itazura na Kiss. Since then, he has had six top 20 singles and two top 10 albums.
In 2010, his song "Tōmei Datta Sekai" premiered as the opening for the seventh season of Naruto: Shippuden.
In 2012 he sang the song "Altair" under the name "Motohiro Hata meets Sakamichi no Apollon" for the ending of the anime Kids on the Slope, which premiered on 12 April 2012.
The song "Goodbye Isaac" was the fourth ending track to the anime Space Brothers.
In 2013, his cover of "Rain" by Senri Oe was featured as the ED for The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai.
In 2014, "Himawari no Yakusoku" (ひまわりの約束 Promise of Sunflower) was used as the theme song for the 3D-animated movie Stand by Me Doraemon (STAND BY ME ドラえもん).

Influences

Hata cited Western artists such as Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and Taylor Swift among his musical influences.