Kenshi Yonezu (米津 玄師, Yonezu Kenshi; born March 10, 1991) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He started releasing Vocaloid music under the stage name Hachi (ハチ) in 2009. In 2012, he debuted under his real name, releasing music with his own voice. He has sold at least 4.2 million physical copies and over 7 million digital copies in Japan.
Yonezu's 2018 single "Lemon" became his biggest hit in Japan, topping the Billboard Japan Hot 100 year-end chart for two consecutive years (2018–2019). His 2022 song "Kick Back" is his most successful single to date outside Japan, debuting on international charts including UK Rock & Metal Singles and US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA for 1,000,000 sold copies in the United States, becoming the first song with Japanese lyrics to achieve it.
Early life and career
Yonezu was born in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, on March 10, 1991. He had difficulty communicating with others, especially his father. Yonezu felt that his mother understood him. He originally wanted to be a manga artist. When he was in fifth grade, he watched a Flash animation that was popular on the internet at the time, and was impressed by the music used by Japanese rock band Bump of Chicken. He was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of 20.
His first foray into music was in 2006 during his second year of junior high school.
