Kazutoshi Sakurai | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | 櫻井 和寿 |
Born |
Tokyo, Japan |
March 8, 1970
Genres | Rock, pop |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | Toy's Factory |
Associated acts | Mr. Children, Bank Band, Acid Test |
Website | Mr.Children Official Web Site |
Kazutoshi Sakurai (桜井 和寿 Sakurai Kazutoshi?, born 櫻井 和寿, March 8, 1970 in Tokyo) is a Japanese musician. He composes and writes almost all of the songs for his band Mr. Children, in addition to writing lyrics and singing for his solo project group Bank Band. In 2006, Sakurai ranked #8 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singers of All Time" and in 2007 was voted #4 as the "ideal father image" by Oricon. Also, in 2009, he was chosen as one of the Young Global Leaders in World Economic Forum. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded AP Bank, where he personally provided 1 million dollars of seed money to launch and fund the nonprofit lending group which finances environmentally friendly projects.
Kazutoshi Sakurai is a respected figure in the Japanese music industry. Thanks to their quality, his lyrics are often analyzed in music magazines,. The topics of his lyrics includes: social issues ('So Let's Get Truth'), science/technology ("Everything is made from a dream"), depression ("Surrender"), love ("Shirushi" (しるし?)), and war ("1999 Nen, Natsu, Okinawa" (1999年、夏、沖縄?)). He is capable of playing various instruments, including the guitar, piano and harmonica.