Masahiko Kondo
Encyclopedia
or Matchy is a Japanese singer, lyricist and actor represented by Johnny & Associates
.
Kondō is also a semi-professional racing driver and a racing team owner. He founded the racing team Kondo Racing in 2000 which competes in Formula Nippon
and the Super GT
.
Kondō was signed to the record label RVC. His debut single "Sneaker Blues" debuted at number-one on the Oricon
weekly single charts in December 1980. With the single he became the first artist to have a debut single to go straight in at number–one on Oricon at release. As of 2008 he is the only solo male singer to have a debut single to debut at number–one in his teens in Oricon history. The single topped the Oricon charts for five consecutive weeks, and eventually sold over one million copies.
On March 5, 1981, Kondō released his first studio album Thank Ai You. He wrote the lyrics of the songs "Gloria" and "Just A Dance" for the album. Thank Ai You topped the Oricon weekly charts making him the youngest solo male singer to have the debut album to reach number-one on the charts at the age of 16 years 8 months.
In 1985 Kondō moved from RVC to CBS Sony (now Sony Music Entertainment Japan
). On December 31, 1987, his song "Orokamono" won the grand prix award at the 29th Japan Record Awards
.
for the first time. On November 10, 1989, he released the single "Andalucia ni Akogarete" which was his cover version of the single by Masatoshi Mashima
of Japanese punk rock
band The Blue Hearts
released on October 21, 1989. While Mashima's original version peaked at number thirteen Kondō's cover version reached number nine in the Oricon charts.
In 1994 he took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
for the first time. His 1996 song "Midnight Shuffle" peaked at number four in the Oricon weekly single charts. The song was the theme of Japanese television drama
Ginrō Kaiki File: Futatsu no Zunō o Motsu Shōnen in which then-Johnny's Jr.
Koichi Domoto
played a main role. Kondō appeared on NHK
's Kōhaku Uta Gassen
annual TV show singing "Midnight Shuffle." From 1998 he went full-time into racing, rarely appearing on TV and not putting out any new songs. His occasional appearances on TV were as a racer or racing commentator. On May 22, 2002, he released a single but it was a cover for his 1985 song "Yoisho".
, KinKi Kids
, V6
and Arashi
on their TV shows. Since then Kondō has appeared on TV regularly during racing's off-seasons.
On January 25, 2006, Sony released Kondō's tribute album
Matchy Tribute in which Hitomi Takahashi
covered the song "Midnight Shuffle." He also released his greatest hits
album Matchy Best on February 6, 2006. The album Matchy Best debuted at number fifteen on the Oricon album charts. On May 9, 2007, he released his first DVD
work, Kondō Masahiko '07 Valentine's Day in Budokan, which was shot at his live concert at the Nippon Budokan
on February 14, 2007. The DVD debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly music DVD charts.
In December 2007, it was announced that Kondō collaborated with Johnny's Jr.
, the five-member of rock band Question?, forming the temporary group "Matchy with Question?" and singing the song "Mezamero! Yasei". The song "Mezamero! Yasei" was used for the ending theme of anime
series Naruto: Shippuden and was released as a CD single on January 23, 2008. The single debuted at number five on the Oricon charts and with the first week sales of around 40,000 copies.
Kondō released the single "Banka (Otokotachi no Banka)" on December 23, 2008, and the single "Motto" on December 13, 2009. On February 22, 2010, he released the single "Zanbara". The first track "Kokoro Zanbara" and the second track "Koi Zanbara" were composed by Hal
and Tsukasa respectively. The lyrics of both songs were written by Kōhan Kawauchi
. Kawauchi sent the lyrics of the song to Johnny & Associates in 1989 but it had never been released until Kawauchi's death in 2008. The reason given was that the song seemed to be too sad for Kondo whose mother died in 1986.
On April 10, 2010, Kondō started his first nation–wide concert tour in Japan 21 years after his 1989 nation–wide tour.
Johnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
.
Kondō is also a semi-professional racing driver and a racing team owner. He founded the racing team Kondo Racing in 2000 which competes in Formula Nippon
Formula Nippon
Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan.Formula Nippon evolved from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula Two and Japanese Formula 3000 championships...
and the Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
.
1980–1987: Early recording career
As a part of the agency Johnny & AssociatesJohnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
Kondō was signed to the record label RVC. His debut single "Sneaker Blues" debuted at number-one on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
weekly single charts in December 1980. With the single he became the first artist to have a debut single to go straight in at number–one on Oricon at release. As of 2008 he is the only solo male singer to have a debut single to debut at number–one in his teens in Oricon history. The single topped the Oricon charts for five consecutive weeks, and eventually sold over one million copies.
On March 5, 1981, Kondō released his first studio album Thank Ai You. He wrote the lyrics of the songs "Gloria" and "Just A Dance" for the album. Thank Ai You topped the Oricon weekly charts making him the youngest solo male singer to have the debut album to reach number-one on the charts at the age of 16 years 8 months.
In 1985 Kondō moved from RVC to CBS Sony (now Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
). On December 31, 1987, his song "Orokamono" won the grand prix award at the 29th Japan Record Awards
29th Japan Record Awards
The 29th Japan Record Awards were held in 1987. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Masahiko Kondo for "Orokamono"*Best Vocalist:**Miyako Otsuki*Best New Artist:**Risa Tachibana...
.
1988–2004: Racing career and "Midnight Shuffle"
Kondō learned to drive when he was already famous as a singer. Because of this he could not drive on public roads so his manager took him to a racing track to practice. Kondō had always had an interest in cars from an early age and driving on the track engendered his desire to drive race cars. He practiced and was accepted into a racing team when he was 19 in 1984 going on to having a moderately successful career on Japan's race circuit. In 1988 he took part in the All-Japan Formula Three ChampionshipAll-Japan Formula Three Championship
, also known as Japanese Formula Three, is a national motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis....
for the first time. On November 10, 1989, he released the single "Andalucia ni Akogarete" which was his cover version of the single by Masatoshi Mashima
Masatoshi Mashima
is a guitarist who has performed with Japanese rock bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons. He was born in Hino and raised in Kodaira in Tokyo, Japan.His nickname while playing was "Marcy."-Solo albums:...
of Japanese punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Blue Hearts
The Blue Hearts
was a popular Japanese punk rock band that performed from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. In 2003, they were ranked by HMV Japan as number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts...
released on October 21, 1989. While Mashima's original version peaked at number thirteen Kondō's cover version reached number nine in the Oricon charts.
In 1994 he took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
for the first time. His 1996 song "Midnight Shuffle" peaked at number four in the Oricon weekly single charts. The song was the theme of Japanese television drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
Ginrō Kaiki File: Futatsu no Zunō o Motsu Shōnen in which then-Johnny's Jr.
Johnny's Jr.
is a part of Johnny & Associates that focuses only on boys who have not yet officially debuted either with a unit or as a solo act. The juniors are mostly younger than 30, with the exception of Sano Mizuki.- A.B.C-Z : is a part of Johnny & Associates that focuses only on boys who have not yet...
Koichi Domoto
Koichi Domoto
is a Japanese idol, singer, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, seiyū and actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto , he is a member of KinKi Kids, which is a Japanese duo under the management of Johnny & Associates.- Career :Born in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan, Domoto joined the...
played a main role. Kondō appeared on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
's Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
annual TV show singing "Midnight Shuffle." From 1998 he went full-time into racing, rarely appearing on TV and not putting out any new songs. His occasional appearances on TV were as a racer or racing commentator. On May 22, 2002, he released a single but it was a cover for his 1985 song "Yoisho".
2005–present: Returning to the recording studio
In 2005 Kondō decided to make a full return as a singer for the 25th anniversary of his debut. On December 14, 2005, he released the single "Chōsensya" which means challenger. He appeared in many TV programs, held dinner shows and went on a limited concert tour. He joined many of his successors such as SMAPSMAP
SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
, KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
, V6
V6 (band)
V6 is a six-member Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The group debuted on November 1, 1995 with the single "Music for the People", which was used as the image song for the World Cup of Volleyball in 1995...
and Arashi
Arashi
is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
on their TV shows. Since then Kondō has appeared on TV regularly during racing's off-seasons.
On January 25, 2006, Sony released Kondō's tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Matchy Tribute in which Hitomi Takahashi
Hitomi Takahashi (singer)
is a rock/pop singer from Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. After being selected as finalist in the Sony Music SD audition, which contained about 20,000 applicants, Hitomi entered the music scene in 2005 with her single "Bokutachi no Yukue"...
covered the song "Midnight Shuffle." He also released his greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Matchy Best on February 6, 2006. The album Matchy Best debuted at number fifteen on the Oricon album charts. On May 9, 2007, he released his first DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
work, Kondō Masahiko '07 Valentine's Day in Budokan, which was shot at his live concert at the Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
on February 14, 2007. The DVD debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly music DVD charts.
In December 2007, it was announced that Kondō collaborated with Johnny's Jr.
Johnny's Jr.
is a part of Johnny & Associates that focuses only on boys who have not yet officially debuted either with a unit or as a solo act. The juniors are mostly younger than 30, with the exception of Sano Mizuki.- A.B.C-Z : is a part of Johnny & Associates that focuses only on boys who have not yet...
, the five-member of rock band Question?, forming the temporary group "Matchy with Question?" and singing the song "Mezamero! Yasei". The song "Mezamero! Yasei" was used for the ending theme of anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Naruto: Shippuden and was released as a CD single on January 23, 2008. The single debuted at number five on the Oricon charts and with the first week sales of around 40,000 copies.
Kondō released the single "Banka (Otokotachi no Banka)" on December 23, 2008, and the single "Motto" on December 13, 2009. On February 22, 2010, he released the single "Zanbara". The first track "Kokoro Zanbara" and the second track "Koi Zanbara" were composed by Hal
Hal (group)
Hal is a Japanese pop band formed in 1996. They have worked with several Japanese pop and rock stars and also have won two Japan Record Awards for their musical arrangements for singer Ayumi Hamasaki .They habitually write their name as HΛL, replacing the Latin "A" with the Greek "Λ" or Lambda.Hal...
and Tsukasa respectively. The lyrics of both songs were written by Kōhan Kawauchi
Kôhan Kawauchi
, , created various tokusatsu series, including the first, Moonlight Mask, in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series Rainbowman is considered to be an inspiration for Go Nagai's Cutie Honey....
. Kawauchi sent the lyrics of the song to Johnny & Associates in 1989 but it had never been released until Kawauchi's death in 2008. The reason given was that the song seemed to be too sad for Kondo whose mother died in 1986.
On April 10, 2010, Kondō started his first nation–wide concert tour in Japan 21 years after his 1989 nation–wide tour.
External links
- ML net Circuit – Masahiko Kondō official website