Motohiro Hata

Though beginning his career as a punk rock soloist, Hata Motohiro quickly carved out a place for himself with an earthy, somewhat acoustic sound and a singer/songwriter aesthetic -- while not terribly uncommon in the Japanese "indie" market, something of a rarity for success in the sugary and overwhelming J-pop industry. While many of Motohiro's compositions have been in a predictable format, his influences (Elephant Kashimashi, Mr. Children) are thus far heard to a rather limited extent in his developing sound. Much of Motohiro's differentiation comes from his vocal abilities...