Toshi Kubota

When Japanese pop star Toshi Kubota released his first American album in the mid-'90s, he had already attained star status in his native country, where each of his first four albums sold over one million copies. The vocalist -- who interprets American soul, funk and hip-hop rhythms to his mostly Eastern audience -- began entering and winning Japanese talent competitions by the time he was in pre-school. He entered the music business in the early '80s as a songwriter, but his debut album as a solo act, Shake It Paradise, went platinum soon after its release; three later follow-...