Jero
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (April 2008) |
| Jero | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jerome White, Jr. |
| Born | September 4, 1981 |
| Origin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Genre(s) | Enka |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Computer engineer |
| Label(s) | Victor Entertainment |
| Website | http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/jero/ |
Jero (born Jerome Charles White, Jr. [1]in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1981) is an American-born Japanese enka singer[2]. His maternal grandmother was Japanese. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.[3]
Jero majored in information science at University of Pittsburgh and graduated in 2003, and moved to Japan in the same year. Two months after arriving in Japan, he entered the NHK Nodo Jiman competition broadcast on TV.
His first single, Umiyuki (海雪? literally Ocean Snow), was released in Japan on February 20, 2008. It entered the Oricon charts at number 4.[4] The Japanese are curious about African-American culture, so many are hoping that he will be able to spark interest in enka in the younger generation.[5] He held a concert on February 20, 2008 in Shibuya, a popular hangout for young people.[6]
From 21 May 2008, Jero appeared in a Japanese TV commercial for Kirin "Fire" coffee, the first time he had appeared in a TV commercial.[7][8]
[edit] References
- ^ Sports Nippon(Japanese) February 1, 2008
- ^ Jero Profile.(Japanese)
- ^ Daily Sports Online(Japanese) February 1, 2008
- ^ Japan Times February 27, 2008
- ^ Evening Focus(Japanese) March 13, 2008 (Mainichi Shimbun)
- ^ Sports Nippon(Japanese) February 21, 2008
- ^ "砂糖“ジェロ”…演歌界の新星が「ファイア」ＣＭで初演技" Sankei Shimbun News, 8 May 2008(Japanese)
- ^ Mix master: Jero breathes new life into enka
[edit] External links
- Jero's Official Website(Japanese)
- Jero's Official blog(Japanese)
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