Noriyuki Makihara

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Noriyuki Makihara (槇原 敬之; Makihara Noriyuki) is a well-known J-Pop singer and songwriter, nicknamed "Macky" by his fans. He was born on May 18th, 1969 in Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan. He attended Aoyama Gakuin University to study English literature. In addition to creating songs for his own music career, he has written songs for many other artists, the most notable being SMAP's "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana."

He is ranked at No.84, in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians, provided by HMV.

Makihara burst on to the J-Pop scene in the early 90's, making a huge name for himself with monster hits such as "Mou Koi Nante Shinai" (もう恋なんてしない) and "Donna Toki Mo" (どんなときも。). One could arguably compare him to Western pop stars such as Elton John, both in terms of musical ability and talent, and continued longevity despite playing to an intensely fickle industry. The two also seem to have shared something of a similar career path in terms of personal ups and downs, public scrutiny and survival through the years in spite of it all.

Makihara has managed to endure and maintain a healthy level of popularity in Japan and other nations worldwide, due to his soothing, appealing voice quality and flair for catchy melody. Not just your average manufactured pop star, real talent can be found in Macky's work to this day.

It's interesting to note how, as the years have passed, the quality of Makihara's voice has deepened, bringing him into a soulful, velvety range that might remind one of Barry White or Luther Vandross. Much of his music's lyrical content has revolved around the subject of romantic love, though themes of profound joy, reminiscence, gratitude and deeper spiritual aspects of the human condition have become predominant in recent years. When not more slowly paced and romantic, his tunes are bright and upbeat, and though certainly dated, even his albums from the 90's are still enjoyable and worth a listen. Remarkably, the cheesy, early 90's pop style lends an immortal charm to his early work, though he has been known to update and bring back old hits, such as "Donna Toki Mo", which can be found currently as a B-side to his latest single, "Green Days."

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

• 'NG' (25 October 1990)
• 'ANSWER' (25 April 1991)
• 'Donnatokimo.' (10 June 1991)
• 'Fuyu ga Hajimaru yo' (10 November 1991)
• 'Mou Koi Nante Shinai' (25 May 1992)
• 'Kitakaze' (25 October 1992)
• 'Kanojo no Koibito' (25 April 1993)
• 'No. 1' (1 September 1993)
• 'Zuru Yasumi' (1 October 1993)
• 'Yuki ni Negai wo' (28 November 1993)
• 'Futatsu no Negai' (25 May 1994)
• 'SPY' (25 August 1994)
• 'Doushiyou mo nai Boku ni Tenshi ga Oritekita' (25 September 1996)
• 'Mada Ikiteru yo' (18 November 1996)
• 'Sunao' (30 July 1997)
• 'Montage' (29 October 1997)
• 'Ashioto' (21 January 1998)
• 'HAPPY DANCE' (23 July 1998)
• 'STRIPE!' (26 November 1998)
• 'Hungry Spider' (2 June 1999)
• 'Momo' (25 April 2001)
• 'Are You OK?' (24 October 2001)
• 'Ame ni mo Makezu' (22 May 2002)
• 'Hanabi no Yoru' (7 August 2002)
• 'Kore wa Tada no Tatoehanashi Janai' (26 September 2002)
• 'Kotoshi no Fuyu' (8 January 2003) (Collaboration with Eiko Matsumoto)
• 'Wow' (13 February 2003)
• 'Kimi no Namae wo Yonda Ato ni' (21 May 2003)
• 'Good Morning!' (25 June 2003)
• 'Yasashii Uta ga Utaenai' (28 April 2004)
• 'Boku ga Ichiban Hoshikatta Mono' (28 July 2004)
• 'Chicken Rice' (17 November 2004) (Collaboration with Masatoshi Hamada)
• 'Akenai Yoru ga Kuru Koto wa Nai' (18 May 2005)
• 'Honno Sukoshi Dake' (1 February 2006) (Collaboration with Kuro of Home Made Kazoku)
• 'GREEN DAYS' (15 August 2007)
• 'Akai Muffler/Ogenki de!' (12 December 2007)

[edit] Albums

• 'Kimi ga Warau Toki, Kimi no Mune ga Itamanai Youni' (25 October 1990)
• 'Shuushoku Sensen Ijou Nashi' (25 June 1991)
• 'Kimi wa Dare to Shiawase na Akubi wo Shimasu ka.' (25 September 1991)
• 'Kimi wa Boku no Takaramono' (25 June 1992)
• 'SELF PORTRAIT' (31 October 1993)
• 'PHARMACY' (25 October 1994)
• 'UNDERWEAR' (25 October 1996)
• 'SMILING~THE BEST OF NORIYUKI MAKIHARA~' (10 May 1997)
• 'SMILING II~THE BEST OF NORIYUKI MAKIHARA~' (25 September 1997)
• 'Such a Lovely Place' (27 November 1997)
• 'SMILING III~THE BEST OF NORIYUKI MAKIHARA~' (10 May 1998)
• 'Listen To The Music' (28 October 1998)
• 'THE DIGITAL COWBOY~Ver. 1 OE LOVE LETTER~' (26 November 1998)
• 'SMILING GOLD~THE BEST & BACKING TRACKS~' (24 February 1999)
• 'Cicada' (10 July 1999)
• '10 Y. O. ~THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION~' (24 May 2000)
• 'Taiyou' (29 November 2000)
• 'NORIYUKI MAKIHARA SINGLE COLLECTION~Such a Lovely Place 1997-1999~' (6 December 2000)
• 'Home Sweet Home' (21 November 2001)
• 'Song Book~Since 1997-2001~' (23 January 2002)
• 'THE CONCERT - CONCERT TOUR 2002 "Home Sweet Home" - ' (9 May 2002)
• 'Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari' (7 November 2002)
• 'EXPLORER' (11 August 2004)
• 'Completely Recorded' (25 August 2004)
• 'NORIYUKI MAKIHARA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA "CELEBRATION"' (25 November 2004)
• 'LIFE IN DOWNTOWN' (22 February 2006)
• 'Kanashimi Nante Nan no Yaku ni mo Tatanai to Omotteita.' (07 November 2007)