Shota Shimizu (born February 27, 1989) is a Japanese pop/R\&B singer-songwriter and arranger who writes, composes, and arranges his own music. He made his debut in February 2008 with the single “HOME”, which achieved a historic No. 5 ranking on Oricon's weekly singles chart for a teenage male artist, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. It earned digital double-platinum and gold certification for CD sales. His debut album Umbrella (November 2008) reached No. 2 on Oricon’s album chart and went gold, blending R&B, soul, jazz, hip-hop, and funk. Shimizu continued with hit singles like “Aishiteru,”(2008) “Diggin’ On U,”(2008) and “My Treasure”(2008) , and released his second album Journey in March 2010—his first No. 1 album on Oricon, marking the first time a Heisei-born male solo singer topped the chart. The album featured collaborations with U.S. R&B singer Joe and arrangers such as DJ Hasebe. His third album COLORS (2011) followed with reflective themes. He crafted songs like “Song for you” in response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and produced collaborative singles with Miliyah Kato, including “Love Forever”, a digital double-platinum dance hit. From 2015 to 2020, Shimizu’s style shifted toward deeper R\&B and hip-hop with singles like “Damage”, “My Boo”—now one of LINE MUSIC’s most streamed tracks—and albums such as PROUD (2016) and FLY (2017). He celebrated his 10th anniversary with a commemorative tour and album. After releasing period (2020), he launched his ninth album HOPE in July 2021, featuring the collaborative track “Curtain Call feat. Taka”. He releases his 11th album Pulsatilla Cernua on June 18, 2025.
