Subaru Shibutani is a Japanese singer, actor, and lyricist. He was born on September 22, 1981, in Japan. His career began upon joining the talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996, quickly gaining fame as a top performer. Subaru Shibutani's initial breakthrough came when he performed the original Kansai Jr. song "Boys in the West Side" in 1998. This was the theme song for a Kansai Jr. show called Kanjani Knights, on which he was a regular alongside You Yokoyama and Shingo Murakami. The trio was colloquially known as "3baka" ("the 3 idiots"). In 2003, Subaru Shibutani's career took a turn when he was chosen as the lead singer for the newly formed group Kanjani Eight. The group debuted in 2004 with a single titled "Naniwa Iroha Bushi," which made it to number 8 on the Oricon Singles Chart and later topped the chart with a nationwide release. Over the years, Kanjani Eight experimented with various musical styles including rap, jazz, funk, and rock, among others. Subaru Shibutani also contributed to subgroups within Kanjani Eight, such as SanKyoudai and SubaruBand, showcasing his musical versatility by playing several instruments including the guitar, harmonica, and shamisen. He was a key lyricist and collaborated with other musicians like Nakaegawa Rikiya and Shota Yasuda. Over the years he made some solo releases, such as the singles "Kioku / Kokoro Odoreba" (2015) and the cover album Uta (2016). Subaru Shibutani left Kanjani Eight in 2018 and focused his attention on a solo career. In 2019 he released his debut original solo album, Nisai. In 2023, he released the mini-album ALPACA 5, reaching number 28 on the Japanese Albums Chart.
