Featured In
ALBUMRelay - Mori no Uta - SingleSouthern All Stars
Albums by Southern All Stars
ALBUMBudouSouthern All Stars
ALBUMKiller StreetSouthern All Stars
ALBUMSakuraSouthern All Stars
ALBUMYoung LoveSouthern All Stars
ALBUMYo Ni Man-Yo No Hana Ga Saku NariSouthern All Stars
ALBUMSouthern All StarsSouthern All Stars
ALBUMKamakuraSouthern All Stars
ALBUMNinkimono de IkoSouthern All Stars
ALBUMKireiSouthern All Stars
ALBUMNude ManSouthern All Stars
Southern All Stars's Popular Music Videos
Tokyo VICTORY
Southern All Stars
Sounen Jump
Southern All Stars
Manatsu no Kajitsu [Live at CHIGASAKI PARK STADIUM, 2023/10/1]
Southern All Stars
Ai Wa Hana No Yoni(Ole ! ) [Live At Yokohama Arena, 12/31/2020]
Southern All Stars
Aloe
Southern All Stars
Tatakaumonotachi he Ai wo Komete
Southern All Stars
Eiko no Otoko
Southern All Stars
Tengoku On the Beach
Southern All Stars
Peace & Hi-Lite
Southern All Stars
Bongiri koiuta
Southern All Stars
Artist Playlists
Southern All Stars Essentials
The Japanese pop legends’ weighty collection of must-listens.
Southern All Stars: Video Essentials
A review of the legendary rock band's visual masterpieces.
Southern All Stars: Sing
Southern All Stars: Love Songs
The critically acclaimed Japanese band reveal their softer side.
Southern All Stars: Deep Cuts
The acclaimed Japanese rockers take a walk on the wild side.
Artist Biography
The Southern All Stars have slaked Japan's insatiable thirst for novelty since the '70s. Formed by singer/songwriter Keisuke Kuwata out of a Tokyo university's music club, the All Stars epitomize the Japanese concept of kayōkyoku—or "mixed juice"—with their constantly evolving hybrid of traditional Japanese folk music with rock, R&B, blues, soul, reggae, funk, and more. (Their name sutures Southern rock to pre-eminent salsa combo Fania All Stars.) Collegiate pranksterism informed the band’s 1978 debut single, "Katte ni Sindbad" (Willfully Sindbad), which referenced earlier hits by Kenji Sawada and Pink Lady. The band broke through the following year with the ballad "Itoshi no Ellie" (Ellie My Love), and 1980's Tiny Bubbles, their third release, marked the first of more than a dozen chart-topping albums in a row. While Kuwata ceaselessly courts controversy with saucy singles like "Erotica Seven" and "Manpli no G-Spot," the soothingly raspy singer's "Tsunami," a compassionate ballad about aging, became one of Japan's best-selling singles ever. Other singles like "Ai no Kotodama: Spiritual Message" and "Peace & Hi-Lite" reach for the stars with cosmic rapping and a Theremin. Following a 10-year break, the All Stars released Budou (Grape), another lavishly eclectic collection, in 2015. Having mounted a Japanese tour in 2019 and a live concert—minus the audience—at Yokohama Arena in June 2020, Japan's dependably different national band soldier on.
Hometown
Japan
Genre
J-Pop