is an American singer and actor from
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...
. He is the winner of the October 11th, 2011 and October 7, 2012 broadcasts of the Japanese singing competition ''
Nodojiman The World
''Nodojiman The World'' (のどじまんTHEワールド!)'','' often referred to simply as ''Nodojiman The World: Song for Japan, Sekai ga Utau Nippon no Meikyoku Senshuken'', is a Japanese music television program hosted by duo Masahiro Nakai fro ...
''.
Career
Early life and beginnings
Edwards was born in Hillsboro, Oregon and raised in the neighboring city of
Cornelius.
He is the first son of his household, and has one younger brother. Edwards' father was the vocalist and guitarist of a local band, and Edwards credits him for having sparked his interest in music at a young age. Edwards attended
McKinney Elementary School and
Evergreen Middle School. Edwards began studying the Japanese language at the age of 14 upon entering high school, and soon found himself infatuated, completing the four-year course by the end of his Sophomore year. He graduated from
Glencoe High School in Hillsboro.
In the summer of 2008, Edwards visited Japan for the first time, spending roughly 2 months in Fukuroi, Shizuoka, sister city to his native Hillsboro, and the Tokyo area. He participated in the Japanese speech contest sponsored by the Portland consulate general in 2008 and 2010 where he placed 2nd and 1st respectively. Upon graduating in June 2010, Edwards moved to Tokyo, Japan to pursue his dream of becoming a Japanese pop singer.
Arrival in Japan and initial recognition
Edwards made his debut on Japanese television in June 2011, participating in the first installment of the singing competition "Nodojiman The World
''Nodojiman The World'' (のどじまんTHEワールド!)'','' often referred to simply as ''Nodojiman The World: Song for Japan, Sekai ga Utau Nippon no Meikyoku Senshuken'', is a Japanese music television program hosted by duo Masahiro Nakai fro ...
." Since then, he has appeared on various television programs both as a singer and actor. He is the only performer to have appeared on every broadcast of "Nodojiman The World," and the only contestant to have won twice. In early 2012, Edwards starred in the musical comedy "Hinomaru Dream," which was filmed as an entry work in the 4th annual Okinawa International Film Festival. The film was based loosely on Edwards' life, and plays on the comical situations he was placed in while chasing his dream of stardom in Japan. The film was released to theaters nationwide in the spring of 2013.
Major debut and release of "Skies"
Edwards' first musical release was the indie EP 'n/f,' containing 5 cover songs and 2 original works, totaling 7 tracks. Edwards embarked on a promotional tour in March 2013 to commemorate its release, where he announced his signing with Warner Music Japan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* Nipsey Hussle, All Money In
* Mike Caren, Artist Par ...
and plans to release his debut single on his 21st birthday, July 31, 2013.
Edwards' debut single under Warner Music Japan was entitled " F Ga Uta Ni Naru" and was released as a box set containing both the single CD and a DVD with documentary footage of a trip to his hometown of Portland, Oregon earlier in the year.
"F Ga Uta Ni Naru" was the first and only single released off of Edwards' first album " Skies," which hit stores October 6, 2013. "Skies" was released as a double mini-album featuring disc "Sky," a compilation of 5 original songs, three penned by Edwards himself, and disc "Earth," covers of 6 traditional Japanese folk songs. The title track, "Skies," was later used in a commercial for the university prep school , airing for the first half of 2014.
Edwards also appeared in and sang the jingle to the commercial for a Lotte brand throat lozenge beginning in October, 2013.
References
External links
*
*
Nicholas Edwards
at Warner Music Japan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* Nipsey Hussle, All Money In
* Mike Caren, Artist Par ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Nicholas
1992 births
Living people
21st-century Japanese male actors
Japanese male pop singers
American expatriates in Japan
American people of Dutch descent
Japanese-language singers
J-pop singers
Male actors from Oregon
Musicians from Hillsboro, Oregon
People from Cornelius, Oregon
Singers from Oregon
Warner Music Japan artists
Anime singers
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singers
21st-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese male singers