is a Japanese

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He was a member of Jpop idol boy band

KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, ...

from their debut until September 30, 2013 when his contract with

Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency re ...

(the company that manages KAT-TUN) was terminated. When he was a member of

, he was recognized as the rapper in the group and has a hip-hop-influenced style. Out of the other members, Tanaka was most often paired up with

Yuichi Nakamaru , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, television personality, radio host, and a member of KAT-TUN. He joined the talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1998 and then officially debuted as part of KAT-TUN in 2006. Individually, he has acted ...

and they even formed a comedy duo 'TaNaka'. After leaving Johnny & Associates, Tanaka formed his own indie rock band called INKT.

Biography

Early life

Born in Chiba, Chiba prefecture; Japan on November 5, 1985, Tanaka is the second oldest of 5 siblings, all brothers and raised by their single mother. His younger brother Juri is also an actor and signed with Johnny & Associates. Juri along with Tanaka's youngest brother Subaru even appeared alongside Tanaka in the first episode of the TV series '' Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go'' in which Tanaka played the lead role. His younger brother Hyouga is also an actor, and Tanaka's older brother is named Kazunaru. Before Tanaka was born, his mother thought he would be a girl, so she thought of the name Maria (Saint). But he turned out to be a boy instead, so the Kanji letter of his name '聖' was kept, but its pronunciation was changed to “Kōki” (“Kōki” also means “Saint” in Japanese). Furthermore, when he was little his face was so cute and feminine that he was often mistaken for a girl. Tanaka graduated from

Horikoshi High School is a private high school in Nakano, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.Josai International University , JIU, is a private university established in 1992, with two campuses, one in Tōgane, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and one in Kioi-chō, Chiyoda-ku is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.

, but he quit halfway. He loves animals so much that he originally wanted to become a veterinarian.

Career

Tanaka joined

in 1998 when he was only 13 years old, he once stated the reason why he applied was “My mother sent the application form behind my back. So I went to the audition without knowing anything at all. She told me it was because my cousin applied too. Therefore, we went to the audition together. But in the end, my cousin failed, while I passed.” He became a member of Jpop idol boy band

from their debut in 2001 until September 30, 2013 when his contract with Johnny & Associates was terminated due to several contract violations and he left the company. In November the same year he formed his own Indie rock band called INKT and was the lead vocalist in the band, and they finally released their debut album on November 8, 2014. On September 1, 2017 it was announced on the band's website that INKT has now officially disbanded. After the band's disbandment, Tanaka still continues to release music and perform in live shows as a solo artist. On January 23, 2019 Tanaka released his first solo album ''Easter'' under his own record label 'Project KOKI', followed by a solo national tour in Japan from February 2 to April 6, 2019. On July 31, 2019 Tanaka released his solo single ''Round and Round / end of begin'' and held a one-man solo live tour in August and a band tour in October. He then released a mini album ''LOUDER'' on October 2, 2019. On January 5, 2020 Tanaka started his own official Youtube channel where he uploads original content often featuring him with his younger brother Hyouga. In 2020 Tanaka announced that he would write, direct and star in his own stage show called ''OLD Maid-JOKER'', the shows were originally scheduled to begin in June 2020 but had to be postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the shows have since been rescheduled to play from April 21–25, 2021. Since February 22, 2021 Tanaka has started a radio podcast show with his brother Hyouga called ''Tanaka Family Raaaaadio'' which broadcasts shows weekly every Sundays in Japan. As an actor, Tanaka has appeared in a string of Japanese TV series and movies and has won 2 awards for his acting work in ''

My Boss My Hero is a Japanese television drama broadcast by Nippon Television (NTV). It is a remake of the South Korean movie of My Boss, My Hero, It aired in Japan during the summer of 2006. Synopsis The show is about , also known as "Tornado", a 27-year-o ...

''.

Personal life

On May 24, 2017 Tanaka was arrested for marijuana possession during a traffic stop, despite claiming the cannabis in his car were not his he was tested positive to the drug and was detained for 2 weeks while investigations were ongoing. He was eventually released from jail on June 7, on June 30 it was reported that Tanaka will not be prosecuted for marijuana possession charges as the police were not able to obtain enough evidence to prosecute him. On February 24, 2022, Tanaka was arrested by police in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

for alleged possession of methamphetamine. Tanaka has denied the allegations, and was quoted as saying that he did not know anything about the drugs. Tanaka can play several instruments. His main instrument is the guitar; he can also play the piano and the shamisen. He wrote most of the rap lyrics for KAT-TUN's songs and his solos, going by the pen-name of "JOKER". While in INKT, he wrote all the band's songs under his name 'KOKI'. Tanaka loves to design things and is very artistic and has a talent for sewing and he designs his own apparels.

Discography

INKT

Studio albums

Solo

Singles Studio albums

Live performances

Concerts

This is a list of all the live concerts that Tanaka has performed at and will perform in either solo or with his rock band INKT.

Stage shows

Filmography

Film

Television

Other works

Books

* 田中聖 10845: Released on July 15, 2015

Awards

* 50th Television Drama Academy Awards: ''Best Supporting Actor'' for

(2006) * 2006 TVNavi Awards: ''Best Newcomer'' for

(2006)

References

External links

Koki Tanaka official website

Koki Tanaka's official Youtube channel

Koki Tanaka's official Twitter

INKT official website
*

a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Koki 1985 births Living people Horikoshi High School alumni Josai International University alumni Johnny & Associates KAT-TUN members Japanese male pop singers Japanese male rock singers Japanese alternative rock musicians Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers