# Kiyotaka Sugiyama

Kiyotaka Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 清貴, Hepburn: Sugiyama Kiyotaka, born July 17, 1959) is a Japanese singer-songwriter known for being the lead vocalist of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe. Debuting in 1983 with the band, Sugiyama began his solo career in 1986 after the band's disbandment the previous year. As the lead singer of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe, he was the lead voice on songs such as "Summer Suspicion" and "Futari no Natsu Monogatari", while as a solo artist he has had multiple hit songs including "Sayonara Ocean", "Saigo no Holy Night", and "Mizu no Naka no Answer".
Sugiyama has currently released a total of 27 albums throughout his solo career, with his debut album Beyond… (1986) reaching 1st place on the Oricon charts, with subsequent albums in the 80s also being in the top ten of the album charts. Sugiyama has been described as one of the artists who shaped city pop's image, utilizing newer synths and his vocals.

## Early life and education

Sugiyama was born on July 17, 1959, in Isogo-ku, Yokohama; his father was a police officer and a shamisen and dance teacher. He started listening to music at an early age after being inspired by western rock music like The Beatles, saving up money in order to buy their albums. His first instrument was an electric guitar, later buying an acoustic guitar after listening to Japanese folk music. He formed a band with his classmates in junior high and started writing songs, performing at a school festival in his third year. After he graduated from high school, he worked at a live house.

## Career

In 1979, he joined the band Cutie Panchos, which was made of high schoolers who frequented a live house, becoming their lead vocalist. The band participated in the 19th and 20th Yamaha Popular Song Contests held in 1980, winning an award in the 19th Popcon but losing in the 20th Popcon. By 1982, the final lineup of Cutie Panchos was formed, with the band being scouted by Koichi Fujita; the band would debut as S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe with "Summer Suspicion" in 1983. The band lasted two years, breaking up at the peak of their popularity due to discontent from session musicians doing all of the recordings instead of the band members themselves.
After the disbandment of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe, Sugiyama debut as a solo act in 1986 with the single "Sayonara Ocean" followed by his debut album, Beyond…, which peaked at 1st place on the Oricon Albums Chart. His follow-up single "Saigo no Holy Night", reached 2nd place on the Oricon Singles Chart. While a solo artist at VAP, he befriended fellow singer Momoko Kikuchi, portraying her brother in the 1986 movie Aidoru o Sagase. He released the singles "Mizu no Naka no Answer" and "Shade" in 1987 and "Kaze no Lonely Way" in 1988, all three reaching 1st place on the Oricon Singles Chart making them his only singles to be his number one singles. In 1989, he wrote the song "Last Train" for Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe's 1989 album Be Yourself, transferring to Warner Pioneer at the request of Triangle Production alongside Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe and later transferring from Triangle Production to Horipro.
On May 30, 1990, Sugiyama was transferred from VAP to Warner Music Japan and released his fifth album Sprinkle, reaching 1st place on the Oricon charts. In 1996, he started annually performing at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall during tours. In 2000, he was transferred back to VAP and later left Horipro to establish the company Masterwork Co., Ltd, which later became Island Afternoon Co., Ltd. In 2004, he and other members of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe reunited for the first time for a concert.
In 2013, he released the album I Am Me which featured self covers of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe and his solo career songs. In 2016, Sugiyama celebrated his 30th anniversary of his solo debut with a concert at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall and released the album Ocean. The next year, he released the album Driving Music. In 2018, Sugiyama and S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe reunited for a national tour for the band's 35th anniversary, with Sugiyama also having a solo tour for his own anniversary of debut. In 2020, Sugiyama released the album Rainbow Planet, his first album in three years, but had to postpone a tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. In 2023, the 40th anniversary of his debut with S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe, he released the album Freedom and the compilation album All Time Best which compiled various singles throughout his career.

## Artistry

Sugiyama was inspired by The Beatles and other western rock music after listening to them at a friend's house as a child, switching his instrument from a shamisen to guitar after being inspired by Beatles member George Harrison and his Fender Stratocaster. He was also interested by Japanese folk rock, including artists Takuro Yoshida and Yōsui Inoue. In high school, he became obsessed with American rock and was in a school band that mimicked the style of Santana. While as part of Cutie Panchos, he and the band were inspired by The Doobie Brothers and mimicked their style. He also was a smoker and drinker in an attempt to get his voice deeper like Otis Redding, quitting both in 2011 in order to help his voice.

## Personal life

Sugiyama met former singer Yuko Yanagisawa, the sister of comedian Shingo Yanagisawa, in 1980, with the two marrying in 1985 and having a daughter, Maho, the next year. In 1990, the family emigrated to Hawaii, living in Hawaiʻi Kai, obtaining permanent residency in 1992 while Sugiyama travelled to and from Japan and Los Angeles to record. During his time in Hawaii, he learned about surfing and began practicing bodyboarding. Sugiyama and Yanagisawa divorced, with Sugiyama returning his permanent residency and moving back to Japan in 2006 while Yanagisawa and Maho stayed in the United States.
Sugiyama is known for his use of sunglasses during performances and for his public image. He first began wearing sunglasses to hide a swollen face due to heavy drinking the night before a performance for S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe. The crowd reacted positively to the style, and he began using sunglasses to the point it where it became his trademark look. During his later career, he began taking off his sunglasses and showing his face without them.
Sugiyama is a fan of anime, his early aspirations as a child was to become a manga artist prior to becoming a musician. He has written multiple songs based on being inspired from anime; he created the song "Boys of Eternity" for the 1988 OVA Shounan Bakusouzoku and 2022 single "Nightmare" was inspired by the anime Call of the Night, writing the song as if it was its theme song.

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums with chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | Oricon | Billboard |
| Beyond… | Released: July 2, 1986 Label: VAP Format: LP, CD | 1 | 47 |
| Realtime to Paradise | Released: March 21, 1987 Label: VAP Format: LP, CD | 1 | 50 |
| Kona Weather | Released: December 19, 1987 Label: VAP Format: LP, CD | 2 | 51 |
| Here & There | Released: May 17, 1989 Label: VAP Format: LP, CD | 2 | — |
| Listen to My Heart | Released: November 8, 1989 Label: VAP Format: CD | 4 | — |
| Sprinkle | Released: May 30, 1990 Label: Warner Pioneer Format: CD | 1 | — |
| Moonset – Yasashina Narumade | Released: June 12, 1991 Label: Warner Music Japan Format: CD | 4 | — |
| Island Afternoon | Released: June 10, 1992 Label: Warner Music Japan Format: CD | 7 | — |
| Kanata Kara no Kaze | Released: September 25, 1992 Label: Warner Music Japan Format: CD | 19 | — |
| Add Water | Released: July 25, 1994 Label: WEA Japan Format: CD | 14 | — |
| Rhythm from the Ocean | Released: September 25, 1995 Label: WEA Japan Format: CD | 29 | — |
| Rainbow Shave Ice | Released: July 10, 1996 Label: WEA Japan Format: CD | 30 | — |
| Honolulu City Lights | Released: June 25, 1997 Label: WEA Japan Format: CD | 81 | — |
| Harvest Story | Released: October 25, 1997 Label: WEA Japan Format: CD | 91 | — |
| Ocean Side Company | Released: July 21, 2000 Label: VAP Format: CD | 40 | — |
| Zampa | Released: July 21, 2001 Label: VAP Format: CD | 67 | — |
| Heaven's Shore | Released: November 21, 2001 Label: VAP Format: CD | 96 | — |
| Aloe Vera 99% | Released: July 24, 2002 Label: VAP Format: CD | 80 | — |
| Hula Moon Sessions | Released: April 23, 2003 Label: VAP Format: CD | 44 | — |
| Shima Kara no Tegami, Umi Kara no Henji. | Released: December 3, 2003 Label: VAP Format: CD | 76 | — |
| Bay Area Kids | Released: August 4, 2004 Label: VAP Format: CD | 78 | — |
| The Sunshine Band | Released: July 26, 2006 Label: VAP Format: CD | 63 | — |
| Favorite Eternal Numbers – Desperado | Released: July 25, 2007 Label: VAP Format: CD | 82 | — |
| Style | Released: December 19, 2007 Label: VAP Format: CD | 112 | — |
| Favorite Eternal Numbers II – Asu ni Kakeru Hashi | Released: November 5, 2008 Label: VAP Format: CD | 73 | 100 |
| Veteran | Released: July 17, 2009 Label: VAP Format: CD | 49 | 66 |
| Island Afternoon II Pacific Rim | Released: February 10, 2010 Label: VAP Format: CD | 49 | 80 |
| Kiyotaka Sugiyama Meets Tetsuji Hayashi Reunited | Released: April 6, 2011 Label: VAP Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 54 | 50 |
| I Am Me | Released: April 17, 2013 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 25 | 20 |
| Island Afternoon III Da Kine of Da Buds | Released: June 25, 2014 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 60 | 62 |
| Ocean | Released: July 6, 2016 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 34 | 30 |
| Driving Music | Released: July 19, 2017 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 24 | 23 |
| My Song My Soul | Released: July 19, 2017 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 21 | 16 |
| Rainbow Planet | Released: May 13, 2020 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 10 | 9 |
| Freedom | Released: May 10, 2023 Label: King Records Format: Digital download, streaming, CD | 11 | 9 |

### Singles

| Single | Year | Chart positions | Chart positions | Album |
| Oricon | Billboard |
| "Sayonara no Ocean" | 1986 | 4 | 31 | Beyond… |
| "Saigo no Holy Night" | 1986 | 2 | 31 | Realtime to Paradise |
| "Mizu no Naka no Answer" | 1987 | 1 | — | Summer Selection |
| "Shade" | 1987 | 1 | — | Kona Weather |
| "Kaze no Lonely Way" | 1988 | 1 | — | Non-album single |
| "Boku no Ude no Nakade" | 1988 | 2 | — | Time Is A Good Time |
| "Nagisa no Subete/Boys of Eternity" | 1988 | 3 | — | Non-album single |
| "Purizumu Rain ni Tsutsuma Rete" | 1989 | 12 | — | Here & There |
| "Kimi ga Koko ni ite Hoshī" | 1989 | 12 | — | Non-album single |
| "Itsumo Kimi wo Oomoteru" | 1990 | 10 | — | Sprinkle |
| "Aozora ga Menishimiru" | 1991 | 26 | — | Moonset |
| "Kaze no Ichi-byō" | 1991 | 19 | — | Non-album single |
| "Love Is You" | 1992 | 19 | — | Non-album single |
| "Natsufuku Saigo no hi" | 1992 | 28 | — | Kanata Kara no Kaze |
| "Livin' In A Paradise" | 1993 | 29 | — | Non-album single |
| "Boku no Shatsu o Kite Nasai" | 1994 | 89 | — | Add Water |
| "Eien no Natsunidakarete" | 1995 | 88 | — | Non-album single |
| "Taiyō wa Shitte iru" | 1996 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Saigo no Holy Night (Version 96)" | 1996 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "September Song" | 1997 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Loving" | 1998 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Owaranai Rēsu" | 1998 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "EXiT" | 2001 | 67 | — | Zampa |
| "Wishing Your Love" | 2002 | 95 | — | Shima Kara no Tegami, Umi Kara no Henji |
| "Nami" | 2005 | 75 | — | The Sunshine Band |
| "Thank You For Christmas/This Is Life" | 2005 | 76 | — | Non-album single |
| "Gift/Home Town Train" | 2006 | 84 | — | The Sunshine Band |
| "Glory Love" | 2009 | 56 | 41 | Veteran |
| "Yumewomita no Sa" | 2013 | 84 | 96 | Non-album single |
| "Hand Made" | 2020 | — | — | Rainbow Planet |
| "Nightmare" | 2023 | — | — | Freedom |
| "Too Good to Be True" | 2023 | — | — | Freedom |
* ↑ The Japan Hot 100 was established in February 2008.
* ↑ 2007 rerelease.

### Guest appearances and duets

List of guest appearances and duets with other performing artists, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
| "Lovers Luck" | 1997 | Junko Ohashi | Honolulu City Lights |
| "Kaze no Kioku" | 2014 | Momoko Kikuchi | Ocean |
| "Seaside Paradise" | 2021 | Bajune Tobeta | Brave New World – Relax World |

### Songwriting credits

| Year | Artist(s) | Album | Song | Written with |
| 1980 | Cutie Panchos | Non-album single | "Gospel no Yoru" | Tatsushi Umegaki |
| 1983 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Non-album B-side | "Nagisa no Sea-dog" | Tsugutoshi Goto, Showichi Yoshida |
| 1983 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Aqua City | "Paddling To You" | Tsugutoshi Goto, Yasushi Akimoto |
| 1983 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Aqua City | "Light Morning" | Yasushi Akimoto, Ken Shiguma |
| 1983 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Aqua City | "Trade Wind" | Yasushi Akimoto, Ken Shiguma |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Non-album B-side | "Ai o Maki Modoshite" | Yasushi Akimoto, Ken Shiguma |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | River's Island | "Saturday's Generation" | Makoto Matsushita, Toshitsugu Nishihara |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | River's Island | "Saigo no Night Flight" | Ken Shiguma |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Never Ending Summer | "Misty Night Cruising" | Makoto Matsushita, Chinfa Kan |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Never Ending Summer | "Eastern Railroad" | Ken Shiguma, Masako Arikawa |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Never Ending Summer | "Twilight Bay City" | Ken Shiguma, Masako Arikawa |
| 1984 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Never Ending Summer | "Stay The Night Forever" | Makoto Matsushita, Masako Arikawa |
| 1985 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Another Summer | "Toi Hitomi" | Ken Shiguma, Masako Arikawa |
| 1985 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | Another Summer | "Mayonaka no Screen Board" | Makoto Matsushita, Yasushi Akimoto |
| 1985 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | First Finale | "November Blue" | Masanori Sasaji, Masako Arikawa |
| 1985 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | First Finale | "Remember The Brightness" | Ken Shiguma, Kumiko Aoki |
| 1985 | S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe | First Finale | "Kimi wa In The Rain" | Masanori Sasaji, Masako Arikawa |
| 1987 | Alex To | Alex To | "I'll Never Forget You" | Alan Tsui Yat-Kan, Yuen-Leung Poon |
| 1987 | Jackie Lin and Par Avion | Non-album single | "Romansu no Tobira" | Masako Arikawa, Motoki Funayama |
| 1987 | Masanori Ikeda | Quarterback | "All or Nothing" | Motoki Funayama, Kumiko Aoki |
| 1987 | Masanori Ikeda | Quarterback | "Room Ocear View" | Hiroshi Shinkawa, Shun Taguchi |
| 1987 | Masanori Ikeda | Quarterback | "River Side Dilemma" | Motoki Funayama, Kumiko Aoki |
| 1988 | Masanori Ikeda | Natural 22 | "Rock'n Roll Band" | Motoki Funayama, Shun Taguchi |
| 1988 | Masanori Ikeda | Natural 22 | "Ashita e no Sentaringu" | Motoki Funayama, Shun Taguchi |
| 1988 | Ra Mu | Thanks Giving | "One And Only" | Keiko Aso |
| 1989 | Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe | Be Yourself | "Last Train" | Hiroshi Shinkawa, Shun Taguchi |
| 1990 | Twin Fizz | Non-album single | "Omoide tote o Tsunagazu ni" | Kaori Nishina |
| 1992 | Junichi Kawauchi | Non-album single | "Kimi no Hitomi-ippai no Natsu" | Junichi Kawachi, Atsuo Katayama, John Capek |
| 1992 | Reiko Katoh | Querido | "Hāfumūn wa Kizutsui Teru" | Kenjiro Sakitani |
| 1992 | Reiko Katoh | Querido | "Hikishio Hoteru" | Kenjiro Sakitani |
| 1992 | Reiko Katoh | Querido | "Again" | Reiko Katoh, Kenjiro Sakitani |
| 1993 | Reiko Katoh | Kakugo o Kimeta hi | "Forever" | Reiko Katoh, Hiroshi Iimuro, Takeshi Sato |
| 1993 | Kazuto Murata | Hello Again | "Sayonara Jamaca" | Kazuhito Murata |
| 1994 | Hiromi Go | GOrgeous | "Summer Again" | Rui Serizawa |
| 1998 | Jean & Gingers | Greatest Hits | "Ie o Tobidase Papa" | Kazuto Murata |
| 1999 | A.M.S&I | Kiseki wa Koko ni Aru no sa | "We Are Travelin' Band" | Kazuhito Murata |
| 2008 | The Silver Hawks | Surf Coast To Coast | "Sentimental Guitar" | Jori Venemies |
| 2014 | Yosuke Tagawa | Toki no Tabibito | "Michi wa Tsudzuku" | Yosuke Tagawa |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Aidoru o Sagase | Yasuo Fujitani | Special appearance |
| 2003 | Heart of the Sea | Himself | Made for the Japan Surfing Federation |