# Michael Africk

Michael Africk (born 20 August 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-platinum record producer and entrepreneur. After signing with Disney's Hollywood Records and releasing a solo album in 1999, he toured with N'Sync and Britney Spears. He collaborated with Mai Kuraki as a producer, songwriter and featured performer on the album Delicious Way which debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and had the highest first week sales for a debut album in Japanese music history with 2,218,640 units sold and remains the sixth best selling album of all time in Japan. He has collaborated on many chart topping singles and albums with Kuraki over the years, including the multi-platinum single Never Gonna Give You Up where he is also featured as a performer. Africk has six number one albums and ten top three singles to his credit as a writer and producer, and has received 6 Japan Gold Disc Awards for album and/or song of the year.
In 2011, Africk released his second studio album with Japanese record label Northern Music/Being Music. The album was co-produced by Africk and Louis Bell.
Since 2006, he has founded several entertainment and tech companies, including Handcraft Entertainment and Inmoji.

## Career
### Musician

Africk sang "Someone Like Me", the theme song for Disney's animated film Doug's 1st Movie . The song was written by William Squier and Jeffrey Lodin, produced by Africk, Perry Geyer and Miguel Sa Pessoa, and featured the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In the same year, he released his 11-track self-titled album.
Africk was the opening act for N'Sync and Britney Spears, and toured in Japan. He composed the music for the Japanese anime series Secret of Cerulean Sand (2002). "What Can I Do", his song for the final credits, features Mai Kuraki.
Africk collaborated with Mai Kuraki for the song Baby Tonight, a single from the album Delicious Way. The album debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart with 2,218,640 units sold, making it the highest first week sales for a debut album in Japanese music history and sixth overall. He collaborated with Kuraki on other songs as a writer and/or producer, including Never Gonna Give You Up, Secret of my heart, Love Day After Tomorrow, Stay By My Side, and others from the same album. Never Gonna Give You Up, which features Africk as a performer was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). He composed "Love One Another" with Kuraki for the benefit of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami victims. The song, featuring his vocals, was released on his self-titled album and Kuraki's album Over the Rainbow in 2012.

### Handcraft Entertainment

Africk founded Handcraft Entertainment with the vision of globalizing the J-Pop genre. Handcraft Entertainment operates as a production and management company as well as a record label. Currently Handcraft and Africk represent artist, influencer and model Hana Kuro as well as artist, actress and model Anna Aya.

### Entrepreneur

In 2006, Africk started his tech career when he co-founded XLR8 Mobile. He would go on to found Dijit and Inmoji as well.
Africk founded Inmoji in Boston in May 2014. Inmoji is a software company offering a software development kit to messaging apps and an extension for smartphones that both create clickable icons that enable users to share their favorite brands, products, and experiences directly within the apps without leaving the message. Inmoji raised $2.5 million in seed funding in 2015 and $6.5 million in Series A round in 2016.
Africk was named one of the 12 Top Tech Leaders To Watch In 2017 by Inc.

## Discography
### Producer & Composer

| Year | Title | Label | Album | Performer | Peak chart position in Japan | Certification & Units Sold RIAJ |
| 1999 | Love Day After Tomorrow | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 Japan Hot 100 (Billboard) #63 | 1X Million 1,400,000 |
| 2000 | Delicious Way (Album) | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 (weekly & yearly) | 3X Million 3,530,000 |
| 2000 | Secret Of My Heart | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 | 1x Million 968,980 (physical sales) 100,000+ (digital sales) |
| 2000 | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki (ft.) Michael Africk | Weekly: #2 (Count Down TV), #2 (Oricon) Yearly: #58 (Count Down TV), #59 (Oricon) | 2× Platinum 434,250 |
| 2000 | Baby Tonight | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2000 | Stay By My Side | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 | 1X Million 922,140 (physical sales) |
| 2000 | Simply Wonderful | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 | 2× Platinum 600,000 |
| 2001 | Perfect Crime (Album) | Giza Studio | Perfect Crime | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 | JPN Million 1,600,000 6× Platinum |
| 2001 | Can't Forget Your Love/Perfect Crime | Giza Studio | Perfect Crime | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 | 2× Gold 180,040 (physical sales) |
| 2001 | Always | Giza Studio | Delicious Way | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 | Platinum 200,000 |
| 2001 | Come on! Come On! | Giza Studio | Perfect Crime | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2001 | Never Gonna Give You Up (Never Never Land Mix) | Giza Studio | Start in My Life | Mai Kuraki (ft.) Michael Africk) | | |
| 2001 | Promised You | B-Gram | Toki no Tsubasa | Zard | Oricon #6 | Gold 115,000 (physical sales) |
| 2001 | Toki no Tsubasa | B-Gram | | Zard | Oricon #1 | Platinum 371,000 |
| 2001 | Reach For The Sky | Giza Studio | Perfect Crime | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #3 | 2× Platinum 486,320 |
| 2001 | Tsumetai Umi (冷たい海) | Giza Studio | Perfect Crime | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #2 | Platinum 400,000 |
| 2002 | Fairy Tale (Album) | Giza Studio | Fairy Tale (Album) | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 | 3× Platinum 800,000 |
| 2002 | What Can I Do | Giza Studio | | Michael Africk | | |
| 2003 | If I Believe (Album) | Giza Studio | If I Believe | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 | 2× Platinum 444,536 |
| 2003 | Same | Giza Studio | If I Believe | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2003 | Just a Little Bit | Giza Studio | If I Believe | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2003 | Time After Time | Giza Studio | If I Believe | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #3 | Gold 200,000 |
| 2003 | Mi Corazon | Giza Studio | If I Believe | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2004 | Wish You The Best (Album) | Giza Studio | Wish You The Best | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #1 | 1x Million 956,162 (physical) |
| 2005 | Don't Cry | Madacy Records | The Fix | Jordan Knight | | |
| 2005 | "Chocolate: Kimi no Santa ni Naritakute" | | Mainichi Adventure | Sparkling Point | | |
| 2005 | "Winter*Swear" | Giza Studio | Growing of My Heart | Mai Kuraki | | |
| 2007 | Season Of Love | Northern Music | One Life | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #5 | |
| 2007 | Silent Love | Northern Music | One Life | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #5 | |
| 2008 | One Life (Album) | Northern Music | One Life | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #14 | Gold |
| 2011 | "Kimi e" | | Tenshi no Clover | Aimi | | |
| 2023 | Someone Else | Handcraft Entertainment/Virgin Music/B ZONE | | Anna Aya | | |
| 2024 | Hit Me With Your Love | Handcraft Entertainment/Virgin Music/B ZONE | | Anna Aya | | |
| 2024 | Forever for you | Northern Music | Forever for you | Mai Kuraki | Oricon #3, Billboard #4 | |
| 2025 | Be Romantic | Handcraft Entertainment/Virgin Music | | Hana Kuro | | |

### Albums

| Year | Title | Label |
| 1999 | Michael Africk | Hollywood Records |
| 2011 | Michael Africk II | Giza Studio |

### Singles

| Year | Title | Writers | Producers | Label |
| 1999 | My Heart Belongs To You (Sexified) | Michael Africk, Perry Geyer, Miguel Pessoa | Michael Africk, Perry Geyer, Miguel Pessoa | Hollywood Records |
| 2011 | Make It Loud | Michael Africk, Louis Bell, Jordan Knight | Louis Bell | Handcraft Music |
| 2011 | No... Yeah (featuring Sammy Adams) | Michael Africk, Sammy Adams, Matty Trump | Louis Bell | Handcraft Music - MusicBall / Souldiggaz |
| 2012 | So Beautiful | Michael Africk, Louis Bell | Louis Bell, Michael Africk | Handcraft Music |

### Featured artist

| Year | Title | Label | Album |
| 2000 | "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Mai Kuraki featuring Michael Africk) | Giza Studio | Delicious Way |
| 2010 | Boyfriend | Giza Studio | Future Kiss |
| 2011 | "Love One Another" (Mai Kuraki featuring Michael Africk) | Handcraft Music/Cybersound Music | Over the Rainbow |

### Music videos

| Year | Song | Album | Director |
| 2000 | Never Gonna Give You Up | Delicious Way | |
| 2011 | "You Were Right" (live) | Michael Africk II | |

## Accolades
### Japan Gold Disc Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Credit | Result |
| 2001 | 15th Japan Gold Disc Award | Pop & Rock Album of the Year | Delicious Way | Writer, Producer | Won |
| 2001 | 15th Japan Gold Disc Award | Song of the Year | "Secret of My Heart" | Writer, Producer | Won |
| 2002 | 16th Japan Gold Disc Award | Pop & Rock Album of the Year | Perfect Crime | Writer, Producer | Won |
| 2003 | 17th Japan Gold Disc Award | Pop & Rock Album of the Year | Fairy Tale | Writer, Producer | Won |
| 2004 | 18th Japan Gold Disc Award | Pop & Rock Album of the Year | If I Believe | Writer, Producer | Won |
| 2005 | 19th Japan Gold Disc Award | Pop & Rock Album of the Year | Wish You the Best | Writer, Producer | Won |