RAG Musicartist
Lovely artist

[2026] A compilation of bands, artists, and singers from Kyushu

When you think of artists from Kyushu, who comes to mind?

In recent years, the rock band WANIMA—hugely popular at major festivals around the country and on TV—are famously from Kumamoto, right?

Plus, Masaharu Fukuyama and Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi are strongly associated with being from Kyushu as well!

But there are many more singers and bands from Kyushu!

In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of Kyushu-born artists who keep delivering music with passionate hearts!

[2026] Compilation of Bands, Artists, and Singers from Kyushu (71–80)

It will disappear if you touch it.Ueda Marie

Marie Ueda “If You Touch It, It Will Disappear” PV
It will disappear if you touch it.Ueda Marie

A singer-songwriter from Kyushu’s Fukuoka Prefecture who joined a talent agency in junior high school but continued to pursue her childhood dream of music, making her major debut in 2014.

Her fifth single, “Furetara Kieteshimau,” was featured in numerous tie-ins, including as the ending theme for the internet TV show “Minomonta no Yoru Buzz!,” as well as on local TV programs, radio broadcasts, and in games—so many of you may have heard it.

Guided by a belief that she didn’t want to confine music to genres, she began writing and composing her own songs, and you can feel her strong passion for music in her work.

Limit-Break x SurvivorHikawa Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi Hikawa / Limit-Break x Survivor – from the DVD “Kiyoshi Hikawa Special Concert 2018: Kiyoshiko no Yoru Vol. 18” [Official]
Limit-Break x SurvivorHikawa Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi Hikawa, who debuted in 2000 as a then-rare young and handsome enka singer, is from Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture.

His debut single released when he was 22, “Hakone Hachiri no Hanjirō,” was a big hit.

Since then, he has showcased his voice not only as an enka singer but also in pop music, even performing anime theme songs, and has continued to be active across a wide range of genres.

In recent years, he has often worn makeup and costumes with an androgynous vibe, and his activities, which break completely free from traditional enka conventions, are sure to keep drawing attention.

MotionNishiuchi Mariya

Mariya Nishiuchi / 7th single “Motion” MUSIC VIDEO
MotionNishiuchi Mariya

A singer-songwriter from Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, who has made her mark across a wide range of fields including fashion modeling, TV personality work, and acting.

She began her career as a model in 2007, and when she launched her singing career in 2014, she won the 56th Japan Record Awards New Artist Award and Best New Artist Award, as well as the 47th Japan Cable Radio Awards New Artist Award—achievements that drew widespread attention to her exceptional potential.

From 2015, she began working as a singer-songwriter who writes and composes her own music, and her seventh single, “Motion,” was chosen as the theme song for the drama “Suddenly, I Will Marry Tomorrow,” in which she also starred—showcasing her extraordinary, boundary-defying talent.

Festival somewhere every day!!LinQ

[MV] Festival Somewhere Every Day!! / LinQ
Festival somewhere every day!!LinQ

LinQ is a female idol group based in Fukuoka, formed from 33 members selected in an audition in February 2011.

Their history began on April 17 of the same year at IMS Hall.

Centered on J-pop, they incorporate a wide range of musical styles such as anime songs, disco, and funk.

Their use of Hakata dialect in lyrics and locally flavored songs is one of their charms.

In 2013, they made their major-label debut with Warner Music Japan and ranked high on the Oricon Weekly Chart, proving their strong abilities.

Holding titles such as one of the “Big Four Local Idols” and being inducted into the “Local Idol Hall of Fame,” they have earned high praise for their community-based activities.

Through collaborations with local companies and roles as ambassadors for sports events, LinQ continues to promote the appeal of Kyushu nationwide—momentum you won’t want to miss.

A bird in a cageYu-anesu

YOURNESS “Bird in a Cage” — TV anime Sing "Yesterday" for Me theme song
A bird in a cageYu-anesu

Yunakes, a band known for poetic, dramatic lyrics and delicately beautiful melodies.

Formed by members who attended a music vocational school in Fukuoka Prefecture, they initially performed locally in Fukuoka.

In 2017, they won the audition “RO JACK for ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017,” earning a coveted spot at ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017.

The following year, they released a nationally distributed CD and moved to Tokyo.

As a live band, they have been active on their own tours and at various festivals.

adieu

After the nightKamisiraishi Moka

adieu [ After the Night ] (α7C Creative Journey Edition)
After the nightKamisiraishi Moka

No introduction needed: this is the younger of the beautiful Kamishiraishi sisters, Moka Kamishiraishi.

She’s famously close with her older sister, Mone, and photos of them together are often posted on social media.

After winning the Grand Prix at Toho’s “Cinderella” Audition—which has produced stars like Yasuko Sawaguchi and Masami Nagasawa—she shot to household fame with roles in hit dramas such as “Gibo to Musume no Blues” and “The Files of Young Kindaichi.” In 2022, she also appeared in NHK’s morning drama “Chimudondon,” broadening her appeal across generations, from the young to the elderly.

She’s also been highly active as the singer adieu.

When it was revealed in 2019 that adieu was actually Kamishiraishi, everyone was surprised, right? By 2022, she had released three albums, including analog (vinyl) editions.

Her debut song, “Narratage,” is a classic you still hear often—an exemplar of her crystal-clear voice.

If you haven’t heard it yet, don’t miss it!

FlowerNaka Kousuke

Koji Nakamura “Hana” Music Video 2016 ver.
FlowerNaka Kousuke

A singer from Kyushu, Kagoshima Prefecture who began teaching himself Shimauta in his teens and continues to live on his native Amami Oshima, performing as a vocalist with pride and affection for the island’s culture and climate.

In his signature third single Hana and in Sansara, the theme song for the documentary program The Non-Fiction, you can hear the distinctive melodic turns of Amami folk music and his gentle voice—at once strikingly impactful and imbued with a grand, expansive love.

With his unique timbre and vocal style, he’s been called “the gentlest voice on earth,” a singer every Japanese person ought to know.