Joe Inoue, credited in Japanese as 井上ジョー, is a Japanese-American solo musician born on August 30, 1985, in Los Angeles, California. He began taking music seriously in middle school and started recording original compositions with a multi-track recorder, building songs piece by piece. From the beginning of his career, he often played every instrument himself, including vocals, which gave his music a highly independent and hands-on character.
Inoue is known for a genre-crossing style that fits well within anime music. He reached a wider audience through the opening theme he performed for Naruto, one of the series that introduced his work to many listeners. Associated with Kioon Music, he has continued to develop that flexible approach while remaining a solo artist whose songs reflect the self-contained process that shaped his early work.
