Toshinobu Kubota

Toshinobu Kubota (born July 24, 1962) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, music producer, and radio personality whose work spans contemporary r&b, j-pop, and pop soul. Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, he moved to Tokyo to study economics at Komazawa University. While still a student, he formed the amateur band HOTTENTOTS. In 1982, he won the Best Vocalist award at Yamaha's East West '82 contest. After graduating in 1985, he began professional work under a songwriting and production contract with Kitty Music, writing for other singers before establishing his own recording career. He later built a solo career that produced six million-seller records and thirty-three Top 40 singles. He has also composed and written songs for artists including Hiromi Iwasaki, MISIA, Toshinori Yonekura, and Kyōko Koizumi. His music has frequently been used in television drama, and "LA・LA・LA LOVE SONG" later served as the ending theme for ReLIFE.