Joji (musician)

Joji
ジョージ
Joji performing in 2018
Born
George Kusunoki Miller[1]

(1993-09-16) 16 September 1993 (age 31)[2]
Osaka, Japan[3]
Alma materNew York Institute of Technology (BA)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • comedian
Musical career
OriginHigashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan[4][5]
Genres
Instruments
Years active2008–present
Labels
Websitejojimusic.com
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2006–2017
Genre(s)shock comedy, surrealist humour
Subscribers7.85 million
Total views1.26 billion
NetworkScaleLab[9]
100,000 subscribers2012
1,000,000 subscribers2015
Last updated: 4 Sept, 2024

George Kusunoki Miller (ジョージ・楠木・ミラー, Jōji Kusunoki Mirā, born 16 September 1993),[10] known professionally as Joji and formerly as Filthy Frank and Pink Guy, is a Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Miller's music has been described as a mix between R&B, lo-fi, and trip hop.

Miller created The Filthy Frank Show on YouTube in 2011 while he was still living in Japan, gaining recognition for playing oddball characters on the comedy channels "TVFilthyFrank", "TooDamnFilthy", and "DizastaMusic".[11] Miller kept producing Filthy Frank videos after he traveled to the United States to attend college in 2012. The channels which featured comedy hip hop, rants, extreme challenges, and ukulele and dance performances,[12] are noted for their shock humor and prolific virality. Miller's videos helped popularise the Harlem Shake, which contributed to the commercial success of Baauer's song "Harlem Shake" which led to the production of memes and collaborations with YouTubers.[13][14] As Pink Guy, Miller released two comedy studio albums, Pink Guy and Pink Season, as well as an extended play, between 2014 and 2017.

In late 2017, Miller ended The Filthy Frank Show to pursue a music career under the name "Joji", the Japanese version of his first name.[15][16] His debut album, Ballads 1, was released in 2018 and featured the single "Slow Dancing in the Dark". His second album, Nectar (2020), contained the singles "Sanctuary" and "Run". In 2022, he released the US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Glimpse of Us", his highest-charting song,[17] which was later featured on his third album, Smithereens (2022).

  1. ^ "ACE Repertory – Joji Kusunoki". ascap.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Routinary Joji's Age Post On Tumblr". Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BroadwayWorld was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pigeons and Planes 3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Canadian Academy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Kelley, Caitlin (7 December 2017). "Singer/Producer Joji on His Career Flip From Crude Viral Comedy to Understated R&B: 'Now I Get to Do Stuff That I Want to Hear'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Pigeons and Planes 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Kelley, Caitlin (7 December 2017). "Singer/Producer Joji on His Career-Flip From Crude Viral Comedy to Understated R&B: 'Now I Get to Do Stuff That I Want to Hear'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018. He won't rap on a Joji track like he does as Pink Guy ..." & "Miller has been growing out of the brand of comedy associated with Pink Guy ...
  9. ^ "TVFilthyFrank YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". socialblade.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Is Joji's birthday the 16th or the 18th?". Twitter. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  11. ^ @FilthyFrank (29 December 2017). "This is old news but I figured I'd give an official statement. Thank you for your understanding and god bless" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Soundbite: "Pink Season" by Pink Guy". The Current. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  13. ^ Liu, Marian. "Straight outta... China? The young Asian artists bucking hip-hop trends". CNN. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  14. ^ Taylor, Chris. "YouTube: Here's How 'Harlem Shake' Went Viral". Mashable. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  15. ^ "The Man Behind Pink Guy's Bizarre Chart-Topping Album 'Pink Season'". Pigeons and Planes. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Joji Explains Decision to Quit Filthy Frank and Pink Guy as He Pursues Music Career". PigeonsandPlanes. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  17. ^ Ofiaza, Renz (6 November 2018). "Joji Becomes First Asian Artist to Top Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2018.