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Born on December 18, 1978, in Hachioji, Tokyo, singer Funky Kato formed the group FUNKY MONKEY BABYS in his hometown in January 2004, serving as its leader. The group made their major debut in January 2006 with the single "Sonomama Higashi e". The group quickly gained popularity, appearing on NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen for four consecutive years and on TBS's Kagayaku! Japan Record Awards for three consecutive years, disbanding at the peak of their fame in June 2013, after a final performance at the Tokyo Dome. Following the group's disbandment, Funky Kato launched his solo career on February 12, 2014, with the single "My Voice", which debuted at number 3 on the Oricon singles chart. He followed this with "Kagayake" (輝け) in May, which landed at number 5, and "Taiyō" (太陽) in August, which reached number 14. The singles featured on his debut album ONE, climbing to 3rd place. In October 2015, he released "Music Magic", followed by "中途半端なスター" (A Half-Hearted Star), before expanding his talents to acting and starring in the movie Sabuibo Mask in June 2016, for which he also wrote the song "ブラザー" (Brother), which charted at number 8 and featured on his second album Decoration Tracks (2016) alongside "走れ 走れ" (Run, Run). Recording the TBS COUNT DOWN TV Opening Theme "冷めた牛丼をほおばって" (Take a Cold Beef Bowl) in 2017, his third album 今日の詩 (Today's Poem) arrived the next year, landing at number 8, and he returned in 2020 with fourth album F, preceded by the single "希望のWooh" (Wooh of Hope), used as the theme song to TV Asahi's World Pro Wrestling. To mark the anniversary of his debut, Funky Kato held the 15th Anniversary Debut One-Man Spring Funky Kato Ranman Live on March 13, 2021, returning in 2024 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his solo career by releasing the digital single "Yasashii Hikari" in February. Following a sold-out performance at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, Funky Kato released his first greatest hits album, Funky Kato 10th Anniversary ALBUM 'My BEST', in July 2024, accompanied by a nationwide tour titled Funky Kato 10th Anniversary LIVE TOUR Your VOICE. The album reached number 63 on the Line Music Charts.
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