Shugo Tokumaru

Shugo Tokumaru was born and raised in Tokyo. His first instrument was the piano, which he started between 5–6 years old after seeing a friend playing it. Much later on in junior high school, Tokumaru started playing the electric guitar, originally playing songs only by The Clash.{{Cite web|author=HMV |url=http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/article/1004090114/ |title=【HMVインタビュー】 トクマルシューゴ |date=April 20, 2010 |accessdate=2010-08-02}} He joined a band called Gellers, made up of people he had known throughout his childhood. The band formed around 1994 and at the very beginning, Tokumaru was not a member. He started writing songs at 17 for the band,{{Cite web |author=Ontonson |url=http://ontonson.com/interview/2007/10/post_2.php |title=トクマルシューゴ インタビュー |date=October 2007 |accessdate=2010-08-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130130195030/http://ontonson.com/interview/2007/10/post_2.php |archivedate=2013-01-30 }} however had not had much of a need to earlier, as the other guitarist of the band was the chief songwriter. At this point, Tokumaru developed an interest with multi-instrumentalization, thinking that just the guitar/bass/drum set of a standard band wasn't enough.

After finishing high school, Tokumaru traveled overseas for {{frac|2|1|2}} years, spending most of his time living in Los Angeles. While staying in America, he was a part of a jazz band, and recorded songs in his home.

After returning to Japan in 2003, Tokumaru finished recording a 10 track demo album called Fragment. He gave this demo CD to a friend who was an acquaintance of Trevor Sias, owner of the US independent record label Music Related.{{Cite web |author=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |url=http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/2430/shugo-tokumaru |title=Interview / Shugo Tokumaru |date=December 8, 2005 |accessdate=2010-08-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215094653/http://www.cokemachineglow.com/feature/2430/shugo-tokumaru |archivedate=February 15, 2010 }} The label was impressed with the CD, and wanted to release the demo album just as it was; however, Tokumaru did not like the idea. He created an entirely new album, which was released under the label in the United States on May 11, 2004. Night Piece originally planned to be just an American only release, but due to strong sales on internet sites, it was released in other countries.{{Cite web|author=Tokyo Source |url=http://www.tokyo-source.com/interview.php?ts=41 |title=041 トクマルシューゴ （ミュージシャン） |date=April 28, 2008 |accessdate=2010-08-02}} It was released in Japan in August 2004 through the independent label Compare Notes.

Tokumaru released his second album, L.S.T., in 2006, and his third, Exit, in 2007. During this time, his music started to become more recognized globally. L.S.T. was also released in Europe and New Zealand, with Tokumaru performing on a French and Spanish tour. In Japan, Tokumaru performed live at such places as the Ginza Apple Store and Shinjuku Tower Records, and his music started being featured in commercials for companies such as Shiseido and Japan Airlines.{{Cite web |author=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/bio.html |title=SHUGO TOKUMARU/BIO |accessdate=2010-08-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820181903/http://www.shugotokumaru.com/bio.html |archivedate=2008-08-20 }} Also in 2007, Tokumaru's childhood band Gellers reformed, releasing their debut album and performing at high-profile festivals, such as the Fuji Rock Festival and Borofesta. However, the group went on hiatus in 2008.

In 2008, Tokumaru worked on soundtrack for Kōji Hagiuda directed film {{nihongo|Kodomo no Kodomo|コドモのコドモ|Children's Children}}. He performed his first US tour, with four sold out dates in halls with a capacity of around 2,000 people each. He continued to perform at high-profile Japanese music festivals, such as the Fuji Rock Festival (this time as a solo artist) and Asian Kung-Fu Generation's Nano-Mugen Festival.

In 2009, Sony used Tokumaru's song "Rum Hee" for commercials for their VAIO L series of touchscreen computers. The resulting extended play, Rum Hee, was Tokumaru's first top 100 release.{{cite web | title=ラムヒー - トクマルシューゴ ／ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 | url=http://ranking.oricon.co.jp/free_contents/search/detail.asp?itemcd=809168&samecd=1 | work=Oricon | accessdate=2010-08-02}} It was later used again in June 2014 by Sumo Digital in the E3 announcement trailer for LittleBigPlanet 3, and an instrumental version of the song was used as the title music when the game was released on November 18, 2014. In 2010, his fourth album Port Entropy broke into the top 40. He performed his first Japanese tour, featuring 13 dates across the country. Every venue was a sold-out concert. After the tour, Gellers started performing again in 2010.

Tokumaru's song "Parachute" was featured in soundtrack for Canadian film Year of the Carnivore.

Shugo Tokumaru considers some of his influences to be The Beach Boys, older Japanese musicians such as Hachidai Nakamura, and traditional Japanese music styles, such as gagaku.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} Tokumaru plays all of his instruments on his albums, and records his songs alone. Tokumaru sings his lyrics almost entirely in Japanese. The basis of his lyrics come from his daily dream diary. When writing music, he first comes up with a melody solely inside his head. When creating the song, he tries to use as many instruments as possible, to illustrate the different aspects of his dreams.{{Cite web|author=MTV Iggy |url=http://www.mtviggy.com/video/iggy-music-shugo-tokumaru-chat |title=Shugo Tokumaru Interview |accessdate=2010-08-02}}

• "Vista" (January 2006, vinyl single){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/7inch.html |title=SHUGO TOKUMARU / Vista |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "Sleigh Ride" (November 25, 2009, digital download){{cite web |url=http://shugotokumaru.com/itms.html |title=SHUGO TOKUMARU / Sleigh Ride |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}

• "Sleeping Bird (Remixed by Shugo Tokumaru)" (February 2006, Apartment's Apremix album){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/remix2.html |title=V.A. / apremix (CD-R) |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "Tournament (Remixed by Shugo Tokumaru)" (March 2007, Moools' "Tournament" remix single){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/remix3.html |title=V.A. / Tournament |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• {{nihongo|"Akairo Elegy"|赤色エレジー|Red Elegy}} (June 2007, various artists album Akairo Elegy Mania, featuring just covers of Morio Agata's song of the same name){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/comp5.html |title=V.A. / 赤色エレジーマニア |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "Spiderwoman w/ Shugo Tokumaru" (January 2008, David Fenech's album Polochon Battle){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/comp6.html |title=David Fenech / polochon battle |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "Micro Guitar Music" (July 2008, various artists Kyokutō Saizensen 2){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/comp8.html |title=V.A. / 極東最前線２ |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "With Pail (Shugo Tokumaru Remix)" (July 2008, .Tape. remix album .Tape. Repainted){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/remix4.html |title=V.A. / .TAPE. REPAINTED |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• {{nihongo|"Jitensha Dorobō (Shugo Tokumaru Remix)"|自転車泥棒|Bicycle Thief}} (July 2009, Unicorn URMX){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/remix5.html |title=URMX / ユニコーン |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• "401 Circuit (Shugo Tokumaru Remix)" (March 2010, I Am Robot and Proud remix album Uphill City Remixes & Collaborations){{cite web |url=http://www.shugotokumaru.com/remix6.html |title=UPHILL CITY REMIXES & COLLABORATIONS / i am robot and proud |publisher=Shugo Tokumaru Official Web Site |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}
• [http://handdrawndracula.com/vicious-circles-digital-ep/ Vicious Circles Vol 1 (Digital)]
• "Video Killed The Radio Star" (September 2011, Polyvinyl Records's Japan 3.11.11: A Benefit Album){{cite web |url=http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/store/index.php?id=1890&cartID=3121 |title=Polyvinyl Records - Japan 3.11.11: A Benefit Album |publisher=Polyvinyl Records Official Web Site |accessdate=August 7, 2012}}
• "Confusão / ざわめき" (October 2024, Afonso Cabral's Demorar album){{cite web |url=https://afonsocabral.bandcamp.com/album/demorar |title=Demorar - Afonso Cabral |publisher=Bandcamp |accessdate=February 11, 2025}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1980 births

Category:Japanese male singer-songwriters

Category:Lil' Chief Records artists

Category:Singers from Tokyo

Category:21st-century Japanese singer-songwriters

Category:21st-century Japanese male singers