Karim Ryuta Nesmith (ネスミス・竜太・カリム, Nesumisu Ryūta Karimu) or simply Nesmith (stylized as NESMITH), is a Japanese singer,[2] dancer and actor who is the vocalist and performer of Exile and Exile The Second. He was also member of J Soul Brothers' second generation Nidaime J Soul Brothers until their migration to Exile in 2009.
Nesmith ネスミス・竜太・カリム | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Karim Ryuta Nesmith[1] |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | August 1, 1983 Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Labels | Rhythm Zone |
| Website | Official profile |
Biography
editKarim Ryuta Nesmith was born on August 1, 1983, in Kumamoto, Japan. His mother is Japanese and his father Afro-American. Nesmith had always wanted to stand out since he was a child, so he started dreaming about becoming a singer. He was greatly influenced by Western music and artists such as Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire, ZARD and many more. Nesmith's mother supported his dream of becoming a singer strongly and after he received an award in a local karaoke competition and was praised by his friends for his singing skills during junior high school days, he decided to go busking on the streets of his hometown.[3]
Nesmith originally debuted as a member of the duo STEEL in 2001, however they disbanded in the following year. After that, he decided to study abroad in the United States and get in touch with his roots and the music that inspired him. While living 3 months each in Los Angeles and New York, he faced many difficulties since he couldn't speak English at all. However, his vocabulary and English skills improved significantly during his visit. While studying in New York, he stayed at his father's home who lived in New Jersey. The main focus of his studies was on music, especially R&B because he couldn't categorize this music genre properly. During that time, Nesmith was also able to meet Takeda Mayumi whose autobiographical book Fight! (ファイト!) greatly influenced and inspired him when he was bullied in junior high school. They stayed in contact afterwards and are still communicating with each other to this day.[4]
Four years after the disbandment of STEEL, in July 2006, he participated in the EXILE VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 2006 ~ASIAN DREAM~ and became one of the finalists, which allowed him to join the group Nidaime J Soul Brothers.[5] The five finalists of the audition also formed the unit Dreamers ~EXILE VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION FINALIST~ in 2007. Prior to that, he debuted as a soloist in April 2006. Nidaime J Soul Brothers announced their indefinite hiatus after releasing one album in 2009 and all members joined the line-up of Exile shortly after.[6]
In 2012, Nesmith joined the Exile sub-unit Exile The Second alongside his fellow former Nidaime J Soul Brothers members Shokichi, Kenchi, Keiji and Tetsuya.[7]
In 2013, he also joined the coed-group Dance Earth Party for one year to participate in the Dance Earth project of his fellow Exile member Üsa.[8] Prior to him joining the coed-group, he already participated in the Dance Earth project in 2010 by making his stage debut in its play Dance Earth: Negai.
On March 18, 2019, it was announced that Nesmith would make his musical debut in the Japanese version of the Broadway musical Peter Pan. He would act as the 22nd incarnation of Captain Hook/Darling.[9] Other actors who had played this role before are Shinji Takeda, Rolly and Shinta Furuta for instance.[10] On April 16 in the same year, it was announced that he would also launch a new music program titled NES-FES.(ネスフェス) in his hometown Kumamoto on the 26th of that month. Nesmith would take on the role of the MC and the monthly broadcasting would start on the 50th anniversary of TV Kumamoto. The content of the music program would include inviting various artists and special guests, delivering music information, music discussions, occasional collaborations and the introduction to local artists.[11] On April 27, Nesmith, Leola and Spyair drummer Kenta held the acoustic live event THE PUMP UP ON at LDH Kitchen THE TOKYO HANEDA. It was a collaboration of two programs, EXILE THE SECOND THE ON ~Sound~ (EXILE THE SECOND THE ON ~音~) with Nesmith and SPYAIRのPUMP UP ONE with Kenta.[12] On May 18, he performed at the opening ceremony of WE＝KYUSHU Day in KUMAMOTO (WE＝KYUSHU デー in KUMAMOTO), a festival to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Hawks Kyushu - Fukuoka relocation and the opening of KAB!.[13][14]
Participating groups
edit| Name | Period of time |
|---|---|
| Steel | 2001 – 2002 |
| Nidaime J Soul Brothers | 25 January 2007 – 1 March 2009 |
| Exile | 1 March 2009 – |
| Exile The Second | 1 July 2012 – |
| Dance Earth Party | 2013 – 2014 |
Discography
editSingles
edit| Year | Title | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Tsuishin (追伸) | April 12 |
Lyrics
edit| Year | Song | Artist | Single/album |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Place | Nidaime J Soul Brothers | My Place | |
| Dear... | The Second from Exile | The II Age |
Participating works
edit| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Saigo no Yoru | ASAYAN Chou Danshi | Dochin-Nesmith "Saigo no Yoru / I'll Be There" |
| I'll Be There | |||
| Saigo no Yoru | Nesmith-Fujioka "Saigo no Yoru / Stand By Me" | ||
| Stand By Me | |||
| 2005 | No Lady No Life | Ketsumeishi | Ketsu no Police 4 |
| 2006 | Love Dream & Happiness | Exile | Asia |
| Batch Goo Lady feat. Skillaw & Miyabi & Nesmith | DJ Shibuchin | SJ Shibuchin presents...Shibuchin Summit | |
| 2007 | Lovers Again -The Finalist Version- | Exile | Lovers Again (Single) |
| Song Soldier –Ashita no Senshi– | Dreamers –Exile Vocal Battle Audition Finalist– | Song Soldier –Ashita no Senshi– (Single) | |
| Song Soldier –Ashita no Senshi– Nesmith Version | |||
| 2013 | Inochinoism | Dance Earth Party | Inochinoism (Single) |
| Sen-ka no Chikyū de | |||
| 2017 | Inochi no Rhythm ~Great Journey~ | Dance Earth Party, Crystal Kay | I |
| 2018 | Kanojo no "Modern..." | Glay | Urei no Prisoner / YOUR SONG |
Filmography
editTV programmes
edit| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Asayan | TV Tokyo | ||
| 2012 | EX-Lounge | TBS | MC | |
| 2019 | Defeat Times | Fuji TV | guest in one episode | [15] |
| NES-FES. | TV Kumamoto | MC |
Films
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Hotel Hibiscus | Kenji Nyinyi |
Stage
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dance Earth: Negai | Josh |
| 2013 | Dance Earth: Seimei no Kodō | Wadamasa |
Musical
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Peter Pan | Captain Hook |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Exile Nesmith no All Night Nippon | NBS | |
| 2019 | English arc presents Shigeki Maruyama MOVING SATURDAY | TOKYO FM | guest for 3 weeks |
| EXILE THE SECOND THE ON ~Sound~ | TS ONE | MC |
Live
edit| Year | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | VBA Live Tour 2012 Vocal Battle Stage | |
| 2014 | Vocal Battle Audition Presents "Vocal Battle Stage 2014" | [16] |
| 2019 | THE PUMP UP ON |
Advertisements
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Daiichi Kosho Company "Smart Dam" |
Others
edit| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dam Channel | MC | [17] |
Bibliography
editManga
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 - 2014 | Examurai Sengoku G | Planning and draft |
Magazine Photography Serialisations
edit| Year | Title | Magazine | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2017 | "GIVE&TAKE" | with | Irregular series | [18] |
| 2018–present | "EXILE NESMITH portrait・Jiū「P.S.」" | Photo Technique Digital | series | [19] |
References
edit- ^ "EXILE" (in Japanese). LDH. Retrieved 3 Feb 2017.
- ^ "男性ヴォーカリストオーディション" (in Japanese). asayan Official Site. 17 Sep 2000. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 3 Feb 2017.
- ^ "EXILE NESMITHが熊本での少年時代、歌手へのルーツを語る". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "EXILE NESMITH、アメリカでの"海外留学"で芽生えた責任感". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "JSoulBrothers、デビューイベントで「刺激的変化」誓う". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ "EXILEにJ Soul Brothers合流！14人体制で新たな出発". natalie.
- ^ "EXILEから新ユニット誕生、映画主題歌でデビュー". natalie.
- ^ "EXILE・USA、念願のピエロ役に大喜び「早くステージに上がりたい」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ "NESMITH、フック船長役に喜び TAKAHIROの反応は「ティンカーベルを見たかったと…」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "NESMITH、『ピーターパン』で"22代目"フック船長役 本格ミュージカル初挑戦". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ "EXILENESMITH「いよいよ」故郷熊本で音楽番組MC 4・26『NES-FES.』スタート". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "EXILE NESMITH & SPYAIR KENTA & Leolaのアコースティックライブが実現". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "NESMITH、5・18に地元熊本でホークス戦始球式 芸能界の速球王・メンディーの存在で「かなりの緊張」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "NESMITH、地元熊本で初始球式に感慨 思い出球場のマウンドは「ステキな景色」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "山里亮太、蒼井優と共演した『脱力タイムズ』登場 結婚の喜び味わえず絶叫「やってくれたな!!」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "EXILE TRIBE PERFECT YEAR 2014". Exile Tribe Perfect Year 2014 Official Site (in Japanese). LDH. 10 Feb 2014. Retrieved 3 Feb 2017.
- ^ "DAM CHANNEL 月替わりMC 2月はTHE SECOND from EXILEの"NESMITH"" (in Japanese). Daiichi Kosho Company. 7 Jan 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 3 Feb 2017.
- ^ "EXILE・NESMITH、メンバー"素顔"公開 秘蔵ショット満載で裏側を堪能". Model Press (in Japanese). Net Native. 28 Jan 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 3 Feb 2017.
- ^ "フォトテクニックデジタル2018年12月号". Photo Technique Digital (in Japanese). Genkosha. 20 Nov 2018. Retrieved 21 Feb 2019.
External links
edit- Official website at Exile Official Website (in Japanese)
- Former
- Official website (in Japanese)