Sota Kato (加藤 創太, Katō Sōta, born October 13, 1999), better known as SO-SO is a Japanese beatboxer, looper, singer-songwriter and producer. He is currently a member of the beatbox crew SARUKANI.
SO-SO | |||||
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Birth name | Sota Kato | ||||
Born | Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan | October 13, 1999||||
Genres | |||||
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 2016–present | ||||
Labels | Sokosoco | ||||
Website | Official website | ||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 加藤 創太 | ||||
Hiragana | かとう そうた | ||||
Katakana | カトウ ソウタ | ||||
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Early life
editBorn in Osaka, when he took piano classes since he was 6 years old because he was influenced by his friends around him.[1] He joined a theater company, Osaka Himawari[2] from elementary school and 10 years into his junior school graduation. He was mainly an extra in musicals, movies, and dramas such as a student in the Showa era and as a child during the war. In his freshman year of high school, he watched beatbox videos on YouTube and self-taught.[3] On his birthday in second grade of high school, he received a looper, BOSS RC-505,[4] from his mother and started a loop station. Entered in Osaka College of Music in 2018, he studied composition, music theory, mixing and continues to produce music.[5]
Career
editIn April 2019, he became popular because he was the first Japanese beatboxer to enter the top 4 in the loopstation category of the international competition Grand Beatbox Battle held in Poland in July. He also won the championship in the loopstation category of the Asian Beatbox Championship[6] in Taiwan in the same year. In 2020, he formed the beatbox crew SARUKANI and duo group DOILii, with Nijiiro Samurai. He is also start working as a DJ in December 2020.
In October 2021, he participated in international competition Grand Beatbox Battle held in Poland, and his won the championship in category Tag-team Loopstation with teammate, Rusy as SORRY and runner-up in Crew with SARUKANI.
Styles
editSO-SO has a high voice that produces a unique sound from his mouth. While self-taught beatboxing from the video Reeps One and starting looping every day, he was inspired by various music, one of which was so heavily influenced by Canadian DJ REZZ that he was fascinated by bass music. After that, he studied electronic game music, musicals and others, so he created his voice with his own musical view.[7]
SO-SO is known to have a unique style in the way of fashion, colorful clothes, wearing glasses and haircut style like as anime character Nobita.[8][9]
Other ventures
editSO-SO has maintained numerous national endorsement deals in various industries throughout their career. He starred in the commercial for Fuji School Bag on 2019–2020. In April 2021, he is in commercial for footwear retails ABC-Mart.[10]
Performance in competitions
editYears | Competitions | Held | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Asian Beatbox Championship | Taiwan | Elimination | Loopstation |
2018 | Beatbox Battle World Championship | Berlin, Germany | Elimination | |
2019 | Grand Beatbox Battle | Warsaw, Poland | Top 4 | |
Asian Beatbox Championship | Taiwan | 1 | ||
2021 | Grand Beatbox Battle | Warsaw, Poland | Elimination | |
1 | Tag Team Loopstation
(with Rusy as SORRY) | |||
2 | Crew
(part of SARUKANI) | |||
Elimination | Tag Team
(with Kaji as Wildcard Guys) |
Years | Competitions / events | Held | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | 12th GATSBY Creative Awards | Tokyo, Japan | Runner-up
(on music category) |
China Beatbox Championship | Beijing, China | Showcase | |
2019 | Mynavi MIKAKUNIN Festival | Tokyo, Japan | Runner-up |
2020 | DADERINRIN @Ebisu LIQUIDROOM[11] | Performing | |
HaHaHa Osaka Creative Awards[12] | Osaka, Japan | ||
Tap3x Dance[13] | Toyonaka, Japan | ||
Drum'n'Bass Exchange 1st Anniversary[14] | Osaka, Japan | ||
Online World Beatbox Championship | Beatbox Community's Discord | Judges | |
2021 | One Night STAND @Shibuya Live House[15] | Tokyo, Japan | Performing |
Discography
editAlbums
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
Party |
Track listing
|
NO LOOP NO LIFE |
Track listing
|
Party 2.0 |
Track listing
|
Extended plays
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
Sakura (Remixes) |
Track listing
|
Beat Pandemic |
Track listing
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
editTitle | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Myten 2016" | 2016 | Non-album single |
"Interview" | 2019 | Party |
"This is 8bit" | ||
"CO3"
(feat. Kimura Rin) |
Non-album single | |
"Crazy Drive" | NO LOOP NO LIFE | |
"NO LOOP NO LIFE" | ||
"Sakura"
(feat. Kimura Rin) |
2020 | Non-album single |
"SARUKANI WARS"
(feat. Kohey, Rusy & Kaji) |
Beat Pandemic | |
"Interview 2.0" | 2021 | Non-album single |
"Psycho Looper 2.0" | Psycho Looper 2.0 | |
"Psycho Looper 2.0" (Allen Mock remix) | ||
"2022" | 2022 | Non-album single |
As promotional singles
editTitle | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Darkness" | 2019 | Maronie Fashion Grand Prix |
"Zooming!" | 2020 | ZOOM Vocal Proccesor V3 |
"I Scream"
(with Masayoshi Iimori) |
I Scream | |
"I Scream"
(SO-SO beatbox) | ||
"Renegade VIP"
(SO-SO solo) |
2021 | ULTRA POWER |
Concerts
editCo-headlining
edit- SARUKANI 1st Tour Live "#BKPK2022" (2022)[16]
Filmography
editTelevision shows
editYear | Program | Network | Roles | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Sôkai jôhô variety Sukkiri!! | Nippon TV | Guest | [17] |
Musical theaters
editYear | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Koriyama Rhapsody | Background sound | Extras | [18] |
References
edit- ^ アヴァンギャルド (2021-02-22). "遊び心の原点。|SO-SO" (in Japanese).
- ^ "加藤創太(大阪【江坂スタジオ】・高等部)". Himawari Theater (in Japanese).
- ^ Hamada, Rin (2019-12-12). "「自分を信じて進む」 若きアジアチャンピオン ビートボクサーSO-SO". Boy Meets Art (in Japanese).
- ^ "島村楽器梅田ロフト店お得意様アーティストレビュー!【ヒューマンビートボクサー、SO-SO】". Shimamura (in Japanese). 2020-07-30.
- ^ "so-so(ビートボックス)の本名!いったい何者?出身地や経歴もチェック" (in Japanese). 2021-03-08.
- ^ "日本代表が2部門でアジアチャンピオンに!Asia Beatbox Championship 2019". Japan Beatbox Association (in Japanese). 2019-07-28.
- ^ Mochizuki, Tomohisa (2021-03-23). "The Beat Looper Competing All Over the World: SO-SO on the Frontline of Beatboxing". Block.fm.
- ^ Shin, Dong-yoon (2019-11-01). "WHY WE LOVE SO-SO'S NOT SO SO-SO BATTLE STRATEGY". Human Beatbox.
- ^ "SO-SOの年齢、大学は?ビートボックスの経歴、海外の評価は?人気のビートボクサー!" (in Japanese). 2021-04-13.
- ^ "アシックス「Evoride2 knit」、ABCマート限定モデル発売!ヒューマンビートボクサー「SO-SO(ソーソー)」を 起用したWEBCMを放映。". ABC-Mart (in Japanese). 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Eggs Presents「DADARINRIN」supported by SILAS" (in Japanese).
- ^ "HaHaHa Osaka Creative Awards" (in Japanese).
- ^ "TAP たっぷり タップダンス! official twitter" (in Japanese).
- ^ "DnB Koryukai twitter" (in Japanese).
- ^ "One Night STAND post status on Twitter". 2021-08-26.
- ^ "SARUKANIのチケット情報". ePlus (in Japanese).
- ^ "世界が熱狂 ヒューマンビートボクサー SO-SO (21)". Nippon TV (in Japanese). 2021-03-08.
- ^ "松村武が大和郡山の文化もとに紡ぐ、3人の"ちよ"の物語「郡山ラプソディ」" (in Japanese). 2019-08-15.