Masuda Takahisa (増田 貴久)
Birthdate: 4 July 1986
Junior History: He joined the agency in 1998 and was mostly a back dancer and appeared in the usual magazines with other Juniors. He got his first break when he got a role in the 3-nen 3-gumi Kinpachi-sensei series with fellow Junior Kato Shigeaki in 2001. He had another drama role in 2003 and finally sang on Shounen Club that year, a duet with fellow Junior Tegoshi Yuya, instead of just being a back dancer as he had been before.
Group History: Shortly after NEWS debuted Johnny’s created a new Junior group Kis-My-Ft and needed a Junior who had a last name beginning with M and could roller skate. Not being able to find one they had Massu join the group, even though he had debuted. This did not last long though as NEWS became too active and Kis-My-Ft eventually went through a member change to become Kis-My-Ft2.
As he and Tegoshi were the only members not in a group when NEWS debuted the two were often paired together. When the group was on suspension during 2006 the two were made into a duo called Tegomass and debuted not only in Japan but in Sweden as well. Since then he has done activities as both a member of NEWS and Tegomass as the duo lasted post-hiatus.
He is one of the members that does not do a lot of acting but he easily makes up for it with being one of the stronger singers of the group.
Random Facts: Massu is good friends with KAT-TUN’s Nakamaru Yuichi.
He was a member of TU→YU, a fictional boy band that had the lead actor of the Kinpachi-sensei series as well as some of the Johnny’s who had all been in the drama over the years, for a series of commercials and even released a digital song with the group.
His fashion sense is definitely something that stands out and I love how he really doesn’t seem to care if others may think it is strange. Of course coupling that with the fact that he seems rather insistent of having his hair styled a certain way and not deviating from it, except once when he had to for a drama role but even then grew it back to be styled in the same way as before, really gives him the impression that he’s more about looking like he likes than trying to fit somebody else’s standards. I cannot help but admire that about him.
And while it has taken a bit to get used to his singing voice I’ve come to love it. I’m really glad that he got a chance to really shine with Tegomass and with NEWS done to four members I’m sure he’ll be able to shine even more as a singer.
First of all, I just want to say thank you for such a wonderful blog! I always make sure to check it often because you pretty much cover most of the news that's happening in Johnny's. Your posts are very informative and I also find your thoughts and opinions interesting to read. I really appreciate you taking your time doing this countdown for all the members of NEWS. It allows us readers to learn more about each member and their history.
ReplyDeleteMassu is my favorite J-Pop idol! I first discovered Tegomass with the MV of Kiss ~Kaerimichi no Love Song~ which was the theme song for the anime, Lovely Complex. At first, I only heard the song as background music for a video on Youtube. I really liked the song so I search for it and I found their music video. Massu instantly caught my eye and I just had to find out more! This introduced me to NEWS as I was led to their weeeek MV. I am forever thankful for that day, which started my love for Johnny’s artists.
I agree that Massu was kind of overshadowed by the other members in the past. But I do hope that he will be able to gain more popularity in the new NEWS. He definitely has talent and has a unique personality. He can sing, dance, roller skate, swim, and do other amazing stuff! Him and Tegoshi singing together is just the most beautiful thing. Their voices complement each other so well which allows them to produce wonderful harmonies. Massu never fails to make me laugh with his sense of humor, his fashion choices, and just the way he acts. He's really cute despite being 25 years old already. He really does have a baby face and seeing his huge muscles surprised me at first! Haha. It's hilarious how he always thinks of food, especially gyoza. And he likes to draw pigs!
It's true that his hair never changes but after seeing him cut his hair for Rescue and seeing him with a curly perm, I think that his normal hair suits him the best. And for his fashion sense.. well, he comes up with the most interesting combinations of clothes. Like you said, he is very bold for coming out and not caring about what other people might think of his tastes. That is definitely something admirable. (It's amazing how he can pull it off too!)
As for his acting career, I think that he has done a fair amount of acting. He has been in some dramas and TV shows, which I've seen pretty much all of. Not to mention his leading role in the stage play "Ame no Hi no Mori no Naka." Most of them are pretty old though, so I hope to see him receive more roles in the upcoming future.
And yes, Massu’s smile is contagious. It’s good to see him always having a huge smile on his face :D (He just has the most perfect teeth). I hope that he continues smiling and I’m glad that he’s still in NEWS. I am also happy with Tegomass’s success these past few years. I will definitely continue to support NEWS no matter what happens! They have been my favorite group for many years now. :)
Here is my fanart which I just wanted to share:
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/227/5/2/massu_by_namiichan-d46lskb.png