Tsuyoshi Domoto

Born in Nara, Tsuyoshi Domoto first gained widespread recognition through his role in the J-pop duo KinKi Kids, an act tied to the Johnny's agency. He later built a separate profile as a television performer and developed a solo recording career that gradually shifted from occasional releases into steady, ongoing work. His acting appearances actually preceded any music projects outside the duo: several dramas in 1994 came three years ahead of KinKi Kids' debut album, and his busiest period on screen fell in the middle of the decade. The duo nevertheless supplied his initial breakthrough. While still attached to KinKi Kids, Domoto issued his debut solo album, Rosso e Azzurro, in 2002; he composed both its music and lyrics, and the record reached number one while selling more than 200,000 copies. Its 2004 successor, [sí:], matched those sales figures. Only in 2006 did he launch a full-time solo endeavor, stepping away from acting and adopting the stage name Endlicheri Endlicheri—an African fish species—while remaining a KinKi Kids member. The two Endlicheri Endlicheri albums released in 2006 and 2007 performed solidly on the charts, though below the levels of his earlier solo efforts. In 2008 he changed the alias to 244 ENDLI-x, pronounced “Tsuyoshi Endlix,” and delivered the album I and Ai. The following year he abandoned the elaborate name altogether and issued Bigaku My Beautiful Sky under his own name, Tsuyoshi. Also in 2008 he resumed television work with a leading role in the drama 33pun Tantei.