Shigeru Matsuzaki

• 1. Introduction

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  Shigeru Matsuzaki is a Japanese singer and actor whose voice reached places he never expected. A catchy tune recorded for a Glico almond commercial in 1987 became something of a phenomenon in Thailand, with local singers lining up to cover it. Back home in Japan, that same song barely registered. That paradox sits at the heart of Matsuzaki's story: a career full of contributions that matter more than his name might suggest. He sang the themes that made Katamari Damacy unforgettable. He voiced and played the lead in Nerima Daikon Brothers. He stepped into the role of the title character in the 1982 film adaptation of Space Adventure Cobra. How does an artist end up famous in places he never set out to reach, and beloved in genres and formats that seem to have nothing in common?

• 2. The Left-Handed Bassist

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  Matsuzaki is left-handed, and that detail shapes how he plays every string instrument he picks up. When he holds a bass or guitar, the lower E string sits at the bottom rather than the top. It is the inversion most left-handed players navigate, and for Matsuzaki it became simply the natural way to make music. His work with Momoiro Clover Z showed that his musical range extended well beyond solo recording. That popular group collaborated with him, pulling his sound into an orbit that introduced him to new audiences within Japan. His discography stretches from Yes or No in 1991 through Black on Black in 2014, with albums appearing across three different decades.

• 3. A Voice in the Ballpark

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  The Saitama Seibu Lions moved to Tokorozawa in 1979, and when they did, they needed a theme song. Matsuzaki wrote and performed it, and that song has been used by the club ever since. His connection to the Lions runs deeper than a professional credit. In an interview with Weekly Baseball, he said that he "loved drinking whiskey behind the net at the Seibu Dome." Baseball for Matsuzaki was not marketing work. It was personal. The Lions belong to Japan's NPB, and the team's move to Tokorozawa gave Matsuzaki's song a geographical home that has now lasted across many decades of professional play.

• 4. The Thai Phenomenon

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  Kimiga ireba sorede ii, written in Japanese, appeared in a Glico almond commercial in 1987. In Thailand, that commercial exposure turned the song into something far larger than its original purpose. Local singers covered it widely, and the track became genuinely well-known across the country. In Japan, the song remained obscure. Matsuzaki himself did not set out to build an audience in Southeast Asia. A commercial placed his voice in front of listeners who responded to it. The gap between reception in Thailand and reception at home illustrates how unpredictable the reach of a single piece of work can be.

• 5. Katamari, Cobra, and Daikon

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  Katamari Damacy gave Matsuzaki his widest international recognition. His contributions to the game's soundtracks brought his voice to players around the world who may never have encountered his earlier work. The 1982 film adaptation of Space Adventure Cobra offered a different kind of challenge: playing the title character on screen as well as lending his voice to the project. Nerima Daikon Brothers, which appeared in his filmography in 2006, added yet another dimension. He performed the theme songs for that series and also acted as its lead character. His filmography from Space Adventure Cobra in 1982 through Dead Sushi in 2012 spans thirty years of screen appearances across animation, live action, and genre film.