Tamio Okuda

Cofounder and leader of the legendary Japanese rock band Unicorn, Tamio Okuda has also enjoyed success as a solo artist, songwriter, and producer. ∙ Following Unicorn’s breakup, Okuda launched his solo career with 1995’s 29, an album that sold more than a million copies and is now considered a classic of ’90s Japanese rock. ∙ He produced and cowrote “Asia No Junshin,” the million-selling 1996 debut single by Japanese pop duo PUFFY, and helped create many of their other hit singles and albums. ∙ Singer-songwriter Yosui Inoue and Okuda collaborated on 1997’s Shopping, which included new versions of songs they’d penned for PUFFY and was a No. 4 hit on the Oricon Albums chart. ∙ In 2010, he joined The Verbs—an American rock band led by drummer/producer Steve Jordan—as their lead guitarist, appearing on several of their records, including 2014’s acclaimed Trip. ∙ Nine of his solo singles have landed in the Top 20 of Japan’s Oricon Singles chart, with 2013’s “風は西から” peaking at No. 8. ∙ Okuda’s “Engine” was used as the closing theme of Cars/Crossroad, the Japanese version of animated film Cars 3 in 2017.