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J-pop Singers & Idols (J-POP・アイドル · 本名)

J-pop is full of one-word and stylized stage names: all-caps names, Latin letters, nicknames from childhood. In Japanese, a stage name is a 芸名 (geimei) and a legal name is a 本名 (honmyō). Fans search 「アーティスト名本名」 every day.

The naming custom. Japanese agencies (事務所 jimusho) often shape an artist's image, name included. Rock acts of the 1990s visual-kei era picked short, striking names such as Toshl, Sugizo and Miyavi. Pop solo artists may use a nickname (LiSA) or a playful invented name (Kyary Pamyu Pamyu). Some names are simply the given name written in a new style.

Why many idol names are private. Idol groups sell closeness and fantasy, and many agencies keep members' legal names out of public view. Some idols use their real given name with a different surname, and some use a fully invented name. Because of this, our rule is strict: we list a real name only when the artist or the agency has made it public, or it appears in reliable published sources such as official bios, Oricon, NHK or major newspapers. If a name is only rumored online, it is not on this page.

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