# Jesse (Japanese singer)
**Jesse** (ジェシー; born 1996 in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer and actor, a lead vocalist of the six-member group SixTONES (ストーンズ), known for a low, powerful singing voice that stays stable from bass to high register.[1](https://www.sixtones.jp/profile/jesse/) • [2](https://www.cinra.net/article/202201-sixtones_hrstmcl)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Tokyo; blood type O[1](https://www.sixtones.jp/profile/jesse/) |
| Group | SixTONES, formed 1 May 2015 from the cast of the 2012 drama *私立バカレア高校*; CD debut 22 January 2020 with *Imitation Rain / D.D.*[3](https://www.thefirsttimes.jp/column/0000370354/) |
| Role in group | Lead vocalist together with Taiga Kyomoto; his voice is described as the one that fills the space between notes and keeps the group's groove moving[4](https://hightonelab.jp/jesse-sixtones-singing-style/) |
| Signature solo song | 「虹、僕」 (2025), lyrics by Jesse, music by Koji Tamaki, on the 16th single *Stargaze*[5](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d026/) |
| Acting | First solo lead in the drama *最初はパー* (TV Asahi, 2022); stars as Kusaka Reiji in *パンチドランク・ウーマン −脱獄まであと××日−* and in the 2025 film *お嬢と番犬くん*[6](https://jisin.jp/entertainment/interview/2143654/) • [7](https://www.entax.news/interview/202604242100.html) |
| Background | Bilingual, with an American father and a Japanese mother[2](https://www.cinra.net/article/202201-sixtones_hrstmcl) |
## SixTONES and vocal role
SixTONES was announced in May 2015 by the six cast members of the 2012 drama *私立バカレア高校*, of which Jesse was one, and debuted on CD on 22 January 2020 with *Imitation Rain / D.D.*, produced by YOSHIKI.[3](https://www.thefirsttimes.jp/column/0000370354/) The group's name combines "six" with the word "stones", read as ストーンズ, carrying the image of unpolished gems developing their individual talents.[3](https://www.thefirsttimes.jp/column/0000370354/)
Jesse sings lead vocals alongside Taiga Kyomoto, and the two are usually described as contrasting voices rather than competing ones. A voice trainer who analyzed the group's recordings noted that Jesse lands melodies precisely at the center of pitch, uses a rough edge in his openings, improvises smooth ad-libs, and can move between whisper and shout without losing the thickness of his tone.[2](https://www.cinra.net/article/202201-sixtones_hrstmcl) The same analysis connects this stable resonance to his bilingual upbringing: the nasal placement typical of English pronunciation carries into his Japanese singing and produces the deep, sweet timbre described as giving the songs a sense of richness.[2](https://www.cinra.net/article/202201-sixtones_hrstmcl) In later fan-facing and trainer analyses, Kyomoto is described as carving out distinct characters note by note while Jesse fills the space between sounds and keeps the groove uninterrupted.[4](https://hightonelab.jp/jesse-sixtones-singing-style/)
His singing was first noticed in 2011, when he substituted for a rap part, and it developed through the group's pre-debut period: their first official music video, *JAPONICA STYLE* (2018), already paired his low, English-accented voice with the group's mix of Japanese and Western styling.[8](https://hightonelab.jp/jesse-sixtones-vocal-evolution/)
## Solo songwriting
With the 2025 solo song 「虹、僕」 (Niji, Boku), included on the 16th single *Stargaze*, Jesse moved from interpreting songs to writing them: Koji Tamaki composed the melody and Jesse wrote the lyrics.[5](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d026/) The music video, directed by Yuuka Eda, shifts from black-and-white to color, and Jesse described the song's world as vast in a different sense from scale, built around life, light, sky, and nature.[5](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d026/)
## Acting
Jesse's acting work runs alongside the group's activities. He took his first solo lead drama role as Tonegawa Gota, a young man aiming to become a comedian, in *最初はパー* ([TV Asahi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-asahi), from 28 October 2022); the group's single *Good Luck!*, on the same-titled double-A-side release of November 2022, served as that drama's theme song.[6](https://jisin.jp/entertainment/interview/2143654/) • [9](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d013/) He starred in the 2025 film *お嬢と番犬くん*, for which SixTONES' song 「バリア」 was chosen as the theme.[10](https://www.sixtones.jp/news/)
In the drama *パンチドランク・ウーマン −脱獄まであと××日−*, he plays Kusaka Reiji, a detainee transferred on suspicion of killing his father, opposite Ryoko Shinohara's [prison officer](https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-officer) Fuyuki Kozue; Season 2, five episodes on Hulu, was filmed from the previous November, and Jesse said in a 2026 interview that viewers used to his variety-show persona were often surprised by the contrast.[7](https://www.entax.news/interview/202604242100.html)
## Voice and public image
Interviews describe a gap between his energetic variety-show persona and a quieter, more reserved working manner on drama sets; he has said he stays nervous before takes and prefers to concentrate on one role at a time.[7](https://www.entax.news/interview/202604242100.html) A member profile in a 2021 GQ Japan interview on the group's musical ambitions quotes him on the importance of English for reaching listeners abroad, and on wanting to perform overseas regardless of venue size.[11](https://www.gqjapan.jp/culture/article/20210105-moty-sixtones)
## References
1. [ジェシー | SixTONES Official web site](https://www.sixtones.jp/profile/jesse/)
2. [ジャニーズは本当に歌が下手なのか？ SixTONES新譜をボイストレーナーが徹底解説 | CINRA](https://www.cinra.net/article/202201-sixtones_hrstmcl)
3. [【SixTONES（ストーンズ）解説】メンバープロフィールから曲紹介、「こっから」が開いた新境地まで – THE FIRST TIMES](https://www.thefirsttimes.jp/column/0000370354/)
4. [ジェシーの歌い方・発声｜太い低音も高音も「響き」が崩れない理由 | ハイトーンボイス研究所](https://hightonelab.jp/jesse-sixtones-singing-style/)
5. [Stargaze | SixTONES Official web site](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d026/)
6. [SixTONES ジェシー意外な胸中「王道アイドルには向いてない」 | 女性自身](https://jisin.jp/entertainment/interview/2143654/)
7. [ジェシー（SixTONES）インタビュー ドラマ『パンチドランク・ウーマン』 | entax](https://www.entax.news/interview/202604242100.html)
8. [ジェシーの歌声はどう変わった？ラップの代役から「虹、僕」までの歌唱変遷 | ハイトーンボイス研究所](https://hightonelab.jp/jesse-sixtones-vocal-evolution/)
9. [Good Luck!/ふたり | SixTONES Official web site](https://www.sixtones.jp/discography/d013/)
10. [NEWS | SixTONES Official web site](https://www.sixtones.jp/news/)
11. [SixTONESはアイドルであると同時に、最先端の音楽集団でもある | GQ JAPAN](https://www.gqjapan.jp/culture/article/20210105-moty-sixtones)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › J-pop and the Japanese popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: J-pop and the Japanese popular music scene › Male idol and dance-vocal groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license