SixTONES: A Beginner’s Guide to Six Voices

A voice can be the first thing you recognise: in a song, in an animated film, or across a theatre stage.

SixTONES offers several ways into the same musical world. You might arrive through a rock ballad, follow a rapid exchange of rap lines, or discover that an actor you already know also belongs to a six-member pop group.

For a first listen, it helps to keep the route simple. Begin with three songs, notice what changes between them, and follow the voice or collaboration that makes you curious. The wider story can unfold from there.

Six names behind the sound

SixTONES, pronounced “Stones” and written ストーンズ in Japanese, consists of Jesse, Taiga Kyomoto, Hokuto Matsumura, Yugo Kochi, Shintaro Morimoto and Juri Tanaka. Their official member profiles provide a useful reference when you are connecting names with faces. ^[1]

The group made its CD debut on January 22, 2020, alongside Snow Man. The release paired SixTONES’ “Imitation Rain” with Snow Man’s “D.D.” and included material bringing the two groups together. ^[2]

If you have already explored our Snow Man listening guide, that shared date gives you a point of connection. Listen to the debut songs side by side and notice where your attention goes: a vocal entrance, a change of pace, a melody you want to hear again.

“Imitation Rain”: begin with the ballad

The group’s official 1ST album guide describes “Imitation Rain,” by YOSHIKI of X JAPAN, as a rock ballad that moves between restraint and intensity. That is a useful starting point for listening to how the song develops. ^[3]

Give it one uninterrupted play before comparing versions or looking up the members. Then listen again for the shifts in scale: where a quieter passage holds your attention, and how your response changes as the arrangement grows. You can begin with that experience even if you are still learning the words.

The official single page also links to a video playlist. It is a dependable way to find the release without sorting through similarly titled uploads.

“Mascara”: a songwriter’s connection

“Mascara” (マスカラ), released on August 11, 2021, was written by Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu and millennium parade. The official release description centres on the conflict of unfulfilled feelings in a love song. ^[4]

For a listener who already knows Tsuneta’s other work, the credit offers a route into SixTONES. For someone coming from SixTONES, it can become a route in the other direction. Looking at who writes a song can make a catalogue feel connected to a much larger musical landscape.

Listen after “Imitation Rain” and ask which part of each song stays with you. There is no need to turn the comparison into a ranking. A different emotional setting may reveal another reason to keep listening.

“Kokkara”: follow the handover

“Kokkara” (こっから) arrived on June 14, 2023, as the theme song for the television drama Daga, Jonetsu wa Aru. Its official introduction describes a combination of hip-hop, breakbeats and live-band playing, with rap lines relayed between the performers. Its central idea is the determination to begin again, even when things are not going well. ^[5]

Here, try following the moment one voice gives way to another. The title is useful to copy into a search, especially if a music service uses the Japanese spelling. Start from the playlist linked on the official release page, then explore the performances available through the group’s own channel.

Hear the six voices in smaller combinations

The limited-edition B version of 1ST, called the “Tone Colors” edition, includes three unit songs that divide the six members into pairs. The official album guide lists these combinations: ^[3]

Two voices can be easier to follow than six. When you return to a full-group song, listen for the sound you have just become familiar with. This is one way to learn the members through their work, at a pace that feels natural.

Hokuto Matsumura: the voice in Suzume

If you have watched Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume in Japanese, you have already heard Hokuto Matsumura. He voices Sota Munakata, the young man whose journey to close dangerous doors becomes intertwined with Suzume’s. The film’s official introduction identifies Matsumura as the performer behind the character, who spends part of the story transformed into a chair. ^[6]

Animation offers a particularly interesting introduction to a singer: you can become familiar with a voice before recognising the person’s face. Returning from the film to a SixTONES recording changes the context, while giving you one more detail to listen for.

A character and a musician’s public performance serve different stories. Enjoying both adds another dimension to following the work, without requiring them to feel the same.

Jesse: from the group to the musical stage

Jesse’s work also leads beyond the recording catalogue. Shochiku’s production archive lists him in the Japanese musical Beetlejuice at Tokyo’s Nissay Theatre in May 2025, directed by Yuichi Fukuda. ^[7]

For someone who enjoys musical theatre, a familiar production title can be the point of entry. For a music listener, the connection suggests another way to explore a performer’s work: through a character, a dramatic setting and a stage ensemble.

The linked theatre page records that past production. For a future visit, look for a current announcement and its ticket information before making travel plans.

Return to the songs through a live performance

Once the first songs are familiar, the 2023 concert release Kansei no Housoku in DOME offers a concrete next step. Its official track listing includes “Mascara” with Daiki Tsuneta and “Imitation Rain” with YOSHIKI, recorded at different Tokyo Dome performances in April that year. ^[8]

Those credits bring the listening route back to where it began. The names behind the songs appear within the group’s live history, giving you a reason to revisit a recording you already know. Follow the playlist on the official concert-release page to see what has been made available online.

Keep the next step small

The group’s official YouTube channel and music-service links are both linked from its own website. Use them as your starting points, then check what your local service provides.

One song, one pair of voices, perhaps an animated film or a past stage production: each can make the next performance more interesting. You do not have to work through the entire catalogue before knowing what you enjoy.

SixTONES can begin with a sound you want to hear again. Let that lead you to the people, collaborators and other work around it.