Takumi Kawanishi

is a Japanese singer and actor. He debuted as a member of the Japanese boy band JO1 in 2020, after placing third in the first season of Produce 101 Japan. He played Sōma Shiki in the live action adaptation of Play It Cool, Guys.

Early life Takumi Kawanishi was born on June 23, 1999, in Hyogo, Japan. Kawanishi played baseball from second grade of elementary school to third grade of high school, with the goal of competing in the Japanese High School Baseball Championships. He shaved his head in elementary school to imitate high school baseball players and once competed against Yomiuri Giants pitcher Iori Yamasaki.

Kawanishi was inspired to become a singer after he happened to watch a concert DVD owned by his mother when he was 11 years old and was practicing by himself ever since. During his third year in middle school, Kawanishi passed the second screening of a national men's talent search, but he canceled the trip to the last round of audition in Tokyo due to a baseball tournament. After graduating from high school, he worked as a buggy engineer at Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Career 2019–2020: Produce 101 Japan and debut with JO1 In September 2019, Kawanishi convinced his family to allow him to audition for Produce 101 Japan despite having no experience in dancing or singing. Upon training in Korea, Kawanishi made his debut as a member of JO1 on March 4, 2020, with the release of their first single Protostar under Lapone Entertainment.

2021–present: Acting debut and first EP Kawanishi made his acting debut on February 26, 2021, playing an unnamed role in the Yoshimoto Kogyo-produced anthology film Meters Away, Worlds Apart segment "Today is A Good Day", alongside his group-mates Ren Kawashiri and Syoya Kimata. On March 3, 2023, Kawanishi was cast as Sōma Shiki in the live version of the web manga series Play It Cool, Guys, with Yuta Nakamoto, Dori Sakurada, and Maito Fujioka.

Kawanishi wrote JO1's digital single "Happy Unbirthday" for the group's Alice in Wonderland-inspired exhibition, JO1 in Wonderland!. The song was released on March 26, 2024. The digital single also includes the self-written song "Heaven", which Kawanishi described as "a demo song Kiyosumi might have made". In October 2025, Kawanishi was cast in Wowow's original drama series on domestic violence victims Shadow Work. Kawanishi played Yūma Araki, a junior detective and partner to the co-lead character. On December 5, JO1 released "Santa-san E" , a song co-written by Kawanishi and was originally performed a year prior to celebrate the group's fifth anniversary.

On June 17, 2026, Kawanishi released his collaboration with the Japanese band Monkey Majik, "Unstoppable", to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary. He previously listed the band as an artist he admires. On June 24, Kawanishi released his first digital extended play (EP) Sketch, with "Kyou mo Manten de Manten Janai" served as the lead single. Kawanishi wrote "Murasaki Iro", the opening theme of the drama Fūfu to 16-sai: Kyōki no Rinjin , starring band mate Issei Mamehara.

Discography

Extended plays + Title Album details Peak chart position Sales JPNDL Sketch Released: June 24, 2026 Label: Lapone Entertainment Formats: digital download, streaming 7 JPN: 806

Singles + Title Year Peak chart position Album JPNDL "Surge" (single edit) 2024 81 "Kyou mo Manten de Manten Janai" 2026 47 Sketch "Unstoppable" 46

Songwriting credits All song credits are adapted from the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers's database, unless otherwise noted. +Key Indicates single Indicates a non-commercial release Indicates songs written solely by Kawanishi

+ Title Year Artist(s) Album Lyrics Music Credit With Credit With "Get Back" 2021 Shosei, Takumi, Syoya, Shion Shosei, Syoya, Shion "Breaking the Rules" 2023 Keigo, Takumi, Máme 2023 JO1 2nd Arena Live Tour "Beyond the Dark – Rise in Kyocera Dome" Kawanishi is credited as T.K for his songwriting and solo works. "Warainaki" Tachibana Yamamoto 2022 Short Program Ichiro Imai Lead role; anthology series 2023 Play It Cool, GuysSōma Shiki Main role Play It Cool, Guys - Our Love Story 2025 Shadow Work Yūma Araki

Music videos + Year Title 2025 "Come Again"

Footnotes