is a Japanese music producer, composer and Vocaloid musician best known for his 2023 song . He began producing music digitally from a young age, and was noticed by the internet at age fourteen when a recording of him playing the Akai MPC on the streets of Harajuku went viral online. In 2018, he signed a deal with Warner Music Japan and would release J-pop singles under the alias Sasuke until his departure from the label in 2021.

In 2023, he rebranded to his full name, and began to produce electronic Vocaloid songs influenced by hyperpop, gaining popularity after submitting his work to the semi-annual event The Vocaloid Collection. Since then, he has produced music for several media properties and released three studio albums, "Acetone" (2023), "Screen II" (2023), and "Isan" (2026).

Early life Haraguchi was born on May 21, 2003, in the Ehime Prefecture to music-loving parents. His father would play music of varying genres, both Japanese and Western, around the house when he was young, including Japanese musicians Towa Tei and Ryuichi Sakamoto, who would go on to be significant influences on his music career. At the age of two, Haraguchi picked up an interest in dancing, which led to his father purchasing hip-hop dance DVDs for him. His love of dance also led to him falling in love with funk music due to it being fun to dance to.

At five years old, he began tinkering with GarageBand on his father's MacBook, marking his first steps into music composition. Five years later, a ten-year-old Haraguchi would win the Amateur Night dance competition at the renowned Apollo Theater in Manhattan, New York, making him the youngest Japanese person to win the competition. He first encountered Vocaloid in elementary school through songs made by Livetune member kz that he encountered on SoundCloud, which led to him taking an interest in producing using vocal synthesis technology.

As a teenager, he took an interest in the Akai MPC and would perform using it on the streets of Tokyo. His career would begin in 2018 after a street performance of him finger drumming on his Akai in Harajuku was posted online and went viral on Twitter. He was fourteen when the internet took notice of that performance.

Musical career

2018–2021: Major label career and departure Haraguchi made his major label debut as a three-year contract with Warner Music Japan in 2018 when he was just fifteen years old, at the time going by the mononym Sasuke (styled SASUKE). During this time, he mostly created upbeat J-pop songs, and also worked on the production of jingles. At this point in time, he largely drew inspiration for his lyrics from the news and other things that were not based in his own thoughts and feelings.

In January 2021, Haraguchi made the decision to go independent. Following this, he struggled with a year-long bout of artist's block. Later that year, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. In the next two years, his musical style began to shift towards a more electronic and experimental sound.

2023–present: Rebranding, Vocaloid, and career developments When he decided to begin producing Vocaloid music, he chose Kasane Teto as his primary Utau instrument, citing her official age of 31 as a reason, as he "thought that would be an age where a character could be able to look at the bigger picture of things", according to an interview he did with The Japan Times. On his 20th birthday in 2023, he decided to abandon the alias Sasuke in favor of releasing music under his full name instead. Before this, he had been considering quitting music production entirely.

His first album Acetone took 5 months to complete, with the first demo song being written on December 31, 2022, and eventually released in May 2023. The album was completely self-produced, including the mixing, mastering, and cover art. Unlike the singles that would lead to his success, he uses his own voice on the album rather than a vocal synthesizer. In August 2023, he submitted the song to VocaColle 2023 Summer, which would go on to spend 18 consecutive weeks on Billboard Japan's Niconico Vocaloid Songs Top 20 chart. He would follow Acetone with his sophomore album, Screen II, in just under six months.

After TikTok influencer and j-pop singer covered "Hito Mania" in 2023, he took interest in her career and eventually ended up frequently producing music for her. He has produced music for numerous products and works of media, including Sanrio Puroland and Gakuen Idolmaster. In 2024, he formed the future funk duo FM Towns with fellow producer De De Mouse. In 2025, he was recognized by Forbes Japan in the Entertainment & Sports category of their 30 Under 30 list.

Artistry Sasuke Haraguchi's music is heavily influenced by hyperpop (citing 100 Gecs in particular), dariacore and culture, and features significant use of sampling, with the musician having a particular fondness for screaming sounds and the standing bell. Other sources of inspiration he cites include the independent record label Brainfeeder, Shibuya-kei, and the British electronic duo Basement Jaxx. Haraguchi says his largest influences within the Vocaloid scene are Kikuo and Lumo.

His music is predominantly electronic, with Acetone being made almost entirely on a computer with little involvement of traditional instruments. He prefers to keep his songs short to make it easier for fans to cover them, as he enjoys when others create derivative works based on his music. Discography Sourced from Apple Music.

Studio albums Title Details Acetone Released: May 9, 2023 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download, streaming Screen II Released: September 30, 2023 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download, streaming Isan Released: May 30, 2026 Label: CDs Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

As Sasuke

Title Year Album "Influenzer" 2018 rowspan="15" "Heisei Owarutteyo" "Shingengou Oboeuta" 2019 "J-pop Wa Owaranai" "Natsu Botti" "Part. 2" 2020 "Mezameru Dake" "Times" "Good Gravity" 2021 "Pull Me Out!" "Planet Nine" "Tsuyukirai" "Mata Aimashou" 2022 "PreRomance" "Get Money"

As Sasuke Haraguchi

As lead artist Title Year Album "Hito Mania" 2023 Isan "Hontono" rowspan="14" "A Word" "Mini Hen" 2024 "Medicine" "Utaubot" "Yureko" "Cubism" "Trojan Flower" "Evolve Evolve Evolve" (also a Project Voltage song) "Hear Something" "maenohanashi" 2025 "Comment" "Bluelight March" "and YOU" "Afterimage" Isan "Pac-Maniac 45" rowspan="9" "Superkinds" "Overlap Tomato Can" "Busy Day" "Nora Heroes" "Shame of Know" "Yu-En" 2026 "Timeout Substitute Noid" "Broadcast"

As featured artist Title Year Album "Popcorn!" 2024 "My Gasoline" Gasoline "Kuru Trouble" 2025 "Jingoku Sensei" I.e "Masala Palette" Tabla Dhi, Tabla Dha "Outa in the Rain" Ui 1st Official Album "Amenochi Parade" "Harmony" Harmony "Theme 01" CSS_Compilation1 "Goodbye to the Black Punishment (Bye)" 2026 Kireru Kado Ni Wa Neko Kitaru Where Rage Lives, Cats Arrive "Kaze Ga Fuiteiru" Ikimonogakari Meets 2 "A Love Story That Ended Long Ago!" Uso No Kanaekata "Ending Routine" Good Life, Good People "Jinsei Game Album Remix" "Fragment" Cut (e) Vol.3 "Momo" Shells "Fictionary"

Notes

References