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SWAY

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SWAY is a member of Gekidan EXILE.
SWAY is a member of DOBERMAN INFINITY.
SWAY is a solo artist.
SWAY
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Nogae Shuhei (野替愁平), better known by the stage name SWAY, is a Japanese rapper, actor, designer and producer managed by LDH JAPAN and signed to the record label Def Jam Recordings. He is a member of the groups DOBERMAN INFINITY, HONEST BOYZ® and Gekidan EXILE and also active as a soloist.

Early Life[]

Nogae Shuhei was born on June 9, 1986, in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. He is an only child.[1]

In his childhood, Nogae played basketball and became a huge fan of the NBA.[2] Through two of his favorite NBA players, he also became interested in rap music. "I was crazy about the sport growing up and would always get this magazine called "Hoop". There was an article about (Allen) Iverson and (Kobe) Bryant doing some rapping, which intrigued me. They were two of my heroes when I was at junior high school so naturally I wanted to give it a go too. I started singing and then did some DJ'ing but at the time it was nothing too serious."[3]

A turning point in his life came after he watched the movie 8 Mile at the age of 16: "I knew there and then that rapping was my calling, but I would have to do it properly. It was no longer just about having fun." First, he decided on his stage name "SWAY" by looking through an English-Japanese dictionary.[3]

However, he felt disconnected from the genre and as if he "had nothing to say" since his own background differed greatly from the rappers and Hip-Hop artists he was listening to: "I'd lived quite a sheltered life and therefore believed I couldn’t write like them." Two songwriters SWAY felt he could relate to in some ways were Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco.[3][1] (About Kanye West:) "[...] He seemed to rap about fairly normal things. It made me realize you don't have to be from a certain background to create meaningful lyrics as a rapper. It's okay to speak about your own life even if it isn't so dramatic [...]."[3]

At 17 years old, SWAY formed the group WILD STYLE together with his close friend Yagi Shokichi. They performed together during their late teens before SWAY moved to Toronto, Canada where he lived for two years doing various part-time jobs including waiting tables at a Japanese restaurant. After returning to Hokkaido at the age of 21, he worked at a clothing store while rapping in the evenings.[2][3] Despite enjoying both jobs, it was not how he envisaged his career panning out. As a result, he decided to move to Tokyo in his mid-twenties. "Performing at clubs with some of my seniors who were in their forties, I started to think they had probably missed out on their dreams. I didn’t want that to happen to me [...]."[3]

At that time, Yagi Shokichi contacted him and proposed to make music together again. As Yagi had become a member of EXILE, he introduced SWAY to the group's leader, HIRO. "We wrote three songs and he presented them to EXILE leader HIRO who liked what he heard." This subsequently led to him getting signed to LDH later on.[3][4][2]

Career[]

2012[]

In June 2012, SWAY released his first indie studio album The S.

In August of the same year, he made his acting debut in the drama Attaku No.1 and in September, he officially joined LDH as a new member of Gekidan EXILE. At that point, he started his dual career as the musician "SWAY" and the actor "Nogae Shuhei" respectively. Intrinsically, it had been HIRO's idea for him to pursue a career in acting: "[...] When I first met and talked with HIRO, he told me that although there were many pioneers of rappers, at that time, rap had not yet reached the mainstream, so I should continue to work hard as a rapper. He suggested that I should start out as an actor, and that actors can remain expressive until they die. I said 'I'll do anything!', so I went on stage for the first time, which led me to join Gekidan EXILE. I signed a contract as an actor first, but music has always been at the center of my life."[2] Nevertheless, SWAY was worried about his new career path: "At the time, I had been working in clubs for a long time, and I was a little bit worried about suddenly becoming an actor, so I consulted with a senior I met in a club in Tokyo. But he told me that I could always come back to the indie scene or to the street, and that if I could challenge myself and experience things that I could only do now and become big, it would be better for me to do so. He told me that they wouldn't say anything if I came back after doing various things. That made me think that I didn't have to worry about anything."[2]

2014[]

On June 24, SWAY joined the group DOBERMAN INFINITY.[5] He had been friends with the members of the group since their days as DOBERMAN INC, so when one of the members left, he told them that he wanted to fill that position.[6]

2016[]

On April 15, he joined the Hip-Hop unit HONEST BOYZ®.

2017[]

On September 16, he announced his major-label solo debut single "MANZANA", to be released on November 1 under UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN's sub-label Def Jam Recordings.

2018[]

On August 29, he released his first major-label studio album UNCHAINED.

On December 12, he announced that his acting activities, which were previously credited under his real name, would be credited under his stage name "SWAY" from now.[7]

2021[]

On December 15, he released his first digital EP UNION. According to SWAY himself, the overall theme of the EP would be the second chapter of his life after his marriage and the birth of his first child: "[...] It's a huge event in my life, and I want to make sure it takes shape as an artist."[1]

2022[]

On March 16, he released his second major-label studio album Stay Wild And Young.[8]

On December 7, he attended the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS 2022 ceremony held in Tokyo.[9]

Personal Life[]

Relationships

On November 6, 2021, SWAY announced his marriage to his long-term girlfriend, a non-celebrity. At the same time, he revealed that his new wife would be expecting their first child.[10][11][12]

On December 12, 2021, he announced that his first child, a boy, had been born the day before.[13][14] The song "Happiness" on his first digital EP UNION is dedicated to his first child. In the song, SWAY describes scenes from his childhood and memories of his father and mother: "Since our own child will also be an only child for a while, I wanted to show them the scenes that I have seen."[1]

Health

On August 2, 2020, it was reported that SWAY had been diagnosed with COVID-19. He confirmed a fever on the morning of July 30 and was examined on the following day, on July 31, and was refraining from his activities, but only found out he was indeed infected on August 2. He expressed that he's currently not feeling any symptoms but he's carefully following the instructions of the public health center and experts for a healthy recovery. Due to this, the events he was scheduled to appear with Gekidan EXILE and DOBERMAN INFINITY with the opening week of LDH's new video platform CL were postponed.[15][16] On August 17, he announced on his social media accounts that he had recovered and resumed his activities.

Discography[]

Studio Albums
  1. [2018.08.29] UNCHAINED
  2. [2022.03.16] Stay Wild And Young
Mini-albums
  1. [2021.12.15] UNION (digital)

Singles
  1. [2017.11.01] MANZANA
Digital Singles
  1. [2014.06.11] LIGHTS (SWAY × HIYADAM)
  2. [2018.07.18] Perfect Love
  3. [2019.02.14] Chocolate
  4. [2019.10.02] ON FIRE
  5. [2019.12.18] Angels
  6. [2020.10.07] TALK
  7. [2021.08.17] Summertime
Pre-release Digital Singles
  1. [2018.08.22] Never Say Goodbye

Collaborations/Other

Concerts/Tours[]

Tours
  1. [2022.05.09-2022.05.30] SWAY LIVE TOUR 2022 "Stay Wild And Young"
Concerts
  1. [2018.12.12-2019.01.27] SWAY "LIVE SHOWCASE 2018 UNCHAINED"
Online Concerts

Works[]

Filmography[]

Movies
  • [2013] Aragure
  • [2013] Aragure Ⅱ ROPPONGI v.s. SHIBUYA
  • [2013] Crows EXPLODE
  • [2014] Hot Road
  • [2016] ROAD TO HiGH&LOW
  • [2016] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE
  • [2017] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE 2 / END OF SKY
  • [2017] HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE 3 / FINAL MISSION
  • [2018] jam
  • [2019] MANRIKI
  • [2021] Restart (リスタート)
  • [2021] Watashi wa Ittai, Nani to Tatakatte Iru no ka (私はいったい、何と闘っているのか)
  • [2024] Silent Love (サイレントラブ)[17]
TV Dramas
  • [2012] Sugarless
  • [2013] Kamen Teacher
  • [2015] Senryokugai Sousa-kan 2jikan SP
  • [2015] Wild Heroes
  • [2015] HiGH&LOW ~THE STORY OF S.W.O.R.D.~
  • [2016] HiGH&LOW Season 2
  • [2018] KISS Shitai Matsuge
  • [2021] Raisede wa Chanto Shimasu 2 (来世ではちゃんとします2)
  • [2021] Oshaie Sommelier Oshako! 2 (おしゃ家ソムリエおしゃ子！2)
  • [2023] Drop (ドロップ)[18]

Music[]

Lyrics/Composition
For the songs he wrote/composed/produced for the artists featured in this wiki, including for his own solo career, see Category:Songs written by SWAY and Category:Songs composed by SWAY.
Music Video Appearances

Awards[]

Trivia[]

  • His stage name originated from looking through an English-Japanese dictionary. He fell in love with the word "Sway" at first sight, and he was attached to it due to the fact that his first name "Shuhei" resembles the sound. The meaning of his stage name Sway is as "S (Shuhei)" and "WAY (my way)".
  • SHOKICHI has stayed in touch with him even after he became a member of EXILE. "Even after SHOKICHI became (a member of) EXILE, he kept in touch with me when he had events in Sapporo, and when I came back from Canada and stayed in Tokyo for a few weeks, he let me stay at his house, so we've always been in touch."[2]
  • Has a childhood friendship with soloist and AAA member Nissy.[24]
  • Has a close friendship with Korean singer and 2PM member Jun. K.
    • He mentions Jun. K in the lyrics of the song "Under The Stars feat. Lupe Fiasco" from the digital EP UNION.
  • Is friends with Sato Kodai, a singer-songwriter from Hokkaido who is signed to SHOKICHI's record label KOMA DOGG.[2]
  • Has a toy poodle named "Rhythm" that was born in December 2020.[25]
  • A Sapporo Visual Arts graduate.
  • Started designing even earlier than music, when he was in the third grade.[1][26] "I used to rent CDs of m-flo, EXILE, Eminem, etc., burn them onto white discs, remake the jackets, and decorate them myself. After I started working at a club in Sapporo, I also made flyers for my seniors' events."[1]
  • For him, "doing music is more about making Hip-Hop bigger in Japan than making myself bigger as an artist".[6]
  • Good at dancing. He started practicing it in high school.[2]
  • Started performing at clubs when he was still in high school. "I did some gigs at clubs, but I never missed school the next day. I used to fall asleep in class. I wasn't the type of person who was difficult to talk to at school, and I thought it was cool to just go to clubs."[2]
  • In an interview for his role in the drama Raisede wa Chanto Shimasu 2, he revealed that unlike the character he plays, he is not bisexual, but admired the character's confidence in relation to love. "Unfortunately, I'm not the same type of person as Mr. Shiraki, who loves both men and women [...]. However, I didn't find it difficult to play the role. I'm an only child, but I used to have older relatives around me, and I still do, and I have a lot of contact with older men [...]. So I thought it would be no different if that part of me fell in love with them, and that's how I approached it. I admired Mr. Shiraki's romantic side a little, and I thought it was wonderful that he could clearly say he loved the person he loved [...].", "The character I played, Mr. Shiraki, is a person who is proud to be himself even if he is a little different from the people around him, so I hope that people who sympathize with that part of him will be able to move forward proudly like Mr. Shiraki."[27]
  • Loves fashion and styling himself: "I look forward to bedtime at night when I think about the clothes I'm going to wear the next day."[28]
    • One of his hobbies is collecting shoes: "I have about 100 pairs. I buy 3 or 4 pairs a month at the most. I have decided that I will never stop wanting shoes."[28]
  • Very organized in working towards his dreams: "[...] I also make a schedule for my dream every day. I think about what I need to do to make my dreams come true and try not to have a free day. I have many dreams, and I was once asked, 'What do you want to do in the end?' At that time, I thought, 'I want to be both a musician and an actor, but I'll start with acting.' I simplified my dreams and fulfilled them one at a time. If I tried to fulfill all of them at once, my schedule would be overbooked."[28]
  • Before joining LDH as a member, he used to go out with LDH artists to eat Yakiniku.[6]
  • Became very close with some of the members of EXILE TRIBE while co-starring in the TV drama Wild Heroes.[28]
  • Him and Yagi Masayasu took acting lessons together before joining LDH. "We started off by practicing acting with our faces about 1mm closer together, and it made me laugh (laughs)."[28]
  • According to Sato Taiki, he is very beauty conscious and takes great care of his skin, and has been doing so since before men's beauty culture got popular.[29]
  • Has a close friendship with Japanese choreographer RIEHATA.
  • Has known the songwriter SUNNY BOY, who is the same age as him, since they were about 23 or 24 years old. They became friends through having the same taste in music.[1]
  • Met Lupe Fiasco around 2018/2019 through Johnny Hiramoto, the designer of the apparel brand SWAGGER. "[...] Johnny called me and said, 'I'm going out to dinner with Lupe, would you like to come?' I said, 'I'll come!' (laughs). We met for the first time there, but he had seen the music video for HONEST BOYZ® and knew me. We exchanged DMs after that [...]."[1]
  • Admires Japanese artist HI-D.[1]
  • Described as the "suicide captain" of DOBERMAN INFINITY since he is the first to go out during live performances and often sings the first verse of songs.[30]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 https://realsound.jp/2021/12/post-925160.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 https://i-voce.jp/feed/987075/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2019/09/that-sway-style-the-rapper-and-actor-on-working-with-pharrell-williams-and-finding-his-voice/
  4. ↑ http://music.emtg.jp/special/20140103400e945de
  5. ↑ 皆様へ報告
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://chubu.pia.co.jp/interview/music/2016-01/doberman-infinity.html
  7. ↑ 役者ＳＷＡＹが斎藤工と共演で始動、野替愁平は封印
  8. ↑ https://wearedi.jp/news-detail/2145
  9. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3493703
  10. ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=35513
  11. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2212909/full/
  12. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/452414
  13. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CXX8xX8vja9/
  14. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2217351/full/
  15. ↑ 当社所属アーティストの新型コロナウイルス感染について
  16. ↑ DOBERMAN INFINITY&劇団EXILE・SWAY、新型コロナウイルス感染
  17. ↑ https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/548532
  18. ↑ https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/519907
  19. ↑ https://www.tokyoheadline.com/677692/
  20. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/pressrelease/1452441/
  21. ↑ https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000116902.html
  22. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3614212
  23. ↑ https://news.merumo.ne.jp/article/genre/10244149?page=5
  24. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAc46ijnT-/
  25. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CO6aqHYjvQI/
  26. ↑ https://ananweb.jp/column/ikemendorama/361302/
  27. ↑ https://plus.paravi.jp/entertainment/009589.html
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 https://mdpr.jp/music/detail/1502826
  29. ↑ https://www.nylon.jp/BEAUTY_FIXERS
  30. ↑ https://realsound.jp/2019/06/post-378901_2.html

External Links[]

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DOBERMAN INFINITY • Category • Songs navbox
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