Oda Kazumasa started his career as the vocalist for the folk rock band Off Course in 1970. Much of the band's popularity and success was due to Oda Kazumasa, with some of their most accomplished releases being written by him.
1985 marked the year that Kazumasa went solo, and within one year he produced his first solo album, K.ODA, with the assistance of other influential folk rock artists. His popularity continued to rise with each release. In 1988 he debuted his second album, Between the Word and the Heart. It was also during this time he began to produce other artists, such as Masayuki Suzuki and Saburo Takito. By fall, he released two singles, including the hit Little Tokyo.
By 1990, Kazumasa released Far East Cafe, his third album, which later became the name of his official homepage, and announced his first solo nationwide tour. 1991 was a big turning point for Kazumasa when he wrote Love story wa totsuzen ni for the Japanese drama, "Tokyo Love Story". This was his second attempt to satisfy the producer of the drama who had thrown out his first idea, but Love story wa totsuzen ni proved to be an instant hit and his first major successful single. It became the eighth best selling single in Japan as well as selling over two million copies.
Oda Kazumasa spent the first half of 1992 on tour, and held his first Southeast Asian tour. Between August to November he made several stops through Singapore, China and Japan promoting his July single, sono mama no kimi ga suki. Over the next two years, Kazumasa focused on creating new material, seeing the release of a handful of singles as well as a new album.
By 1995, Kazumasa embarked on another nationwide tour, and his sales began to skyrocket not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asian countries. His album, Looking Back, which was released in 1996, soared in popularity in places like China and Taiwan. 1997 was another busy year for Oda Kazumasa, and he released three new singles and spent the later half of the year touring Japan, which continued right into 1998.
While Oda Kazumasa remained quiet in terms of releasing through the rest of the 1990's, his live schedule didn't, and he continued to regularly perform on television shows and events. His music, still gaining popularity thanks to "Tokyo Love Story" began to be used in other dramas and commercial spots.
By 2000, Kazumasa bounced back with a new single and album and his releases began to regularly rock the Oricon charts, placing number one repeatedly. He continued his steady stream of releases over the next few years, but his next big break was not until 2003 with the release of Kira Kira, which was used for the Japanese drama "Ai no chikara". Kira Kira led to not only a nationwide tour but an additional tour overseas, with shows in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei in October.
During 2004 and 2005, Kazumasa heavily toured throughout Southeast Asia, focusing on television spots and live performances rather than releases. He continued to regularly produce other artists, gaining recognition in the J-pop scene as well as folk rock. 2006 was a quieter year but he not only participated in "J-WAVE LIVE 2000+6" but produced the hit single Bokura no machi de by the popular band KAT-TUN.
In 2007, Oda Kazumasa showed the world he still had what it took to compose a number one single, releasing Kokoro which topped Oricon charts, and was used for the romance comedy drama, "First Kiss". This single helped Kazumasa break Japan's record as the oldest solo singer to hit the top of the Oricon chart, a title he held until early 2009.
He worked through the rest of the 2007 in production and participated in several compilation opportunities including the single, RED RIBBON Spiritual Song which was a charity project funded by the Japanese AIDS society, as well as performing at Act Against AIDS 2007 15 ANNIVERSARY~MUSIC PLAZA IN ORCHARD in December.
Oda Kazumasa spent the majority of 2008 entertaining fans on a tour that lasted nine months. He started off 2009 quite busily, and along with his television appearances, on February 25, 2009, he released his next single, Sayonara wa inai, which was theme song for the drama "Triangle". In May, he will participate on radio station FM802's show, STILL20 SPECIAL LIVE RADIO MAGIC.
Oda Kazumasa kicked 2009 off officially in the spring with his release of two new singles. While he did not hit the road for a nationwide tour, he did participate in several events across Japan, including a concert for Earth Day, MONGOL 800 ga FESTIVAL and SUMMER TIME BONANZA’09. By October, Kazumasa saw the fruits of his summer labor with the release of his new album, futari ga nagameta mado no mukou. 2010 was a quiet year for Kazumasa. He only participated in a few events this year including OTODAMA FOREST STUDIO 2010, but still produced two new singles, including the hit theme song for the new TBS drama, Jyui Doolittle.
While 2011 started off as a quiet year for Kazumasa, he released the new studio album domo at the end of April. He kicked off his 2011 tour, domo domo ~sono hi ga kuru made~ on May 7th. It will run until October 26, 2011, wrapping up in Kanagawa, Japan.
