Naoto

Profile Overview

Naoto Kataoka (stylized as NAOTO; born 30 August 1983) is a Japanese dancer, actor, rapper and creative director. He is a performer (dancer) of J-Pop dance and vocal group Exile, and is a leader and performer (dancer) of J-Pop dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers. He was also a member of Nidaime J Soul Brothers until their migration to Exile in 2009. In 2016, he formed hip hop unit Honest Boyz with his friend Nigo and other members. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice, and received the same award third times as Exile's member. Naoto has acted in a few TV dramas and films and he has become a regular guest on TBS's popular variety show Ningen Kansatsu Variety Monitoring since April 2016. Furthermore, he launched his own fashion brand Studio Seven in 2015 and has been working as the creative director for the brand since then. In 2017, he was appointed as the director for LDH Apparel, a subsidiary of his management company LDH.
On 14 February 2020, Naoto opened his own YouTube channel EXILE NAOTO HONEST TV.