Joji (musician)
George Miller | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Japanese-Australian | |||||||||
| Education | Canadian Academy | |||||||||
| Occupations |
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YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2008–2017 | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Subscribers | 8.4+ million (combined)[2] | |||||||||
| Total views | 1.05+ billion (combined)[2] (3 February 2018) | |||||||||
| Network | ScaleLab[3] | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
Last updated: 3 February 2018 | ||||||||||
| Musical career | ||||||||||
| Origin | Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan[4][5] | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Instrument(s) | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2014–present | |||||||||
| Labels | ||||||||||
George Miller, known by his stage name Joji, is a Japanese-Australian record producer, singer, songwriter and former YouTube personality.
In 2013, on the DizastaMusic YouTube channel, Miller created the video Do the Harlem Shake (Original), which originated from a clip of the video "Filthy Compilation #6 – Smell My Fingers",[8][9] the video has been viewed 59 million times (as of February 2018[update]). The original clip led to the creation of the Harlem Shake meme,[10][11] which was directly responsible for the debut of Baauer's "Harlem Shake" song atop the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to the DizastaMusic channel (inactive since 2015), he has operated two other channels: TooDamnFilthy (a secondary channel) and TVFilthyFrank (main channel).
His absurdist YouTube channel, now defunct,[12] consisted of music, rants, ukulele performances[13] and a bizarre show, with all of the main characters played by Miller including the titular character of Filthy Frank.[14] As of late 2017, Miller has stepped away from the channel and is focusing on his music career.[15]
Early life
George Miller was born in Osaka, Japan[1] and attended Canadian Academy, where he graduated in 2012.[5] Not much is known about his personal life, as he attempts to maintain his privacy, such as in his video "Filthy Frank Exposes Himself???" where he reveals that he's a college student in Brooklyn, New York and that he does not want to reveal personal information, for fear of not being able to get a job later on due to the nature of his show. Additionally, in the same video, he reveals his struggles with his health, such as his seizures caused by an illness which he doesn't reveal.[16]
Entertainment career
Filthy Frank (2008–2017)
Miller created the Filthy Frank character during his time on his DizastaMusic YouTube channel, where he created sketch comedy-based content, but the channel started gaining popularity once he conceptualised Frank, who is described as the anti-vlogger of YouTube.[17] The first known video on this particular channel was uploaded on 19 June 2008, and was titled "Lil Jon falls off a table".[18] The DizastaMusic channel has over 800,000 subscribers and is nearing 170 million views as of August 2017[update].[19] On 15 August 2014, Miller uploaded a video to the DizastaMusic channel, announcing that he would not be posting any more video content onto the channel, under the risk of losing the channel due to the numerous copyright and community strikes it received.[20]
In Miller's new channel, TVFilthyFrank, he predominantly posted videos starring only himself, but occasionally collaborated with iDubbbzTV, MaxMoeFoe, HowToBasic, and Anything4Views.[citation needed] He had many different series on his channel, such as "Food" (和食ラップ), "Japanese 101", "Wild Games" and "Loser Reads Hater Comments".[21] He is in the top 500 YouTubers, at #407,[22] with a total of 5.2 million subscribers and 600 million views as of August 2017[update].[23] Miller opened a third channel, TooDamnFilthy, on 1 July 2014.[24] On this channel he had two series, "Japanese 101" which is also featured on his main channel and "Cringe Of The Week" which is usually abbreviated to "COTW".[25] As of August 2017[update], TooDamnFilthy has 1.8 million subscribers and 170 million views.[24]
In September 2017, Miller announced the release of his first book, titled Francis of the Filth.[26]
On 29 December 2017, Miller released a statement on Twitter explaining that he had stopped producing comedy, including Filthy Frank, due to both "serious health conditions" and lack of interest in continuing the series.[15][27] the kewlest prsn 2 lve bro!
Music career
Pink Guy (2008–2017)
Miller has a passion for music composition. He has expressed that even before his YouTube career, he was always into creating music, and created his YouTube channel as a means of promoting his music. In an interview with Pigeons and Planes, he said "I've always wanted to make normal music. I just started the YouTube channel to kind of bump my music. But then Filthy Frank and the Pink Guy stuff ended up getting way bigger than I thought so I had to kind of roll with it."[14]
As Joji, his music is more nuanced, serious and traditional. As Pink Guy, Miller's music is often identical to the nature of his YouTube channel, usually being raps or hip-hop songs. His second album, Pink Season, debuted atop the iTunes charts and at number 70 on the Billboard 200.[14][28] Under his comedy rap stage name, Pink Guy, Miller has produced two mixtapes and one extended play, Pink Guy, Pink Season, and Pink Season: The Prophecy, respectively. On March 16, 2017, Miller performed for the first time as Pink Guy at SXSW.[29] Future plans were stated to include a "long overdue" tour, a third Pink Guy album and more progress on his personal music outside of the Pink Guy persona. However, as of 29 December 2017, Joji has ceased production of all Filthy Frank related content, including Pink Guy music.[14][15]
Joji (2014–present)
Aside from the comedic and often rap based music he created under the Pink Guy alias, Miller also created more serious and traditional music under another stage name, Joji, which became his primary focus in late 2017. His SoundCloud tracks have over 29 million combined plays.[30]
During his time growing up in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan, Miller began to produce music and sing with friends as a side-hobby and a way to waste time. After relocating to Manhattan, New York, Miller expanded upon his music career by starting his Pink Guy persona which paved the way for his Joji persona.[4] Miller originally announced his Joji album on 3 May 2014 alongside the first Pink Guy album.[16] Miller subtly cancelled the project until he began releasing music under the Pink Omega stage name[31] Miller released two songs on the Pink Omega YouTube channel, Dumplings on 4 June 2015[32] and wefllagn.ii 5 on 28 August 2015.[33]
Miller intended to keep the music made under Joji a secret from his fanbase due to them mainly wanting his comedic music. In late 2015, two singles were leaked titled "Thom" and "you suck charlie" which prompted Miller in January 2016 to publicly announce on Instagram that he was releasing a full length commercial project titled Chloe Burbank: Volume 1. In the same post, he linked his SoundCloud account.[34]
In 2017, Joji released several songs via the YouTube channel of Asian music label 88Rising, the songs "i don't wanna waste my time", released on 26 April 2017, "rain on me", released on 19 July 2017,[11][35][36] and "Will He", released on 18 October 2017.[37] Joji was featured in the song "Nomadic" with the Chinese rap group, Higher Brothers.[38] Miller performed live as Joji for the first time on 18 May 2017 in Los Angeles. The event was streamed by the Boiler Room.[39] On 17 October 2017, Miller released the debut single from his debut commercial project, In Tongues,[40] the single, titled "Will He" was released on platforms Spotify and iTunes.[37]
Miller's debut project under the moniker Joji, an EP titled In Tongues, was released on 3 November 2017 by Empire Distribution.[40] Joji's music has been described as trip-hop and lo-fi[7] that blends elements of trap, folk, electronic, and R&B.[41] His songs have been characterized as having "down tempo, melancholic themes and soulful vocals"[1] with "minimalistic production".[42] He has been compared to electronic artist, James Blake,[41] who he also names as an influence alongside Radiohead, Shlohmo and Donald Glover.[43] In an interview with Pigeons and Planes, Miller said that his music was inspired by his time growing up in Osaka and furthermore by boom bap instrumentals he listened to attending Canadian Academy.[4]
Discography
Miller has released three mixtapes under the Pink Guy alias. His 2017 album Pink Season reached No. 70 on the Billboard 200.[28]
As Pink Guy
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [28] |
US R&B/HH [44] |
US Rap [45] | ||
| Pink Guy |
|
— | — | — |
| Pink Season |
|
70 | 9 | 6 |
| Pink Season: The Prophecy |
|
— | — | — |
As Joji
EPs
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [49] |
US R&B/HH [50] |
US Rap [51] | ||
| In Tongues |
|
58 | 28 | 62 |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Hesitate" (with ryanjacob, Y2K, Pritty, Brndn, Dylan Brady & Ricky Anthony) |
2017 | Non-Album Single |
| "Visa" (with INDICA, Floyd, & ryanjacob) | ||
| "Will He" | In Tongues | |
| "Demons" | In Tongues | |
| "18" (with Kris Wu and Rich Brian featuring Trippie Redd & Baauer) |
2018 | Non-Album Single |
| "Window" | In Tongues |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Besidju" (Shamana featuring Joji) |
2016 | Non-Album Single |
| "Nomadic" (Higher Brothers featuring Joji) |
2017 | |
| "Introvert" (Rich Brian featuring Joji) |
2018 | Amen |
Remixes
| Year | Title | Artist | SoundCloud Plays (PINK GUY) |
YouTube Views (88rising) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Medicine | Daughter | 1.1 M | 1.5 M |
Collaborations
| Year | Title | Artist | SoundCloud Plays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rawr (feat. Joji) | Tommy Cash (Prod.StereoRyze) | 30K[52] |
Videography
| Year | Title | YouTube Views |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | (Filthy Frank) – "Who's The Sucker (Gangster Rap)" | 0.4 M |
| 2012 | "Some Shit" | 0.4 M |
| 2013 | (Santa's Brother) – "Pussy Doe" | 0.9 M |
| "Big Mama" | 1 M | |
| "Took It In The Bottom (Drake Parody)" | 0.8 M | |
| "Frank Says" | 1.6 M | |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Dick Pays Rent" | 1.4 M | |
| "Do The Salamander" | 2.1 M |
| Year | Title | YouTube Views |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Loser" | 0.9 M |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Pussy Doe" | 0.3 M | |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Lady's Man" | 0.5 M | |
| "Anal Beads" | 0.4 M | |
| "Anal Beads (Full Version)" | 0.8 M | |
| "Douchebag" | 0.4 M | |
| "Ramen King" | 8.8 M | |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Dick Pays Rent" | 0.5 M | |
| "Animal Man" | 1.5 M | |
| "Bitches Ain't Shit (Ukelele Cover)" | 7.6 M | |
| "Pink Guy Raps Tweets" | 1.9 M | |
| "Do The Salamander Song" | 0.5 M | |
| "Fried Rice" | 5.0 M | |
| "Erectile Dysfunction" | 1.4 M | |
| "Erectile Dysfunction Beat" | 0.7 M | |
| "Balls" | 0.5 M | |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Watermelon Pussy" | 0.7 M | |
| 2014 | "Weird McDonald's Rap" | 2 M |
| "Friendzone" | 3.8 M | |
| "jungle boy" | 0.9 M | |
| (50 Fetus) – "In Da Whomb" | 0.5 M | |
| "Gibe De Pusi b0ss (10 Minute Version)" | 2.8 M | |
| "Pink Guy (Full Album)" | 11.2 M | |
| "Kill Yourself" | 20 M | |
| "Pink Guy Raps Tweets" | 2.2 M | |
| "Balls In My Face" | 2.6 M | |
| "Balls In My Face (Free Download)" | 0.5 M | |
| "Takoyaki" | 2.1 M | |
| "Let It Go (Frozen Cover)" | 4.6 M | |
| (Santa's Brother) – "Peanut Butter" | 2.6 M | |
| "Weeaboo Song" | 7.2 M | |
| "I Eat Ass" | 3.3 M | |
| 2015 | "Stir Fry" | 5.6 M |
| "Porn Title Rap" | 7.1 M | |
| "Trap Dumplings" | 9.2 M | |
| "Rice Balls" | 14.8 M | |
| 2016 | "Fried Noodles" | 12.9 M |
| "Pink Life" | 8.9 M | |
| "STFU" | 25.6 M | |
| "Official Donald Trump Anthem" | 5.8 M | |
| "Teriyaki God" | 6.4 M | |
| "Hood Rich" w/ Getter X Nick Colletti |
8.4 M | |
| 2017 | "Pink Season (Full Album)" | 6.4 M |
| "Nickelodeon Girls" | 7.7 M | |
| "Pink Season: The Prophecy" w/ Getter, Borgore, Axel Boy, & TastyTreat |
6.8 M | |
| "Falcon Punch" | 3.0 M | |
| "Asian Pizza" | 4.2 M | |
| Total | 152.5 M | |
| Year | Title | YouTube Views |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | (Emonem) – "Mom's Spagget" | 0.9 M |
| (Politikz) – "Real Hip Hop" | 3.2 M | |
| 2015 | "Flavortown" | 1.6 M |
| 2016 | "Rice Muffin Burgers" | 0.6 M |
| (Politikz) – "Hand On My Gat" | 1.5 M | |
| "Furr" | 3.4 M | |
| "A True Friend" | 11 M | |
| "nobody likes you" | 2.1 M | |
| 2017 | "Be Inspired" | 0.5 M |
| "Goofy's Trial" | 1.7 M | |
| "Help" | 5.0 M | |
| "We Fall Again" | 1.0 M | |
| "Club Banger 3000" | 0.4 M | |
| "High School Blink193" | 0.7 M | |
| "Rice Balls' | 1.2 M | |
| "Dog Festival Directions" | 0.5 M | |
| "Dumplings" | 1.8 M | |
| "d i c c w e t t 1" | 0.3 M | |
| "Meme Machine" | 2.1 M | |
| (Politikz) – "Hand On My Gat" | 0.3 M | |
| "I Do It For My Hood" | 0.4 M | |
| "Fried Noodles" | 1.5 M | |
| "Furr" | 0.4 M | |
| "I Will Get A Vasectomy" | 0.6 M | |
| "Young Thug Diss" | 0.3 M | |
| "Pink Life" | 1.4 M | |
| "Small D*ck" | 0.4 M | |
| "Hentai" | 0.7 M | |
| "Flex Like David Icke" | 0.6 M | |
| "Gays 4 Donald Trump" | 0.5 M | |
| "SMD" | 0.9 M | |
| "Dora The Explora" | 2.0 M | |
| "セックス大好き" | 1.6 M | |
| "Uber Pussy" | 0.4 M | |
| "She's So Nice" | 3.0 M | |
| "Please Stop Calling Me Gay" | 1.4 M | |
| "STFU" | 1.5 M | |
| "Nickelodeon Girls" | 4.3 M | |
| "I Have A Gun" | 0.5 M | |
| "Hot Nickel Ball On A P*ssy" | 0.5 M | |
| "Are You Serious" | 2.2 M | |
| "Soulja Gonna Win/ F*ck Breezy" (Prd. ryanjacob) (Soulja Boy VS Chris Brown) |
0.8 M | |
| Total | 38 M | |
Notes
- ^ YouTube views should be rounded down to the nearest 0.1 million (hundred thousand) if under 10 million, down to the nearest 1 million if over 10 million, and down to the nearest 10 million if over 100 million. All YouTube information is to be taken from these references as appropriate: "DizastaMusic". YouTube.
- ^ YouTube views should be rounded down to the nearest 0.1 million (hundred thousand) if under 10 million, down to the nearest 1 million if over 10 million, and down to the nearest 10 million if over 100 million. All YouTube information is to be taken from these references as appropriate: "TVFilthyFrank". YouTube.
- ^ YouTube views should be rounded down to the nearest 0.1 million (hundred thousand) if under 10 million, and down to the nearest 1 million if over 10 million. All YouTube information is to be taken from these references as appropriate: "TooDamnFilthy". YouTube.
References
- ^ a b c "Joji Shares Video for New Single 'Will He'; Announces New EP". BroadwayWorld. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ a b "About TVFilthyFrank". YouTube.
- ^ "TVFilthyFrank YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". socialblade.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Joji's Journey from Viral Videos to Quality Music Music Life. Pigeons and Planes. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ a b "CA Review Fall 2012". Canadian Academy. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 16 January 2017 – via Issuu.
- ^ Kelley, Caitlin (7 December 2017). "Singer/Producer Joji on His Career Flip From Crude Viral Comedy to Understated R&B: 'Now I Get to Do Stuff That I Want to Hear'". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ a b c Graham Corrigan (1 November 2017). "Joji's Journey from Viral Videos to Quality Music". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Filthy Compilation #6 – Smell My Fingers. George Miller. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Do The Harlem Shake (Original). George Miller. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Chris. "YouTube: Here's How 'Harlem Shake' Went Viral". Mashable. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ a b Liu, Marian. "Straight outta... China? The young Asian artists bucking hip-hop trends". CNN. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ @FilthyFrank (29 December 2017). "This is old news but I figured I'd give an official statement. Thank you for your understanding and god bless" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Soundbite: "Pink Season" by Pink Guy". The Current.
- ^ a b c d "The Man Behind Pink Guy's Bizarre Chart-Topping Album 'Pink Season'". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ a b c "Joji Explains Decision to Quit Filthy Frank and Pink Guy as He Pursues Music Career". PigeonsandPlanes. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ a b DizastaMusic (3 May 2014), Filthy Frank Exposes Himself?, retrieved 9 February 2017
- ^ TND Podcast #17 ft. George Miller a.k.a. Filthy Frank. The Needle Drop. 6 September 2015. Event occurs at 6:39. Retrieved 22 January 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Lil Jon falls off a table. George Miller. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "DizastaMusic – About". George Miller. Retrieved 30 June 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ New Channel: TVFilthyFrank. George Miller. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "TVFilthyFrank – Playlists". George Miller. Retrieved 9 February 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "TVFilthyFrank YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". Socialblade.com. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ "TVFilthyFrank – Featured". George Miller. Retrieved 9 February 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "TooDamnFilthy – About". George Miller. Retrieved 16 March 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "TooDamnFilthy – Playlists". George Miller. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Francis Of The Filth (Out Now). George Miller. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Singer/Producer Joji on His Career Flip From Crude Viral Comedy to Understated R&B: 'Now I Get to Do Stuff That I Want to Hear'". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Pink Guy". SXSW 2017 Schedule. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "joji". SoundCloud. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ Trap Dumplings. George Miller. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ pinkomega – dumplings. George Miller. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ pinkomega – wefllagn.ii 5. George Miller. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Miller, George (13 January 2016). "Joji – Chloe Burbank – Volume 1". Retrieved 17 January 2017 – via Instagram.
- ^ Skelton, Eric (26 April 2017). "Joji Returns With Stunning New Song "I Don't Wanna Waste My Time"". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Listen to Joji's Gorgeous New Song "Rain On Me"". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Joji Shares Gorgeous New Single "Will He" [UPDATE]". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ Higher Brothers + joji – Nomadic (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). 88rising. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Boiler Room x 88rising". Boiler Room. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Pre-Save". Empire. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b Patrick Green (3 November 2017). "New Music | Joji Miller Makes a Name for Himself". Crave. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Ruth Jiang (28 April 2017). "Listen to Joji's new song "I don't wanna waste my time"". Earmilk. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Joji Discusses His Rise From Parody Rap To Mainstream Music. MTV News. 6 November 2017.
- ^ "Pink Guy – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "Pink Guy – Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Miller, George (23 May 2014). Pink Guy (Full Album) + Free Download. Retrieved 17 January 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Pink Season – Pink Guy". iTunes. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
Released: Jan 04, 2017
- ^ "Pink Season – Pink Guy". iTunes. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
Released: Jan 04, 2017
- ^ "Billboard 200 – November 25, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – November 25, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Canadian Albums – November 25, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "TOMMY CASH". SoundCloud.
- ^ "DizastaMusic". YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ "TVFilthyFrank". YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ "TooDamnFilthy". YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2017.