Hiromitsu Kitayama

Early life and education

Kitayama was a sports-oriented youth who devoted himself to football until his junior high school years. He entered Horikoshi High School, which is well known for its entertainment course, through a soccer-based recommendation. At the time, Kitayama was unaware that the school had an entertainment course or that many entertainers attended it; however, he later recalled realizing the presence of celebrity classmates when students with flamboyantly dyed hair entered the hall during the entrance ceremony.^[7] Influenced by his classmate Tomohisa Yamashita, who was already active in the entertainment industry, Kitayama auditioned for Johnny & Associates and joined the agency in 2002, during his second year of high school and subsequently entered the entertainment industry.^[8]

Career at Johnny & Associates (Kis-My-Ft2)

After being selected for several Johnny’s Jr. groups, he was chosen as a member of Kis-My-Ft. in 2004. Following lineup changes, the group was reorganized as Kis-My-Ft2 in 2005. As Kis-My-Ft2, they worked as backup dancers for KAT-TUN and other artists before making their CD debut as a group with the single “Everybody Go” in August 2011. He graduated from Asia University in 2008.^[9]

Within Kis-My-Ft2, Kitayama made use of his vocal skills and often sang key parts of the group’s songs alongside Taisuke Fujigaya.^[10]

Departure from Johnny & Associates

On August 31, 2023, he left Kis-My-Ft2 in order to pursue an individual career and also departed from Johnny & Associates.^[11]

Tobe

On 13 September 2023, a teaser video with the name "#Tobecontinued" was released on TOBE's official YouTube. The new artist was to be revealed on the 17, but voices in X (formerly Twitter) were already guessing the identity of the new member to be Kitayama, who had recently left Johnny's.^[12] On 17 September 2023, Kitayama's identity was revealed, introducing him as TOBE's latest member. In the same video, his SNS and fanclub information was also shared.^[13] He made his solo debut on 17 November with the release of the digital single "乱心-Ranshin-" (Ranshin=Ranshin).^[14]

On December 20, 2025, it was announced that TOBE joined with Pony Canyon to establish new label "RED ON". The label, whose name, "RED", takes the meaning "Resonance", "Expression", and "Destiny", aims to open up new possibilities for artistic expression in the domestic and international music scene. Kitayama is its first artist, after transferring from Tobe Music.^[15]

With Johnny and Associates

With Tobe