Jesse (Japanese singer)

Jesse Masaya Lewis,^[1] son of a Japanese mother and American father, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1996. He has a younger sister.^[2] Jesse is fluent in Japanese and English.^[3]

Jesse chose to use only his first name as his stage name while he was a part of the junior talent of Johnny & Associates, agency to which he belonged since entering in September 2006.^[4]

In 2012, Jesse and other members of then-called Johnny's Juniors, acted in the drama Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou, which was Jesse's debut as an actor. The six-member group was given the official name SixTONES when they were performing in "Johnny's Ginza 2015".^[5] The group debuted in 2020.^[6] Following the annual tradition of choosing the group's leader by Rock paper scissors started in Arashi's show Arashi ni Shiyagare in 2020, as suggested by Arashi's leader Satoshi Ohno, Jesse was chosen as SixTONES' leader for 2024.^[7]

Besides singing (as part of SixTONES) and acting in TV dramas, Jesse has also acted in theater plays, which have included musicals such as Beetlejuice.^[8]

In 2023, after the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal, activities of artists of Johnny & Associates, including SixTONES, were taken over by a new entity called Starto Entertainment,^[9] which officially started in April 2024.

On 19 July 2024, Jesse announced on his Instagram that he had established a private company called ZDN Co,.Ltd. for his individual activities. The company name was taken from one of his catchphrase "Zudon!" (ズドン！, lit. "bang!").^[10] His activities as part of the group would continue under Starto.^[11]

Jesse was appointed as brand ambassador for Under Armour Japan, as announced on March 24, 2025.^[12][13][14]