JP (musician)

JP Lam
JP Lam
Birth name	John Paul Lam
Born	April 20, 1984 (age 40); Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Origin	Seoul, South Korea; Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Pop, R&B
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano, guitar, ukulele
Years active	2007–present)
Labels	Rhythmedia
Website	bananaboat.jp

John Paul "JP" Lam (born April 20, 1984 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American singer and songwriter. He is notable for his collaborations with R&B singer Misia, which have found widespread popularity in South Korea and Japan.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, he released his debut solo single which serves as the opening theme song to the anime Shirokuma Cafe.^[1]

Early life

JP was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended the Punahou School, graduating in 2002, and then attended Pepperdine University on a vocal performance scholarship where he majored in telecommunications.^[2]

Career

After graduating from Pepperdine, JP worked as a back-up vocalist for Michael W. Smith along with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. In 2007, TVXQ used his composition "Yeo Haeng Gi", which was included on one of the SM Town albums, and then moved to South Korea to continue his career in music.

In 2009, JP moved to Tokyo, Japan and began collaborating with R&B singer Misia. The first song he wrote for her was "Work It Out", which was included on her 2009 album Just Ballade. JP also wrote her song "Ultra X'mas", which was included as a B-side on Misia's winter single "Hoshi no Yō ni...". In 2010, Misia and JP collaborated again on the song "Maware Maware", her contribution to the 2010 FIFA World Cup album Listen Up!, where he and Japanese DJ Muro are credited under their collective name "M2J".^[2] JP also collaborated with Misia on her 2011 album Soul Quest, writing and performing on several tracks, as well as supporting her on her tour for the album.^[3]

In 2012, JP had his solo debut on the Avex Group record label with the song "Boku ni Invitation" which serves as the opening theme song for the Shirokuma Cafe anime series.^[1]