Mandy Sekiguchi
Mandy Sekiguchi (関口 メンディー; Sekiguchi Mendi, born January 25, 1991, in New Jersey, United States) is an American-Japanese dancer, rapper, actor and a member of J-Pop groups Generations from Exile Tribe, Exile and Honest Boyz.[1]
Mandy Sekiguchi | |
---|---|
関口 メンディー | |
Born | |
Nationality | Japanese American |
Other names |
|
Citizenship | United States |
Education | Nippon Sport Science University |
Occupation | Rapper, dancer |
Years active | 2011 - present |
Employer | LDH |
Notable credit(s) | |
Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
Website | www |
Sekiguchi is represented with LDH. His mother is Japanese and his father is Nigerian.
Early life
Mandy Sekiguchi was born on January 25, 1991, in New Jersey, United States and grew up in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Even though he was born outside of Japan, he was raised monolingual in Japanese and only started to study English later on in his career. He started playing baseball at the age of 6 and practiced it till his third year in high school.[2]
Career
In April 2011, Mandy participated in the Exile Professional Gym (EXPG) audition produced by Hiro, and he was selected as a member of Generations from Exile Tribe.[3]
In April 2012, he became an official member of Generations and debuted in November of the same year.
Mandy advanced into acting for the first time in April 2014, when he was selected as a cast member of Fuji TV's late night program Wow.[4] On April 27, 2014, Mandy passed the Exile Performer Battle Audition Final in Nippon Budoukan and became a member of Exile.[5][6][7] In May of the same year, he made his stage debut in the stage play Dance Earth Project "Changes" while also joining the coed-group Dance Earth Party for one year.[8][9]
On 15 April 2016, he became a member of the hip-hop unit Honest Boyz. He took on the position of MC in the group, calling himself simply Mandy (stylized as MANDY). This marked the first time he would use his vocals in a group.[10]
In August 2017, Mandy produced the 24karats×KANGOL collaboration collection of designer hats. 24karats is a fashion brand developed by LDH while KANGOL was founded in 1938 as a British traditional beret brand which established itself as a symbol of the art scene.[11] Additionally, he made his acting debut in LDH's movie universe HiGH & LOW in the same year.
On June 5, 2018, he threw the first pitch at the opening ceremony of the Giants vs Rakuten baseball game, held at Tokyo Dome.[2] His appearance garnered great public attention since the speed of his pitch reached 133 km/h, the fastest thrown by an entertainer at that time. His record was broken by Golden Bomber's Kenji Darvish later on (135 km/h) and both developed a comedic rivalry.[12] On August 31, Sanrio announced they would produce a new character, Hello Mandy, based on Mandy Sekiguchi. The character is designed with an "M" lavaliere on a necklace and one of Mandy's most familiar hairstyles.[13]
In January 2019, Mandy was chosen as a representative for the promotion of the American movie Aquaman in Japan.[14][15] On February 14, he attended the PRINCE OF LEGEND PREMIUM LIVE SHOW, a fan-meeting with the whole Prince of Legend cast, at Yokohama Arena.[16][17] On March 18, Mandy was invited to throw another first pitch at the opening ceremony of the Giants vs Mariners baseball game at Tokyo Dome. However, he wasn't able to exceed his previous record.[18][12] On June 4, it was announced that Hello Mandy won the No. 1 prize in the collaboration category of the Sanrio Character Award, an award based on an annual popularity voting.[19][20] On July 17, Generations from Exile Tribe released the single "Brand New Story". It included "Control Myself" as a B-side track, being the group's first original English song and also the first one to feature Mandy as a rapper. On September 9, it was announced that Mandy would be part of the cast for the live-action series of the manga Motokare Mania (モトカレマニア; Ex-Boyfriend Mania).[21] This would be the first time that he will appear in a prime time drama.
Participating groups
Name | Period of time |
---|---|
Generations from Exile Tribe | April 2011 – |
Exile | April 2014 – |
®ag Pound | 2015 – |
Honest Boyz | April 2016 – |
Filmography
TV programmes
Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013-2015 | Kyuukyoku no Otoko wa Dareda? Saikyou Supoutsu Danshi Choujou Kessen | TBS | Appeared in the second to fifth and seventh Annual Meeting Victory | |
2014 | Wow | Fuji TV | [4] | |
Viking | Fuji TV | [22] | ||
2016 | Kyuukyoku no Otoko wa Dareda? Saikyou Supoutsu Danshi moto Ni~Tsu Choujou Kessen! | TBS | New Year's special | [23] |
Stage
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2014 | Dance Earth: Changes | Kuruma |
TV dramas
Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Night Hero Naoto | TV Tokyo | himself | Episode 5; ending dance | [24] |
2018 | Prince of Legend | NTV | Gabriel Sasazuka | [25][26][27] | |
2019 | Secret x Warrior Phantomirage | TV Tokyo | Phandy | [28] | |
Ex-Boyfriend Mania (モトカレマニア) | Fuji TV | Tadafumi Shirai | [29][30][31] |
Web Dramas
Year | Title | Network | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Happy-Go-Lucky! | GYAO! | Manns | [32] |
Movies
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | High & Low The movie 2 End Of Sky | Pho | |
High & Low The movie 3 Final Mission | |||
2019 | Prince of Legend | Gabriel Sasazuka | [33][34][35] |
Live
Year | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2018 | 27th Tokyo Girls Collection 2018 AUTUMN / WINTER | [33] |
2019 | PRINCE OF LEGEND PREMIUM LIVE SHOW | [16][17] |
28th Tokyo Girls Collection 2019 SPRING / SUMMER | [36][37] |
Game
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Prince Of Legend Love Royale | Gabriel Sasazuka |
|
Advertisements
Year | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2014 | AOYAMA PRESTIGE TECHNOLOGY "Soul Man" | [38] |
2015 | Daiichi Kosho Company Live DAM Stadium | |
Bandai Namco Entertainment Taiko no Tatsujin | [39] | |
2016 | SoftBank "Sponavi Live" | [40] |
2018 | Nissin "Cup Noodle" | |
2019 | NTT Docomo × RAG POUND | [41][42] |
Fendi "BaguetteFriendsForever" | [43] |
Music videos
Year | Group | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Sandaime J Soul Brothers | Fighters | |
2018 | CrazyBoy | Private Party | |
Red Diamond Dogs | Red Soul Blue Dragon | [44] | |
2019 | Okamoto's | Dancing Boy | [45] |
References
- "EXILE" (in Japanese). LDH. Retrieved 7 Feb 2017.
- "関口メンディー、初の始球式で圧巻の133キロ「リベンジして140キロ投げたい!」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- Shūkan Exile (in Japanese). 2 Apr 2012. Tokyo Broadcasting System.
- "GENERATIONS関口メンディーが演技初挑戦 白濱亜嵐の芝居にビビった". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE新メンバー5人決定!HIRO「未来イメージして選んだ」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 7 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "EXILE新パフォーマー決定 関口メンディー・白濱亜嵐ら5人加入". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE新メンバー、喜びと意気込み語る 関口メンディー「号泣した」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- ""EXILE加入"関口メンディー、自己紹介で大照れ「まだ実感ない」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、舞台メイクが「アジャ」そっくり 本人も苦笑い". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE NAOTO、ラップに初挑戦". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. 15 Apr 2016. Retrieved 7 Feb 2017.
- "関口メンディーがプロデュース「24karats×KANGOL」コラボ 佐野玲於らがモデルに". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、目指すは"キング・オブ・始球式" ライバル・樽美酒と一緒に練習も". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、サンリオでキャラクター化「HelloMandy」に 商品化も決定". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、イルカとふれあい『アクアマン』気分満喫". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "28歳になった関口メンディー、「不得意なことも克服していきたい」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "鈴木伸之、"セレブ王子"片寄涼太に「抱かれてもいい」 王子たちがべた褒め合戦". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "片寄涼太&佐野玲於らイケメン王子が"胸キュン"ライブ「行くよ、僕のプリンセス」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、始球式芸能人最速奪還ならず「ゴメンディー!」 原監督激励に緊張". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー×サンリオのハローメンディー『サンリオキャラ大賞』参加へ". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- "関口メンディー Mandy Sekiguchi on Instagram: "サンリオキャラクター大賞コラボ部門でハローメンディーが第1位になりました🙇🏾✨🥇 ファンの皆さん、盛り上げてくださったEXILE・GENEのメンバー皆さん、EXILE TRIBE, E-girls, Jr EXILEの皆さん、そしてスタッフの皆さん…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- "Motokare Mania Live-Action Series Casts EXILE's Mandy Sekiguchi". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、ダイオウイカを追う". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "TBS元日に"最強スポーツ男子"決定戦 佐野岳、メンディー、春日らが激突". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE TRIBE、NAOTO主演ドラマでド迫力ダンス 豪華メンバーとコラボ". Model Press (in Japanese). Net Native. 19 Mar 2016.
- "片寄涼太、佐野玲於ら個性豊かな"王子"ずらり 新プロジェクト始動&映画2019年公開". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "片寄涼太、佐野玲於ら"王子"プロジェクト10月より連ドラ始動". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー、自身の"キャラ渋滞"に悩む「わけがわからない状態」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディー&斎藤工、女児向け特撮ドラマに出演「ファンタジーな世界でお芝居するのは初めて」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【On air from 10/17 (Thu.)!】Mandy Sekiguchi appearing in Fuji TV's Thursday drama "Motokare Mania"! | NEWS (ALL) | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". www.ldh.co.jp. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
- "関口メンディー、GP帯ドラマ初出演でドッキリ疑う "ムダマッチョ"な役に起用". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE関口メンディー、ゴールデン帯ドラマ初出演に「ドッキリかもと…」<モトカレマニア> - モデルプレス". モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【11/30(金)21:30~「GYAO!」にて配信スタート!】オリジナルドラマ「ハピゴラ!」に白濱亜嵐&関口メンディーが出演! | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". www.ldh.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- "【TGC2018AW】関口メンディー、衝撃の"おかっぱ頭"に会場騒然". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "『PRINCEOFLEGEND』第1弾特報映像&ティザービジュアル解禁 "14連壁ドン"". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "映画『PRINCEOFLEGEND』来年3・21公開 最新予告映像&ポスタービジュアル解禁". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【TGC2019SS】片寄涼太&佐野玲於らイケメン王子が集結 ハイタッチ&ハグに女子熱狂". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【TGC2019SS】川村壱馬は甘えん坊? "兄"鈴木伸之「現場で抱きついてくる」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【動画】EXILESHOKICHI&メンディー、スーツ姿でキレキレダンス披露". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILEも『太鼓の達人』も15周年へ MAKIDAI&メンディーが応援". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "関口メンディーが"白戸家"お兄ちゃんに ダンテとトレード「同じにおい感じる」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "EXILE TRIBE AKIRA&小林直己&岩田剛典&関口メンディー&佐野玲於、ドコモ新CMに出演". Real Sound|リアルサウンド (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-04-05.
- "EXILETRIBEメンバーが、ドコモの新CMでMVなみの"クランプダンス"を披露". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- "【先行公開】舞台は東京!フェンディのショートムービー「#BaguetteFriendsForever」キャンペーンから最新エピソードが公開". THE FASHION POST (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- "RED DIAMOND DOGSオフィシャルサイト". RED DIAMOND DOGSオフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "OKAMOTO'S、「Dancing Boy」のMV公開 菅田将暉、水原希子、GEN、佐野怜於&関口メンディーらも参加 | SPICE - エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス". SPICE(スパイス)|エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ""Hello Mandy", a cartoon character of Mandy Sekiguchi produced by Sanrio, will be sold soon! | NEWS (ALL) | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". www.ldh.co.jp. Retrieved 2018-11-20.