Man Crush Monday: Genta Matsuda

My Dear Readers,

I hope you’re hungry because today, I have a sweet and scrumptious little snack for you: Genta Matsuda (松田元太).

One of the seven members of the incredibly popular Japanese music group Travis Japan, Genta was born on 19 April 1999 and Joined the legendary Johnny & Associates in February 2011 at the age of twelve. A year later, he was one of the young men chosen by the company’s founder Johnny Kitagawa and US choreographer Travis Payne to become a part of a group that would go on to make J-POP history.

His eyes, dark and intense, seem to look directly into your soul, while his bright smile is both beautiful and mischievous.

He’s the perfect cover boy.

As an actor, Genta has starred in stage productions, television series, and in February 2022, made his starring feature film debut in the romantic fantasy “The Blue Skies at Your Feet.”

Based on the novel “Kimi ga Otoshita Aozora” by Sakura Eeyo, Genta stars as the ill-fated Shinohara Shuya, who gets into a car accident right in front of his girlfriend, Mizuno Miyu (Fukumoto Riko) who begins to relive the day of the accident over and over again in an attempt to save her beloved Shuya.

That same month, Travis Japan made the decision to travel halfway around the world to hone their craft amongst the glamor and glitter of Los Angeles.

It was the first Johnny & Associates.

“One of the best parts of coming to America is the fact that we’re all living together under one roof,” Genta said in an interview. “We live separately while in Japan, but here we get to wake up and have breakfast together, coffee – even just relax and hang out. We’re experiencing all of this together like a family.”

In October 2022, Travis Japan achieved another first, not just for Johnny & Associates, but a first for any Japanese music artists, when their debut single “JUST DANCE!” made them the first Japanese act to break into the top five on the Billboard Global Excl. US Charts!

Returning to the states after a sold-out concert series in Japan, Genta and the rest of Travis Japan will perform at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC.