The Real-Life Wardrobe of Haruomi Hosono, Who Once Started a Nationwide Hair Trend

Haruomi Hosono has nothing left to prove. At 79, he is one of the most accomplished and influential musicians on the planet, most notably through his work with the pioneering 1970s electropop band Yellow Magic Orchestra.And yet, the Japanese legend just can’t seem to slow down. Last week, he released his critically acclaimed 23rd solo album, Yours Sincerely, and he’s commemorating that landmark with two rare stateside shows alongside Toro y Moi: One at Radio City Music Hall in New York, which took place earlier this week, and another at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles this Sunday.A few days ahead of his gig at Radio City, I sat down with Hosono to discuss the surprising inspiration behind Yellow Magic Orchestra’s iconic “techno cut,” the difference between American and Japanese style, and what motivates him to continue creating new work five decades into his career.All clothing and accessories, subject’s own. Hat by CA4LA. Vintage sunglasses. Sweater and pants by Uniqlo. Polo shirt by Comme des Garçons. Sneakers by Nike x Kith Tokyo. GQ: I’m a huge Yellow Magic Orchestra fan. Can you tell me how the band came to be, and how you first met Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto?Haruomi Hosono: Yukihiro was the starting point. I actually met Yukihiro when we were in high school. We were both in amateur bands and met at a party. Yukihiro’s band sounded like Sly and the Family Stone, which I thought was a very fun approach. We became close with each other ever since that party.Ryuichi Sakamoto was close to Yukihiro. I wasn’t too sure about him when we first met. Originally, Ryuichi was not really into the idea of being part of Yellow Magic Orchestra. But my manager and Ryuichi’s manager were acquaintances, so through that connection we persuaded him to join.Your new album, Yours Sincerely, is your 23rd studio album. Where do you look now for inspiration to write new music?Until recently, I’ve been into old American music from the ’30s and ’40s, which includes genres like boogie-woogie, country, jazz, and pop. Inspiration has always come from a pure place as a music nut.In 2019, I had some shows in New York City. At the time, I was really into a lot of American music genres. I had this experience of hearing from the younger generation in the States that they never really heard the old-time American music I was performing on stage, which was nice to hear.After that, the pandemic hit. Creative work was on hold. But during that time, the inspiration for this record came. The world became an unstable place at that time. I was also thinking of omoiyari, often translated as “compassion” in English, during that time. I felt that an ending note we use in letters described it best, and that is why the record is titled Yours Sincerely.What is your relationship to film?I love films and movie soundtracks. There are so many great composers. I’m not as in touch with recent film composers, but I’ve always loved the Newman family. To connect film and my latest record, I had this sort of angle to work on it similarly to working on a soundtrack, with a very liberated approach—a lot of instrumental music, but also songs with my own vocals and other vocalists.Do you remember when you first became interested in fashion?I’m not necessarily a fashionable person, but if I could highlight a moment, it probably would be during the hippie movement. Dungarees were becoming a trend. I considered myself to be one of the first Japanese people at the time to buy the dungaree pants from America and wear them in Japan. I do love wearing Uniqlo and Muji.Sunglasses by Celine. Vintage neckerchief. Jacket by Prada. Pants by Uniqlo. Polo shirt by Comme des Garçons. Sneakers by Nike x Kith Tokyo. Did you ever have any style heroes?I’ve never told this story before. When we were doing Yellow Magic Orchestra, we were all watching a TV show. There was a composer called Seiji Ozawa on the show featuring a symphony with the Beijing Music Philharmonic. Because China was a Communist country, they were banned from doing Westernized music. At that time, they were kind of green-lit to start doing Western music. They were doing songs from Wagner, Western classics. All the Chinese musicians from the TV show were performing those songs very happily, and it left a strong impression on me, as did their hairstyles. So, I went to my friend who’s also a hairdresser and told him I wanted to have their hairstyle. [Yukihiro and Ryuichi] got the same haircut, and it became a whole thing in Japan. Women also got the same haircut, so it was kind of a turning point in terms of style that I picked up from elsewhere.Do you still like to shop for new clothes, aside from Muji and Uniqlo?Recently, I often go to Dover Street Market. Other than that, I don’t wear a lot of high fashion.What do you think about American style versus Japanese style?Recently, in Japan, especially in Tokyo, there have been a lot of Chinese tourists, and there’s been more and more people coming from the West. We especially see a lot of American tourists coming into Tokyo. And sometimes, I witness people from America that have really nice style, good taste, and they’re tall. It reminds me of how Japanese people, at one point, were taller on average, but then we actually shrunk at some point. Taste-wise, Japanese people are becoming less fashionable in my point of view.What do you do to stay active? Any tips for aging gracefully?I’m indifferent to economics. I don’t like to get too involved in complicated matters in general. I am knowledgeable and aware of what’s going on in the world, but I try not to get involved in those topics. I would rather focus on music.So you try not to stress.Speaking of stress, actually, I recently had heart surgery. Stress that comes from physique might be something I still feel, especially as I age.