Alan Shirahama (Japanese: 白濱亜嵐, Shirahama Aran; born August 4, 1993, in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese dancer, DJ, music producer, composer and actor of Japanese-Filipino descent. He is the leader of GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE, a member of the creative collective PKCZ® and a member of EXILE, whose activities he temporarily suspended in 2025.
As an independent electronic musician, he works under the name ALAN SHIRAHAMA. His solo music spans EDM, bass house, tech house, trance, melodic dubstep, drum and bass, speed house and other styles of contemporary club electronic music. In addition to his own releases, Shirahama writes music for GENERATIONS, EXILE, FANTASTICS, BiSH, Koda Kumi, THE JET BOY BANGERZ and other artists.
His career has developed in several directions at once. Since the early 2010s, Shirahama has been known as a dancer and leader of one of the main EXILE TRIBE groups, while also acting in films and television series. From the middle of the decade, he consistently developed himself as a DJ and trackmaker. In 2023, the full-fledged solo story of ALAN SHIRAHAMA began, while the 2025 album curious established electronic music as an independent part of his work.
Childhood in Matsuyama and Filipino roots
Alan Shirahama was born and raised in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. His father is Japanese, while his mother is from the Philippines. His childhood was therefore shaped by both Japanese and Filipino cultural environments.
Shirahama has said that as a child he regularly attended a Christian church with the Filipino community, interacted with children of different nationalities and from an early age saw cultural diversity as a normal part of life.
The Filipino side of his family remained important to him later in life. He has visited the country many times, supported relatives and publicly spoken about his desire to remain a bridge between Japan and the Philippines.
Alan’s older sister is model and artist Loveli. As teenagers, they moved together from Ehime to Tokyo and lived on their own for a time.
First steps in dance
Before entering the professional stage, Shirahama was involved in sports, but dance became his main interest during his teenage years. After discovering the concert culture of EXILE and J Soul Brothers, he decided to pursue hip-hop choreography seriously.
Shirahama enrolled at EXPG Matsuyama, a dance and performing arts school affiliated with LDH. There he studied not only choreography but also the fundamentals of acting.
At around the age of fifteen, he moved to Tokyo. The decision was connected with his desire to continue training and take part in LDH auditions. This step effectively determined the course of his future career.
Gekidan EXILE
One of his first professional stages was the theatrical system Gekidan EXILE. Shirahama auditioned and in 2010 joined the youth division Gekidan EXILE Kazegumi.
Even before GENERATIONS was formed, he appeared on the theater stage. In 2010, he performed in the productions NIGHT BALLET, KILL THE BLACK and the stage version of Rokudenashi BLUES.
The theater period was also important because Shirahama was not initially developed only as a dancer. From the very beginning of his career, LDH viewed him as a performer capable of combining choreography with acting.
GENERATIONS
In 2011, Shirahama left Gekidan EXILE Kazegumi after being selected as a candidate for the new project GENERATIONS.
The future members went through the so-called Musha Shugyo — a series of performances and trips across Japan during which the group took shape directly in front of the public.
In April 2012, Shirahama became an official member of GENERATIONS, and on November 21, 2012, the group made its major debut with the single «BRAVE IT OUT».
Alan later became the leader of GENERATIONS. Within the group, he works primarily as a performer — a dancer and stage performer — while the main vocal parts are traditionally handled by Ryuto Kazuhara and Ryota Katayose.
GENERATIONS gradually progressed from small venues and promotional appearances to arenas and stadiums. The group held international tours, performed at dome venues for the first time in 2018, and in 2019 organized the SHONEN CHRONICLE tour across Japan’s five major dome arenas.
For Shirahama himself, GENERATIONS eventually became more than just a performing group. From the late 2010s onward, he increasingly participated in the group’s music as a composer, lyricist and producer.
Joining EXILE
In 2014, EXILE announced the large-scale EXILE PERFORMER BATTLE AUDITION to recruit new dancers.
Shirahama passed the competition and on April 27, 2014, during the final at Nippon Budokan, was announced as one of the new members of EXILE.
From that point onward, he worked simultaneously in two groups — GENERATIONS and EXILE. This kind of overlap became a characteristic feature of the EXILE TRIBE system, where individual artists can belong to several projects at once.
With EXILE, Shirahama participated in concert projects and studio work, and later began writing music for the group.
Suspension of EXILE activities
On June 5, 2025, LDH announced that Alan Shirahama would temporarily suspend his participation in EXILE activities.
The decision did not mean that he had officially left the group. Shirahama explained that he wanted to focus his time on GENERATIONS, PKCZ® and his solo career, especially his work as a DJ and music producer.
As a result, Shirahama also withdrew from EXILE’s subsequent dome tour. He emphasized that he still regarded EXILE as an important part of his career and did not rule out returning to active work with the group.
How Alan Shirahama began making music
His interest in production began even before GENERATIONS officially debuted.
During one of the group’s early promotional tours, they planned to perform a shortened version of a song, but the team only had access to the full audio file. Shirahama, who had a laptop with him, edited the recording himself before the performance.
This incident became his first practical introduction to DTM — desktop music production. After that, he began teaching himself music creation and editing software.
Gradually, simple editing developed into writing his own beats and tracks. Shirahama was largely self-taught, learning software, synthesizers and studio equipment independently.
The road to DJing
As his own catalog of tracks grew, Shirahama began looking for a way to test them directly in front of listeners. DJing became the logical next step.
He approached EXILE HIRO and asked for permission to develop this direction as an independent professional activity. HIRO supported the idea and introduced him to DJ DARUMA, who helped him choose his first equipment.
At the same time, Shirahama deliberately did not want the club scene to view him as a celebrity using DJ sets merely as an additional form of entertainment.
Early on, he performed anonymously in Tokyo clubs, including WOMB and VISION. He sometimes played at the beginning of club nights without publicizing his name, using the experience to learn how to build a full set for a regular club audience.
DJ ALAN
His official DJ debut took place on October 31, 2015, at the PKCZ® event U・F・O ～ELECTRIC HALLOWEEN～. During the early period, he used the name DJ ALAN for DJ performances.
Club work gradually became a separate part of his career. Shirahama used DJ sets as a platform for his own demos, remixes and electronic music experiments.
Although the general public continued to know him primarily through GENERATIONS and EXILE, within LDH he became increasingly active as a trackmaker.
PKCZ®
Shirahama’s connection with PKCZ® existed long before he officially joined the project. His DJ debut took place at one of its events, while DJ DARUMA was among the people who helped him learn the club scene.
On October 31, 2020, exactly five years after his first DJ performance, it was announced that Alan Shirahama had joined PKCZ®.
Within the project, he combines several roles: DJ, trackmaker, performer and songwriter.
PKCZ® gave Shirahama a space for electronic and club work that was less tied to the traditional format of a male vocal-and-dance group.
First notable songwriting credits
By the late 2010s, Shirahama began officially appearing in the credits of LDH releases as a composer.
In 2019, he contributed to the GENERATIONS song «Shinsei» («心声»).
In 2020, he wrote the music for EXILE’s «RED PHOENIX», and created «Lonely» for GENERATIONS, where he first stood out particularly clearly as both composer and lyricist.
In the following years, the scale of his production work increased significantly.
Composer and songwriter
Shirahama wrote music not only for the groups in which he was a member.
His songwriting and production credits include:
- GENERATIONS — «Shinsei» — music;
- GENERATIONS — «Lonely» — lyrics and music;
- EXILE — «RED PHOENIX» — music;
- GENERATIONS — «Love is?» — music;
- GENERATIONS — «to U» — lyrics and music;
- FANTASTICS — «Drive Me Crazy» — music;
- EXILE — «DOWN TOWN TOKYO» — music;
- EXILE — «NEO UNIVERSE» — music;
- BiSH — «Datsu Kisei Gainen» — lyrics and music;
- Koda Kumi — «Change my future» — music;
- THE JET BOY BANGERZ — «RAGING BULL» — music;
- GENERATIONS — «NOW or NEVER» — lyrics and music;
- EXILE THE SECOND — «Amoureuse» — music;
- EXILE TRIBE — «AKANEGUMO» — music.
In this way, Shirahama gradually moved from performing material created by others to becoming a full participant in music production within LDH.
«Facts» with Julian Jordan
The first major international release under the name ALAN SHIRAHAMA was «Facts», created together with Dutch DJ and producer Julian Jordan.
The single was released on April 1, 2022, via STMPD RCRDS — the label of Martin Garrix.
«Facts» became a particularly important release: for the first time, Shirahama entered the international market not as a member of a Japanese pop group, but directly as an electronic producer.
The track belongs to contemporary festival dance music and differs noticeably from the core sound of GENERATIONS.
ALAN SHIRAHAMA as an independent project
Although «Facts» was released in 2022, the full-scale launch of the solo project came at the end of 2023.
For his independent discography, Shirahama dropped the earlier DJ ALAN designation and began releasing music under his own romanized name, ALAN SHIRAHAMA.
In doing so, he separated his electronic career from his work in GENERATIONS and positioned himself not merely as a DJ, but as an author and producer of his own music.
EP «null»
On December 8, 2023, the first solo digital EP null was released.
The title translates as «empty value» or «nothing». Shirahama associated it with his sense of position within the global electronic scene: despite many years of fame in Japan, as an independent DJ-producer he felt that he was starting almost from zero.
The EP included:
- «start up-[null]»;
- «gnite»;
- «Brain jack!»;
- «Azur»;
- «BLVCK LAZER»;
- «Unstoppable».
A separate Music Card version also included «Lovesickness» with vocals by Shirahama himself.
Musically, null spans several areas of electronic music at once — trance, bass house and tech house. This breadth became a defining feature of his later solo project: Shirahama did not limit ALAN SHIRAHAMA to a single club genre.
Twelve releases in 2024
In 2024, Shirahama launched an unusual project for his career — twelve consecutive monthly releases.
From January through December, the following appeared:
- «HUMANITY FIGHT»;
- «Nakameguro House»;
- «Nakameguro Step»;
- «Reaching For The Sky»;
- «DIRTYTECH»;
- «CREEP»;
- «MACARONI CHEESE»;
- «two-face»;
- «THE VOW»;
- «Cheeky Wanker»;
- «SALARYMAN»;
- «MINE FOR LIFE».
The series allowed Shirahama to experiment systematically with bass house, tech house, bass music, trance, melodic dubstep and other styles.
For example, «DIRTYTECH» is built around a combination of bass house and tech house, while «THE VOW» moves toward melodic dubstep.
International DJ performances
Alongside his regular releases, Shirahama began performing more actively outside Japan.
In June 2024, he played at ULTRA Beach Bali in Indonesia. For him, this became an important stage in the transition from the Japanese club scene to the international festival circuit.
In the following years, his touring geography included South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and other Asian countries, as well as club venues across Japan.
In his DJ sets, Shirahama combines his own tracks with bass house, EDM, techno, drum and bass and heavier festival styles.
Album «curious»
On April 28, 2025, Shirahama released his first full-length solo album, curious.
The title refers to curiosity — a quality Shirahama himself considers the main driving force behind his music career.
The digital version included 15 tracks:
- curious
- Nakameguro Step
- Nakameguro House
- CREEP
- two-face
- HUMANITY FIGHT
- Dirtytech
- Always I'm...
- Reaching For The Sky
- MINE FOR LIFE
- Cheeky Wanker
- SALARYMAN
- MACARONI CHEESE
- THE VOW
- gnite (REXY=DEXY Remix)
Shirahama structured the album not simply as a collection of singles, but as a continuous DJ set. The first half moves through house and bass music, then the material becomes heavier, drum and bass appears, and closer to the finale the album turns toward melodic dubstep.
In this sense, curious describes his solo work more accurately than any single genre label.
BE curious TOUR
The album release was accompanied by the club tour BE curious TOUR.
Unlike the large-scale concerts of GENERATIONS, these performances took place mainly in nightclubs, the environment for which Shirahama’s solo electronic music was created.
In this way, the artist deliberately separated two audiences: arena performances as a member of GENERATIONS and direct club work as ALAN SHIRAHAMA.
DJ Mag
In 2025, Alan Shirahama’s name appeared in the expanded results of the international DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll.
It is important to describe this achievement precisely: Shirahama did not enter the main Top 100. In DJ Mag’s published The Next 50 list, covering positions 101–150, he ranked No. 127.
Among positions 101–150, Shirahama was the only Japanese DJ, reflecting the growing international dimension of his career.
2025: new international collaborations
After curious, Shirahama continued to release collaborative electronic tracks.
His 2025 releases included:
- «Fire Em Up» with SO-SO;
- «Waste Time» with OBS;
- «Lovesickness»;
- «Insane» with KDH and SUNGYOO;
- «Never Gonna Be» with ASTER;
- «FLY HIGH» with GIO, ARKINS and NOTXERIUS.
These releases show a gradual shift from an LDH-centered solo discography toward a broader international network of electronic producers.
«Hellhole»
In February 2026, ALAN SHIRAHAMA and producer Komb released the single «Hellhole».
The release appeared on Dharma in association with Spinnin' Records, marking another step by Shirahama toward international EDM labels.
«Lose Control» with CHYL
On July 24, 2026, CHYL and ALAN SHIRAHAMA «Lose Control» was released on the American label Ultra Records.
The track belongs to a high-tempo festival style: the extended version runs at 150 BPM.
The collaboration with CHYL continued Shirahama’s interest in faster bass-oriented and mainstage electronic music.
Move to Warner Music Japan
In the summer of 2026, a new stage of his solo career began: ALAN SHIRAHAMA, as an independent DJ artist, moved to Warner Music Japan.
The first release after the move was the single «Not Enough (feat. Olivia Marsh)», released on July 31, 2026.
The recording features singer-songwriter Olivia Marsh, who works with Warner Music Korea. American producer and songwriter CJ Baran was also involved in the production.
In «Not Enough», EDM is combined with elements of amapiano and Afro house. After a period of bass-oriented releases, Shirahama thus began expanding his palette toward contemporary African and global club rhythms.
Acting career
Acting has been part of Shirahama’s biography almost from the beginning of his professional career.
After his work with Gekidan EXILE, he appeared in the television version of «Rokudenashi BLUES» in 2011.
In 2012, he played Seiya Dojima in the series «GTO», and then received his first major television lead role as Gaku Shiiba in the teen drama «Sugarless».
In 2013–2014, he played the lead role of Yuwan Ichinose in «Bokura wa Minna Shindeiru♪», and in 2014 starred as the protagonist of the film «Seven Days Report».
HiGH&LOW
From 2015 onward, Shirahama participated in the multimedia franchise HiGH&LOW.
He played Bernie in the television seasons and feature films HiGH&LOW THE MOVIE, END OF SKY and FINAL MISSION.
The project combined film, television, music, comics and live shows and became one of LDH’s largest cross-media franchises.
«Daytime Shooting Star»
One of Shirahama’s most notable film roles was Daiki Mamura in the 2017 romantic film «Hirunaka no Ryuusei» («Daytime Shooting Star»).
The film was based on the popular manga by Mika Yamamori. The role significantly expanded his acting audience beyond EXILE TRIBE fans.
Leading roles of the late 2010s
In 2019, Shirahama played the lead role of writer Toyotaka Yoshida in the series «Shosetsu Ou».
That same year, he led the cast of «Kizoku Tanjou -PRINCE OF LEGEND-» as Shintaro Ando. The story continued in the 2020 feature film «Kizoku Kourin -PRINCE OF LEGEND-».
In the series «M Ai Subeki Hito ga Ite», a dramatized reinterpretation of the Japanese music industry and the career of Ayumi Hamasaki, Shirahama played record-company employee Sho Rukawa.
«One in a Hundred Thousand»
In 2020, Shirahama starred alongside Yuna Taira in the romantic drama «10 Manbun no 1» («One in a Hundred Thousand»).
He played Ren Kiritani, one of the central characters in the adaptation of Kaho Miyasaka’s manga.
That same year, he appeared in the film «The Confidence Man JP: Episode of the Princess» as Andrew Fu.
«We Are Medical Interns»
In 2021, Shirahama received the lead role of young doctor Ryuji Ameno in the television drama «Nakuna Kenshui» («We Are Medical Interns»).
For the actor, it became one of his most notable dramatic television roles: the story focused on the first months of a young doctor’s career and the responsibility involved in caring for patients.
Later roles
In 2023, Shirahama played himself in the horror film «Minna no Uta», built around the members of GENERATIONS.
That same year, he joined the main cast of the Fuji TV romantic series «Manatsu no Cinderella», playing Mamoru Yamauchi.
In 2025, he played Shohei Yano in the mini-series «Gelande Meshi», where he was one of the two lead performers, as well as Motoya Higuma in the drama «Ubai Ai, Manatsu».
In December 2025, he appeared in the film «Romantic Killer».
Forbes Japan 30 Under 30
In 2021, Alan Shirahama was included in the Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 list in the Entertainment category.
The publication highlighted the versatility of his activities: by that point, he was already combining work as a dancer, actor, DJ and composer.
One of Shirahama’s recommenders was VERBAL, who noted that the artist had independently learned music software and equipment and was gradually evolving from a performer into an independent music creator.
Philippines tourism ambassador
In February 2023, Shirahama was appointed a Philippines tourism ambassador.
The appointment was directly connected with his family background. As part of the project, he represents the Philippines to Japanese audiences and takes part in tourism campaigns focusing on Manila, Cebu and other regions of the country.
Shirahama himself described the role as an opportunity to become a cultural bridge between the two countries that shaped his personal identity.
Connection with Matsuyama
The artist also continues to maintain ties with his hometown.
He has participated in cultural projects in Matsuyama and has been associated with the Botchan Literary Award.
In 2026, Shirahama became a special ambassador for the 69th All Star Keirin, which was held in Matsuyama for the first time in seventeen years.
Photobooks
In addition to his music and acting work, Shirahama has released his own photobooks.
- «TIMBRE» — 2017;
- «Hallelujah!!» — 2025.
The second book appeared during a period when his independent ALAN SHIRAHAMA activity had already become one of the main parts of his career.
Musical style of ALAN SHIRAHAMA
Shirahama’s solo project is difficult to classify within a single genre. Unlike GENERATIONS, whose music is primarily oriented toward J-pop, dance-pop, R&B and hip-hop, ALAN SHIRAHAMA was conceived specifically as a club electronic project.
His early works show clear EDM and bass house influences. The EP null added trance and tech house.
The 2024 release cycle introduced bass music, melodic dubstep, more experimental house and elements of drum and bass. curious brought these styles together into a single club-oriented sequence.
The collaboration with CHYL develops a faster mainstage/speed-oriented sound, while «Not Enough» turns toward amapiano and Afro house.
A common element remains functionality within a DJ set: Shirahama often creates music with direct consideration of how it will work in a club or festival environment.
Solo discography
EP
- 2023 — null.
Albums
- 2025 — curious.
Selected singles and collaborative releases
- 2022 — Facts — with Julian Jordan;
- 2024 — HUMANITY FIGHT;
- 2024 — Nakameguro House;
- 2024 — Nakameguro Step;
- 2024 — Reaching For The Sky;
- 2024 — DIRTYTECH;
- 2024 — CREEP;
- 2024 — MACARONI CHEESE;
- 2024 — two-face;
- 2024 — THE VOW;
- 2024 — Cheeky Wanker;
- 2024 — SALARYMAN;
- 2024 — MINE FOR LIFE;
- 2025 — Fire Em Up — with SO-SO;
- 2025 — Waste Time — with OBS;
- 2025 — Lovesickness;
- 2025 — Insane — with KDH and SUNGYOO;
- 2025 — Never Gonna Be — with ASTER;
- 2025 — FLY HIGH — with GIO, ARKINS and NOTXERIUS;
- 2026 — Hellhole — with Komb;
- 2026 — Lose Control — with CHYL;
- 2026 — Not Enough (feat. Olivia Marsh).
Main groups and projects
- Gekidan EXILE Kazegumi — 2010–2011;
- GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE — since 2012, leader;
- EXILE — since 2014; participation in the group’s activities suspended since 2025;
- PKCZ® — since 2020;
- ALAN SHIRAHAMA — independent DJ and producer project.
Creative path
Alan Shirahama’s career is unusual in that its main directions did not emerge one after another, but gradually grew out of one another. Theater training led him to television and film, dance school led to GENERATIONS and EXILE, while the need to edit music for early performances led to DTM, DJing and his own production work.
By the mid-2020s, his role as an independent musician had become particularly prominent. The decision to temporarily reduce his work with EXILE, international club performances, the album curious, his No. 127 placement in DJ Mag’s extended ranking and the move to Warner Music Japan marked a shift in priorities: ALAN SHIRAHAMA ceased to be a side project of a well-known GENERATIONS member and became a separate part of his professional biography.
At the same time, Shirahama retains several parallel identities: leader of GENERATIONS, member of PKCZ®, actor, composer for other artists and independent electronic producer. It is precisely this combination of directions that most accurately describes his career at the present stage.
