Artist Biography Available in: Tatsurō Yamashita (山下 達郎, Yamashita Tatsurō, born February 4, 1953), occasionally credited as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer who helped pioneer the style of Japanese adult-oriented rock/soft rock dubbed "city pop". Yamashita produced much city pop music during the 1970s–1980s, and is sometimes considered the "king" of the genre. He has also collaborated with his wife Mariya Takeuchi, another city pop singer.