Joe Inoue’s (井上ジョー) new single “Closer” finally went on sale December 17. It debuted on the Oricon sales chart at #22. The song has had an incredible YouTube run of almost 800 fan uploaded videos before its official release. Propelled by the release of the Naruto Shippuuden Opening trailer, “Closer”-themed fan subs, karaoke, fan cover versions, and slideshow videos quickly spread across YouTube.

Born in Los Angeles, Japanese-American Joe Inoue grew up to be fluent in three things: English, Japanese, and music. Joe plays every instrument in the songs he writes: guitar, bass, drums, and finally the vocals.

In 2005, he signed a record deal with Ki/oon Records in Japan. Joe released his debut e.p.”IN A WAY” in 2007, followed by his first single “HELLO!”.

“CLOSER” is his second single. It comes packaged with a 2009 Naruto Shippudden calendar and sticker as a sweet (pronounced suh weeet!) bonus!

Visit Joe’s website here.