NELSON
BABIN-COY / ネルソン・バビンコイ
/
Nelson standing beside his guitar in a light-filled studio

CALIFORNIA ROOTS. TOKYO STORIES.

Nelson
Babin-Coyネルソン・バビンコイ

Singer-songwriter, lyricist, actor & cultural interpreter.

Listen to Tokyo Neon ↗Work with me ↗
BASED IN TOKYO · SINCE 2007SCROLL TO EXPLORE ↓
01 / THE LATESTOUT NOW · SEPTEMBER 18, 2026
Tokyo Neon single cover, photographed in Tokyo at nightNELSON BABIN-COY / 2026

A LITTLE TOKYO. A LITTLE CALIFORNIA.

Tokyo Neon.

The last train is gone. The night is still yours.

A boogie beat, funky bass, live horns, and lyrics that move between Japanese and English. Tokyo Neon brings the memories and after-hours energy of Tokyo into a song.

The first single from Greetings from Tokyofornia, my first solo full-length album, planned for 2027.

Listen now ↗Visit the press room ↗
02 / ABOUTBURBANK → TOKYO

A life between languages.

Making music. Finding the words. Bringing a story to life.

I'm Nelson Babin-Coy, a singer-songwriter, lyricist, actor and cultural interpreter from Burbank, California. Since moving to Japan in 2007, I've worked across music, television, radio and film.

Alongside my own music, I help Japanese artists connect with English-speaking audiences through lyrics, translation and vocal direction. My work includes Foorin team E's international version of Paprika and NHK's tiny desk concerts JAPAN.

Explore selected work ↓
Portrait of Nelson Babin-Coy
NELSON BABIN-COY / ネルソン・バビンコイ
03 / SELECTED WORKLYRICS · TRANSLATION · LANGUAGE

More than one way to tell a story.

Lyrics & translation

More artists I’ve worked with

  • Gesu no Kiwami Otome
  • THE BAWDIES
  • Naoto Inti Raymi
  • HUSKING BEE
  • WHITE ASH
  • Yōmō to Ohana
  • Nothing’s Carved In Stone

Lyrics by Nelson Babin-Coy — Spotify playlist ↗

04 / ACTINGACTOR · FILM & TELEVISION

On screen. In character.

Acting in Japanese and English, across film and television. Selected screen credits.

Ernest Satow · NHK Special · 2022

Shin Bakumatsushi: Global History

Voice & television

  • ZIP! / 星星のベラベラENGLISH

    Narration · Nippon TV

  • 太田光のつぶやき英語

    Voice of Tsubu-chan & English supervision · NHK Eテレ

  • えいごであそぼ Meets the World

    Appearances · NHK Eテレ

Nelson singing and playing guitar on stage under warm lights
BACK TO THE MICROPHONE

Songs of my own. Stories to share.

05 / MUSICSELECTED RELEASES

On the record.

Earlier releases

Listen on Spotify

Nelson Babin-Coy

Open the playlist ↗
06 / WORK WITH ME

Let's make something connect.

01

Lyrics & translation

English lyrics and Japanese-to-English translation that carry the meaning, rhythm and feeling of a song.

02

Vocal direction

English-language support in the studio, from pronunciation to delivery and expression.

03

Acting & presenting

Film, television, commercials and presenting across Japanese and English.

04

Live performance

Music bookings, live appearances and creative collaborations.

HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND?

Let's talk.

For music, acting, language work and collaborations.

Upper Hando ↗