Taku Hirano is one of the most in-demand percussionists of his generation — a musical  chameleon onstage and in-studio, whether supporting iconic artists or fronting his own projects.  He has worked with everyone from Stevie Nicks to Stevie Wonder, Dr. Dre to Dr. John, and referred to by Mick Fleetwood - founder and drummer of Fleetwood Mac - as his “Secret Weapon” and “not only a master percussionist, but an incredible musician." Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and music icon Stevie Nicks has proclaimed nightly on her solo tours that Taku is "the best percussion player, I think, in the world."

Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Taku was trained in European classical music, Black American Music, and Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, Indian and Japanese percussion traditions. He attended Berklee College of Music for both undergraduate and graduate studies and was the institution’s first graduating hand percussion principal, with four-years of tutelage under Afro-Cuban percussion master Giovanni Hidalgo.

Taku’s graduate studies in music business encompassed artist entrepreneurship, music licensing and publishing, music rights administration, copyright law, music metadata and data analytics, music policy and law, artist management, marketing, finance and a master’s thesis on the history, musicology, science, and market viability of functional music for wellness, and its intersection with technology and AI. He has also received certifications in music supervision, music rights management and conducted musicological research in Havana, Cuba through the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Taku is a Professor of Practice in Music Industry Studies and the Strategy, Leadership, Analytics Minor (SLAM) at Tulane University, a Regular Guest Artist in Percussion at The University of Georgia, and has also been a Professional-In-Residence at The University of Texas at Austin and an Artist-in-Residence at Carnegie Mellon School of Music and at Berklee College of Music for their Professional Music, Music Business, Music Therapy, and Music Education departments.

Taku’s client list has spanned the pinnacles of practically every commercial music genre. He has toured the world as the percussionist for Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, LeAnn Rimes, Isaac Hayes, and Dr. John, as a soloist on Indian and Japanese percussion for Academy Award-winning Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman’s Slumdog Millionaire - Jai Ho world tour, as a featured soloist on the eighth top-grossing music tour of all time, Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by the Michael Jackson Estate and Cirque du Soleil, as a member of the UNESCO International Jazz Day All-Star Band under the direction of Herbie Hancock, and as a consultant to Trent Reznor for the Nine Inch Nails Lights In The Sky world tour. He has performed in major arenas and stadiums in 30 countries across five continents, twice in South Africa for President Nelson Mandela, and twice at the White House for President Barack Obama (including the Obama Administration's first State Dinner, honoring the Prime Minister of India). 

Taku’s live performance credits also include Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Jonas Brothers, Pharrell Williams, Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Patti LaBelle, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Chaka Khan, Jon Batiste, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Barry Manilow, Andrea Bocelli, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. His recording credits include Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Ziggy Marley, Jennifer Hudson, LeAnn Rimes, Josh Groban, and Lionel Richie, as well as numerous film scores, soundtracks, television shows, national commercials, and signature sample libraries.

In addition to being a longtime voting member of the Recording Academy and performing on multiple GRAMMY Awards telecasts (backing The Backstreet Boys, Lionel Richie, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Luke Bryan, Tyrese Gibson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton, and most recently on the 2025 GRAMMY Awards telecast for the Quincy Jones tribute segment, backing Herbie Hancock, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder, Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier, and Janelle Monaé), Taku was also a featured artist on the 63rd GRAMMY Awards (2021) “Music Requires Listening” segment by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. and is a frequent music industry panelist on EDI and AAHNPI issues. Taku has also been featured in national ad campaigns for Guitar Center, and included in ORIGIN. magazine's list of “Top 100 Creatives.”

Taku currently tours playing drums and percussion with country pop icon LeAnn Rimes.

*** See dates below!