What Is James Iha's Net Worth?
James Iha is an American rock musician who has a net worth of $20 million. James Iha is best known for being the co-founder and former guitarist of the rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Iha met his future bandmate Billy Corgan in 1987 through a mutual friend. He played with the Smashing Pumpkins from 1988 to 2000 and then again from 2018 to the present.
The Smashing Pumpkins released their debut studio album, "Gish," in 1991. Their second album, "Siamese Dream," was released in 1993 and reached #1 in the United States. The band's third album, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," was released in 1995 and reached #1 in four countries, including the US. Their fourth album, "Adore," was released in 1998 and reached the Top 5 in nine countries. The Smashing Pumpkins' hit singles include "Cherub Rock," "Today," "Disarm," "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "1979", "Tonight, Tonight," "Thirty-Three," "The End is the Beginning Is the End," "Ava Adore," and "Perfect."
Iha has also been a member of the band A Perfect Circle. He co-owns the independent record label Scratchie Records. He has released a number of solo albums as well.
Early Life
James Iha was born James Yoshinobu Iha on March 26, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois. He is a second-generation Japanese-American and learned a bit of Japanese while growing up. He attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. James spent much of his free time playing guitar. After graduating, he completed two years at a local junior college and then enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, where he majored in graphic design. He later dropped out of school to pursue his career in music.
The Smashing Pumpkins
In 1987, Iha was playing guitar in the Chicago band Snake Train. He met Billy Corgan via a mutual friend. Corgan was in the process of starting a new band, the Smashing Pumpkins, and asked Iha to join. The duo performed for the first time live in July 1988 at the Polish bar Chicago 21. The band then became a trio after D'arcy Wretzky joined and later a full band with the addition of Jimmy Chamberlin. The complete band first performed at the Cabaret Metro in October 1988.
In 1990, Smashing Pumpkins released its first single, "I Am One." Soon after, they signed to Caroline Records. They recorded their debut 1991 studio album "Gish" in Madison, Wisconsin. The album experienced minor success. They began to work on their second album, but there was discord within the band, as Corgan had become somewhat controlling and often insisted that he record all the instrumental parts. Despite the internal strife, the second album, "Siamese Dream," debuted at #10 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and sold over four million copies in the United States alone.
The band released their next album, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," in 1995. It debuted in the top spot on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It was certified double platinum in the United States and became the best-selling double album of the decade. It received seven Grammy Award nominations in 1997. Iha wrote and sang on a number of the songs on the album. Generally, he was considered to be the most quiet member of the band, but he developed a reputation for himself during live shows as being funny and charismatic. In 2000, the Smashing Pumpkins disbanded for the first time, and James went on to pursue other projects.
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Solo and Other Work
Iha had already been working on solo material. In 1998, he released a moderately successful solo album called "Let It Come Down." He also began collaborating frequently with other artists. He contributed to Whiskeytown's "Pneumonia" release in 2001 and often collaborated with the bands Ivy and Fountains of Wayne. In July 2003, James joined the alternative rock supergroup A Perfect Circle. He recorded on their 2004 album "eMOTIVe" and rejoined the band after their six-year hiatus in 2010.
In 2005, Iha scored the Japanese film "Linda, Linda, Linda." He also produced a duet cover of the song "Splish Splash" for the soundtrack to the Wayne Wang film "Because of Winn-Dixi." In 2006, he worked with Michael Stipe and Chris Martin on a digital EP called "In the Sun." The same year, James worked with Adam Schlesinger to co-produce the folk band America's album "Here & Now." In 2007, he appeared on stage with the Swedish band the Sounds and also contributed guitar to a Fountains of Wayne album.
In 2009, Iha formed a band with a number of other prominent musicians called Tinted Window. They released their first album in April of that year to generally positive reviews. In 2012, James released his second solo album, "Look to the Sky." He toured around Europe to promote the album. In 2013, he worked with Japanese musician Yukihiro Takahashi. He wrote songs for and performed on Takahashi's album "Life Anew" and also performed as part of Takahashi's band on tours in Japan.
In 2016, Iha joined the Smashing Pumpkins for several shows. Prior to this, there had been a dispute between James and the other members of the band over whether he had ever been asked to rejoin after the group initially broke up in 2000. Iha says he was never asked to rejoin. However, this conflict was eventually resolved as James rejoined the Smashing Pumpkins full time in 2018.
In addition to his music career, Iha designs and consults for his men's clothing brand, Vaporize. The brand is a collaboration with the Japanese label Beams. James has been designing and consulting since 2001. He used one of his first solo songs for Vaporize's first runway show in 2001.
Personal Life
Iha is married to designer Ashley Usich-Iha. The couple have two children, Henry and Hazel. The date or other details surrounding their wedding are unknown. James has previously been romantically connected to Karen Elson and D'arcy Wretzky.
