Nakayama was born January 13, 1994 in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Nakayama Yuma is a singer and actor from the Japanese male idols agency Johnny's Entertainment. He released a the song "Akuma na Koi" in July 2009 along with the 4-membered Johnny's Jr unit B.I.Shadow, under the name Nakayama Yuma w/B.I.Shadow. The group NYC Boys, consisting of the same 5 boys plus Ryosuke Yamada and Yuri Chinen, provided the joint A-side to this single, entitled "NYC". "Akuma na Koi" was sung as the theme song to the drama "Koishite Akuma" in which Nakayama played the starring role; "NYC" was used as the theme song for the FIVB World Grand Prix 2009. Currently, this Johnny's unit is known as "NYC", and consists of only Nakayama, Yamada and Chinen. The four boys of B.I.Shadow (Kento Nakajima, Kikuchi Fuma, Hokuto Matsumura, Yugo Kochi) are now considered a separate Junior unit.
NYC have released 3 singles under their current status as a "special" yet officially undebuted Johnny's group; "Yūki 100%", "Yoku Asobi Yoku Manabe", which both reached number 1 on the Oricon singles chart, and their latest single, "Yume Tamago".
In 2012, Yuma debuted as a soloist artist with his first single 'Missing Piece'; the theme song for the drama 'Piece' which is lead by himself together with Honda Tsubasa.
Yuma is related to Hello! Project Kansai group SI☆NA's former member and now a member of AKB48's kansai sister group NMB48, Nakayama Nana under the name Yamada Nana. She is his older sister. And his younger sister, Nakayama Suzu (Yamada Suzu), also joined NMB48 in 2015.