Miyavi

Miyavi projects the striking presence and drive of a manga or anime-inspired rock performer, yet his recordings substantiate those vivid undertakings by weaving acoustic pop, blues, and hip-hop into an unconventional rock framework. Of mixed Japanese and Korean parentage, he was raised in Japan, where childhood dreams centered on a professional soccer career that ended abruptly at age 15 because of an injury, prompting a turn toward rock music. He entered the professional arena at 18, surfacing in 1999 under the name Miyabi as guitarist and primary songwriter for the visual kei outfit Dué Le Quartz. After the band dissolved in 2002, Miyavi issued his first solo effort, Gagaku, before year’s end on the established indie imprint PS Company; this somber yet daring recording, together with its successor Galyuu from 2003, established his presence across Japan. In that period he also posed for apparel lines, notably goth-oriented ones, portrayed himself on screen in the 2004 film Oresama, and prepared for an American tour that was ultimately scrapped.

His 2004 maxi single Ashita, Genki ni Naare reached the top of the indie charts, after which he joined Universal and delivered his initial major-label single, Rock no Gyakushuu, in October of that year. Following the modestly titled major-label debut Miyavizm in 2005, he pivoted sharply toward acoustic pop on the 2006 releases Myv Pops and Miyaviuta -- Dokusou, before re-embracing rock as part of the supergroup S.K.I.N. alongside Yoshiki Hayashi of X-Japan, Sugizo of Luna Sea, Gackt, and Ju-Ken from Gackt’s touring ensemble. S.K.I.N. made its bow at Anime Expo 2007 in Long Beach, CA, and thereafter existed solely as a live entity. Miyavi kept releasing material in parallel, including the 2007 remix collection 7 Samurai Sessions, the double A-sided single Sakihokoru Hana no You Ni/Kabuki Boiz that entered the charts at number four, and a joint Japan/South Korea trek, culminating in his fourth major-label album, This Iz the Japanese Kabuki Rock (2008). The ensuing tour visited not only Japan but also the Americas, Europe, and Continental Asia.