is a Japanese

visual kei , abbreviated , is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of '' Bounce'' wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it " ...

musician, a vocalist of the electro/darkwave duo

Schwarz Stein Schwarz Stein is a Japanese visual kei electronic music duo formed by Hora (洞) and Kaya (迦夜) in 2001 (as "Rudolf Steiner"), who disbanded in 2004 and rebanded in 2014. Biography History During its first three years of activity, the gro ...

, and a former vocalist of the bands Meties and Isola under the alias of Hime. He is also known for his androgynous appearance.

Career

In 1997, Kaya debuted under the name Hime as a vocalist of the visual kei band Meties, before later joining Isola. When Isola disbanded in 2001, Kaya became the vocalist for the darkwave duo

, produced by

Mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...

and signed to his label Midi:Nette. He also has been a solo artist since 2006, and in 2008 he made a major solo debut with the single "Chocolat". Originally on

's record label, Midi:Nette, Kaya later signed to Next Music Inc., and the label's name was changed to Next Media Communications Inc. The label however went bankrupt in the summer of 2009 resulting in Kaya having to go back to an indie label. On July 13, 2016, he held a special 10th anniversary performance at

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

ReNY, titled "The Birth of DIVA", with Kamijo as a special guest. Meties was revived for one-night only as part of the celebrations. In 2017 Schwarz Stein released a 15th anniversary album of their greatest hits.

Influences

Kaya covered

Laputa Laputa is a flying island described in the 1726 book ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift. It is about 4½ miles (7¼km) in diameter, with an adamantine base, which its inhabitants can manoeuvre in any direction using magnetic levitat ...

's song "揺れながら… (Yurenagara...)" on the compilation album "CRUSH!-90’s V-Rock best hit cover songs-", and have had a friendly relationship with ex-members of Laputa.

Discography

Albums

*''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of flat, small, reflective particles that are precision cut and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles resemble confetti, sparkles and sequins, but somewhat smaller. Since prehistoric times ...

'' (27 December 2006) *''Hyakki Yagyou'' (11 July 2007) *''Glitter (Best of Indies)'' (16 July 2008) *''Kaya Meikyoku Series 1: BonJour! Chanson'' (18 February 2009) *''Queen'' (20 April 2011) *''Glitter'' (3rd press) (12 December 2012) *''Gothic'' (4 December 2013) *''DRESS'' (23 June 2019) *''ROSE'' (8 June 2022)

Singles & EP’s

Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed fro ...

" (28 June 2006) *"

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to: Books * ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt * ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb * ''Masq ...

" (6 September 2006) *"Ouka Ryouran" (4 April 2007) *"Carmilla" (31 October 2007) *"Chocolat" (23 April 2008) *"Last Snow" (24 December 2008) *"Ophelia" (22 July 2009) *"Kaya Remix vol.1 K" (27 December 2009) *"Awilda" (28 July 2010) *"Madame Rosa no Shoukan" (22 December 2010) *"Vampire Requiem" (25 January 2012) *"Salome" (20 June 2012) *"Nocturne" (12 December 2012) *"Taboo" (31 July 2013) *"Perfana" (19 October 2016) *"Yumeji" (8 March 2017) *"FABULOUS" (1 April 2018) *"Monday Monday" (18 July 2018) *"Hannya" (27 August 2020) *"Villains" (17 July 2023) *"Bouquet" (9 October 2024) *"Le Revenant (cover)" (30 January 2025)

with Node of Scherzo

*''

Node of Scherzo Shaura, formerly known as Juka (ジュカ), (born October 4, 1981), is a Japanese visual kei metal singer who first became known in 2002 when he was recruited by Mana for his project Moi dix Mois. In late 2006 he joined HIZAKI's solo project, H ...

'' (31 October 2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaya Visual kei musicians Japanese electronic musicians Japanese male pop singers Japanese synth-pop musicians Living people Singers from Tokushima Prefecture 1980 births 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers Male-to-female cross-dressers