, known as Yoshiki, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, film director, and fashion designer. He is best known as the leader of the
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 " ...
rock bands
X Japan
is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi (musician), Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power metal, power/speed metal band with ...
and
the Last Rockstars
The Last Rockstars is a Japanese rock supergroup formed in 2022 by Yoshiki (X Japan), Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel, Vamps), Sugizo (X Japan, Luna Sea), and Miyavi (ex- Dué le Quartz). The four members announced their collaboration in November 2022, ...
, for which he is the drummer, pianist, and main songwriter.
He has been described by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' as a "musical innovator" and named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history" by ''
Consequence
Consequence may refer to:
Philosophy, science and social sciences
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences
* Consequent ...
''. Yoshiki's solo career includes several
classical studio albums and collaborations with artists such as
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
,
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
,
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...
,
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305 ...
,
the Chainsmokers
The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The electronic dance music, EDM-Pop music, pop duo achieved a breakth ...
,
Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
,
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
,
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
,
Roger Taylor and
Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
of
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
,
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
and
KISS
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
, and
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress.
Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
.
In 1999, at the request of the Japanese royal family, he composed and performed a classical song at a celebration in honor of the tenth anniversary of
Emperor Akihito
Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...
's enthronement. Yoshiki also composed the theme for the
69th Golden Globe Awards
The 69th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2011, were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 15, 2012, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais, for the third consecutive yea ...
as well as for several anime and film soundtracks including ''
Attack on Titan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' and ''
Saw IV
''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. A sequel to '' Saw III'' (2006) and the fourth installment in the ''Sa ...
''. In 2023, he made his directorial debut with the feature documentary film ''
Yoshiki: Under the Sky.''
In 2023, Yoshiki was selected as the first Japanese artist to be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at the
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known as the Chinese colloquially and officially billed as TCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is a movie palace on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...
in Hollywood in nearly 100 years. In 2024, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' selected Yoshiki as the International Achievement in Music honoree.
''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine named Yoshiki one of the most influential people of 2025 in their
Time 100
''Time'' 100 is a list of the top 100 most influential people, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly ...
list.
Life and career
1965–1982: early years and Dynamite/Noise
Yoshiki was born on November 20, 1965, in
Tateyama,
Chiba Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...
, as the elder of two brothers in a musically oriented family. His father was a tap dancer and jazz pianist, his mother played the
shamisen
The , also known as or
(all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.
The Japanese pronunciation is usually b ...
, while his aunt played the
koto. He began taking piano lessons and music theory at age four.
He then became interested in classical works by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
and
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
.
In
elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
, he played the
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
in the brass band, and around age ten started composing songs for piano.
This period was a decisive point in his life. He was 10 years old when his father committed suicide; he found relief in
rock music
Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
. After discovering the music of American hard rock band
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, he started learning to play drums and guitar. Yoshiki was also influenced by works from
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
,
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Charged GBH
GBH (originally known as Charged GBH) are an English punk rock band which was formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy (replaced by Ross Lomas after two years) and drummer Andy "Wilf" Willi ...
and
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
. Yoshiki formed the band Dynamite with his childhood friend
Toshi in 1977. Dynamite changed its name to Noise a year later.
1982–1997: X Japan
When Noise disbanded in 1982, Yoshiki and Toshi formed a new band, which they named X while they tried to think of another name, but the name stuck. In 1986, Yoshiki founded his own
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
,
Extasy Records
Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The label's first release was X's 1986 single "Orgasm".
Over the next few years, the label signed several then-li ...
, in order to distribute the band's music.
[Seida, Linda. Biography"">"X-Japan > Biography" ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved January 20, 2007. On December 26, 1987, the band participated in an
audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece gi ...
held by
CBS/Sony
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is operat ...
which led to a recording contract in August of the following year. The band's breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of their second, and major debut, album ''
Blue Blood'', which reached number six on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
chart and charted for more than 100 weeks. In 1990, the band received the "Grand Prix New Artist of the Year" award at the 4th
Japan Gold Disc Award
The is an award presented by the Record music Industry Association of Japan in the field of music. The Japan Gold Disc Awards have multiple Grand Prix categories, including: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year (download and ...
s. In 1991 they released their hit million-selling album ''
Jealousy
Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety.
Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...
'', and were the first Japanese metal band to perform in Japan's largest indoor concert venue, the
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...
. The following year they announced the renaming of the band to X Japan in order to launch an international career with an American album release, however, this ultimately did not happen.
1991–1999: solo work and ''Eternal Melody''
That same year he began his first solo activities outside X. Collaborating with
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...
for the rock unit V2, with a concert on December 5 at the
Tokyo Bay NK Hall
Tokyo Bay NK Hall was an indoor sporting arena located at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, in Japan. It opened in 1988, closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2015 to make way for Toy Story Hotel. The capacity of the arena was 7,000 pe ...
and the single "Haitoku no Hitomi ~Eyes of Venus~/Virginity" (背徳の瞳〜Eyes of Venus〜) in January 1992, which reached number two on the chart. On December 12, Yoshiki released his first album, the classical compilation ''Yoshiki Selection'', which includes classical works, and its sequel followed six years later.
In 1992, he bought a recording studio complex in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
US.
Extasy Recording Studios would become where recordings for nearly all his projects take place, until he sold it in the 2010s.
In the early 1990s through his record label would debut million-selling bands
Glay
Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Hakodate in 1988. The core four members, vocalist Teru (singer), Teru, guitarists Takuro (musician), Takuro and Hisashi (musician), Hisashi, and bassist Jiro (musician), ...
and
Luna Sea
Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of makeup and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successf ...
. He began learning about
jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance of jazz music. It is one of the defining elements of jazz. Improvisation is composing on the spot, when a singer or instrumentalist inv ...
and
orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...
.
On April 21, 1993, he released his first original solo album, the
classical studio album ''
Eternal Melody'', which was performed by the
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
and produced by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
producer
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
. Besides including orchestral arrangements of X Japan songs, it contained two new songs as well. The album reached number 6 on the charts.
On November 3, the singles "Amethyst" and "Ima wo Dakishimete" (今を抱きしめて) were released and reached number five and three respectively on the charts. The later single was a karaoke adaptation of the second orchestral song from the first single, but name credit went to
TBS as it was the theme song to one of their dramas, recorded by the lead actors under the group name NOA. In 1994, it was the 35th annual best-selling single and won the "Excellence award" at the ''36th
Japan Record Award
is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Established in 1959, the Japan Record Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious music awards in the count ...
s.
In 1994, Yoshiki worked with
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
drummer
Roger Taylor on a song he composed, "Foreign Sand", for which Roger wrote the lyrics. They performed the song at
The Great Music Experience
The Great Music Experience was a concert starring Japanese and international musicians staged at the eighth century Buddhist temple of Tōdai-ji, in Nara, Japan in May 1994. The concert, held over three nights (May 20 - May 22) and partly backed b ...
event in May, partly backed by
Unesco
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, which featured many other Japanese and Western musicians. The single was released in June, and reached the top fifteen in Japan, and 26th in the
UK. That same month, the
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
tribute album ''
Kiss My Ass
Kiss My Ass may refer to:
*'' Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved'', a tribute album featuring cover versions of Kiss songs
*'' Kiss My Ass: The Video'', a video album tour by Kiss
* Kiss My Ass Tour, music tour of Kiss
*''Kiss My Ass'', initial wo ...
'' was released, for which Yoshiki contributed an orchestral arrangement of "
Black Diamond" played by the
American Symphony Orchestra
The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York–based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra ...
.
With X Japan's popularity increasing, Yoshiki and the band collaborated with
Mugen Motorsports
M-TEC Company, Ltd., doing business as Mugen Motorsports (無限), is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "without limit", "unlimited ...
and sponsored racer Katsumi Yamamoto, who drove for team "X Japan Racing" in the
1995 season of
Formula Nippon
The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The s ...
. In the
1996 season, they sponsored
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Schumacher won six Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Born and raised in North Rhine-Westp ...
with both him and the team winning the championship. In 1997, Toshi decided to leave the band, claiming the success-oriented life of a rock star failed to satisfy him emotionally. The band's dissolution was officially announced in September 1997.
X Japan performed their farewell show at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997, making it the last of five consecutive
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
shows in that stadium.
Soon afterwards, in May 1998, the band's lead guitarist
Hide
Hide or hides may refer to:
Common uses
* Hide (skin), the cured skin of an animal
* Bird hide, a structure for observing birds and other wildlife without causing disturbance
* Gamekeeper's hide or hunting hide or hunting blind, a structure to hi ...
died, and Yoshiki withdrew from the public scene, as he was battling suicidal thoughts and eventually sought the help of a psychiatrist.
Yoshiki remained active as a producer for bands such as
Dir En Grey
Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitari ...
,
and contributed a cover song for the 1999 Hide tribute album, ''
Tribute Spirits
''Tribute Spirits'' is a tribute album released on May 1, 1999, in memory of Japanese rock musician hide. It collects cover versions of his songs by various artists, among them most members of hide's former band X Japan.
It reached number one ...
''. On November 12, 1999, a celebration in honor of the tenth anniversary of Emperor
Akihito
Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...
's enthronement was held at the
Tokyo Imperial Palace
is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor h ...
, for which Yoshiki composed and performed the song "Anniversary" at the request of the royal family.
2000–2009: ''Eternal Melody II'', Violet UK and S.K.I.N.
In the beginning of the 21st century, he expanded his record label with sub-divisions, ''Extasy Japan'' and ''Extasy International'' in collaboration with
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...
, and produced several artists. In 2000, he collaborated with
7-Eleven
7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings.
The chain was founde ...
on a series of TV commercials, for which he provided the songs "Blind Dance" and "The Other Side" by his solo musical project Violet UK. Two years prior, he contributed the song "Sane" for the 1998 film ''
In God's Hands''. The project idea was born in 1991, when Yoshiki was recording in his studio, initially doing sessions with
Mick Karn
Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μιχαηλίδης; 24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was a British musician who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/ new wave band Japan. His distinctive fretles ...
and
Jane Child
Jane Richmond Hyslop (born 15 February 1967), known professionally as Jane Child, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record-producer best known for her hit single "Don't Wanna Fall in Love". She is also known for her unusual fashion style, wh ...
, but it was postponed. The music involves a fusion of
trip rock,
breakbeat
Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...
, and classical piano strings.
In September 2002, he joined the dance-oriented pop group led by Tetsuya Komuro,
Globe
A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...
. Though his only contribution was the single "Seize the Light" and, after recording an album, they went on hiatus with Yoshiki not rejoining them afterwards. On December 3 and 4, he held
symphonic concerts with the
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2024, it has 166 members.
The orchestra plays frequently a ...
, at
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district.
Toky ...
. Featuring female singers Daughter and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
, they performed older orchestral arrangements and songs created for Violet UK, such as "Unnamed Song", which was composed to mourn the victims of the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, and "I'll Be Your Love", which was released the following year as the debut single for American-Japanese singer Dahlia and later used as the official theme song of the
world's fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
,
Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was a world expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. Japan has also hosted Expo '70 Osaka (World Expo), Expo '75 Okinawa (Specialised Expo) ...
.
In 2003 and 2004, he provided the theme songs "Kimi Dake Dakara" and "Sekai no Owari no Yoru ni" for
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
's 50th anniversary commemorative broadcast and the 90th anniversary of
Takarazuka Revue
The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...
. In 2004, he helped produce the
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
n rock band
the TRAX
TRAX (, formerly known as The TRAX and TraxX), is a South Korean rock band that consisted of Jay and Jungmo. Originally a four-member rock band formed by SM Entertainment and X Japan's co-founder Yoshiki in 2004, it consisted of Typhoon Jay (v ...
, and his composition "
Tears
Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...
" was used as the theme song for the film ''
Windstruck
''Windstruck'' (; "Let me introduce (you to) my girlfriend") is a 2004 South Korean romantic drama film written and directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Jang Hyuk. The film held its premiere in Hong Kong, attended by Jang and Jun, o ...
'', becoming the first Japanese song to be featured in a Korean film after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 2005, a second classical solo album titled ''
Eternal Melody II'' was released on March 23.
The next day, Yoshiki conducted the Super World Orchestra in the opening ceremony of the World's Fair in the performance of a classical version of "I'll Be Your Love."
At the end of the same month, a DVD recording of his previous symphonic concert was released.
In December, the Violet UK song "Sex and Religion" was released via the
iTunes Store, and soon afterwards "Mary Mona Lisa" unofficially via
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
.
In 2006, Yoshiki appeared at the
Otakon
Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to the Walter E. Washing ...
convention on August 6, where it was publicly announced that he would be forming a band named
S.K.I.N. with rock singer
Gackt
, better known as Gackt (stylized in all caps), is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor.
Born in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa to a Ryukyuan people, Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was rai ...
, soon afterwards they were joined by
Sugizo
, born and better known by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the Rock music, rock band Luna Sea since 1989.
Sugizo started his solo ...
. At the JRock Revolution Festival on May 25, 2007, which was organized by Yoshiki, it was announced that
Miyavi
, better known by his stage name MIYAVI (雅, ''Miyabi'', stylized in all caps), is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger- slapping style of playing a guitar.
He has been active since 1999, f ...
was joining. There were high expectations for the band, like to be the first Asian band to conquer the world charts, beginning with America, and to lead a rock revolution and starting a new era of rock and roll, by opening the market for Japanese in the Western music industry. But after their debut performance on June 29, 2007, at the
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
in
Long Beach
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, all activities were stopped.

That same year he co-produced the soundtrack for the 2007 film ''
Catacombs
Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etym ...
'', which included the Violet UK song "Blue Butterfly" and was released by his Extasy Records International. On October 22, 2007, X Japan's living members reunited and appeared together for the first time in over 10 years at a public filming of the promotion video for their new single "
I.V.", which was created for the American horror movie ''
Saw IV
''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. A sequel to '' Saw III'' (2006) and the fourth installment in the ''Sa ...
'' and played during the end credits but was not included on the soundtrack album. On September 20, 2007, at a ''Catacombs'' preview in Japan, it was announced that Yoshiki would be producing the 2008 rock
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
''
Repo! The Genetic Opera
''Repo! The Genetic Opera'' is a 2008 American musical film. Described as a gothic rock opera, the film was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and based on the 2002 stage musical of the same name, written and composed by Darren Smith and Terranc ...
'' and
its soundtrack, along with composing one extra track for it.
In 2009, he contributed the theme song "Blue Sky Heaven" for the 30th anniversary of a
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
program, and for the Japanese historical fantasy film ''
Goemon'' he wrote the Violet UK song "Rosa", which was released on April 29 via iTunes. That year he again collaborated with Mugen Motorsports and racing car constructor
Dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
for the
Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a sports car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is the top level of ...
series
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
. In July 2009, he had to undergo surgery for a slipped disc in his neck, and was told by doctors to refrain from heavy drumming. His neck is so severely damaged that Yoshiki's management has said that it, "would force a professional rugby player to retire."
2010–2017: solo career and ''Yoshiki Classical''

In 2010, Yoshiki with Toshi appeared and performed at
Japan Expo
Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture – the largest of its kind outside Japan – taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival – Comic-Con Paris, Kultima – and expanded to inclu ...
in Paris on July 4. In October, he fainted in his hotel room on X Japan's tour, and was subsequently diagnosed with
hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is a endocrine disease in which the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. Thyrotoxicosis is a condition that occurs due to elevated levels of thyroid hormones of any cause and therefore includes hyperth ...
. He teamed up with Toshi again on January 24–25, 2011, at the first expensive high-end dinner show for their project ToshI feat Yoshiki, where an orchestra was utilized and later a live album released of the show.
On March 6, Yoshiki co-organized with fashion producer Jay FR (from the fashion festival "
Tokyo Girls Collection
The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. It is mainly held near Tokyo area and some local cities such as Kitakyushu, Nagoya and Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa. The fashion event showcases the seasons fas ...
") a fashion and music event "Asia Girls Explosion" at
Yoyogi National Stadium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design.
The arena holds 13,291 people (9,079 stand seats, 4,124 arena seats and 88 "royal box" ...
. At the event many special guest models walked the runway, Yoshiki's own
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...
line that he designed, and both X Japan and Violet UK performed. On May 27, "Yoshiki Radio" was launched on
Sirius XM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
's
Boneyard
Boneyard may refer to:
* Cemetery or graveyard
Comics
* A character in the Malibu/Marvel Comics publication ''Mantra
A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, ...
station. The hour-long program hosted by Yoshiki, aired the first Sunday of every month. On July 21, at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
, Yoshiki unveiled the comic book series ''
Blood Red Dragon'', which was created in collaboration with American comic book legends
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
and
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic-book creator, best known for his work as an artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horror-fantasy series '' Spawn,'' as well as bein ...
and stars a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
version of himself.

In 2012, Yoshiki composed the theme song for the
69th Golden Globe Awards
The 69th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2011, were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 15, 2012, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais, for the third consecutive yea ...
,
and on January 15, 2013, the theme was officially released through iTunes in 111 countries, with all proceeds being donated to charities chosen by the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who reported on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conduc ...
. A wax figure of Yoshiki was unveiled at
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843.
In 1883, the restricted space of ...
Hong Kong wax museum in May 2012. In 2013, Yoshiki's figure was moved to the Tokyo location. On August 27, 2013, the third classical studio album ''
Yoshiki Classical'' was released. It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Classical Musica Chart in 10 different countries. In celebration of its release, a special live performance was held at
the Grammy Museum
The Grammy Museum is any of a group of museums containing exhibits relating to winners of the Grammy Award for achievement in recording.
The museums in this group include:
*The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, which opened in 2008 in Los Angeles, Cal ...
.
On March 14, 2014, at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
festival in Austin, Texas, Yoshiki performed a duet piano piece during his concert at the Qui Restaurant; one part played by him, and the other played by a hologram of himself. On April 25, Yoshiki started his first classical world tour in
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...
, and continued throughout the world, visiting
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
,
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
,
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
.
The tour setup featured Yoshiki on piano, several strings as cellos and viola, and vocalist Katie Fitzgerald from Violet UK.
Performances included classical versions of songs he composed, as well depending on the venue, some famous composers like
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
.
For an upcoming Japanese 3D CG animated film ''
Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary'', Yoshiki contributed theme song "Hero" and it was unveiled on the tour. In October 2014, Yoshiki performed a concert at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
with X Japan. It was the group's largest U.S. headlining performance. In November 2014, Yoshiki debuted the official
Hello Kitty
, also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...
theme song, "Hello Hello", at the first Hello Kitty Con. He was the guest of honor at
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
's
Comikaze Expo
L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention["Comic-Con ...](_blank)
.

In April 2015, Yoshiki was a guest speaker and performer at the New Economy Summit (NES). In July, he performed at the Hyper Japan Festival in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, together with Toshi. Yoshiki performed with a string quartet at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi E ...
. The ''
We Are X
''We Are X'' is a 2016 documentary film about the Japanese Rock music, rock band X Japan and its co-founder, drummer, pianist and leader Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki. Directed by Stephen Kijak, it premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on J ...
'' film, a documentary on X Japan and Yoshiki, premiered at Sundance and was selected for the World Cinema Documentary Competition. In November 2016, he won the ''Asian Icon Award'' at the
Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards
The Classic Rock Roll of Honour was an annual awards program that ran from 2005 to 2016. The awards were founded by ''Classic Rock'' magazine. Winners of the awards were chosen by the awards team and voted on by readers of the magazine. Winners ar ...
in Tokyo.
In 2016, he embarked on another classical world tour, with performances in Tokyo and Osaka,
and a
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
show that had to be cancelled due to the promoter's mistake and rescheduled as a free concert on December 30.
Yoshiki's second solo classical tour commenced in
Osaka Castle Hall on December 5, 2016, with three days at the
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district.
Toky ...
on December 6, 7 and 8, a performance at Hong Kong's
AsiaWorld-Expo scheduled for December 29 and
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
, New York on Jan 12 and 13. The Carnegie Hall performances included the
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2024, it has 166 members.
The orchestra plays frequently a ...
. The Tokyo concerts in December were an acclaimed success but the Hong Kong Concert on December 29 had to be canceled two hours before the show. The cancellation was due to an oversight by the promoter in applying for the entertainment license necessary to perform the show. However the date was fulfilled on the following day, December 30, by Yoshiki performing for free with ticket holders being refunded, the first time for a major music artist to do such a thing in Hong Kong. The concerts in Carnegie Hall on January 12 and 13 were successful sellout shows. Yoshiki also included in the show a surprise performance of "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
" after a heartfelt speech about his personal pursuit of the
American Dream
The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...
.
2017–2022: "Red Swan", "Miracle", and the Last Rockstars
In January 2017, Yoshiki performed two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
In March 2017, Yoshiki performed with a 4-piece string quartet at Hong Kong's Asia Film Awards. In April 2017, Yoshiki debuted a special collaboration T-shirt with rock group
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
titled "YoshiKiss". During these performances, he lost sensation in his left hand and was rediagnosed with cervical foraminal stenosis. In May 2017, it was announced that Yoshiki would undergo emergency cervical artificial disc replacement surgery in Los Angeles on May 16, resulting in the cancelling of his schedule for May, and future events being possibly cancelled or rescheduled based on discussions after his surgery.
The surgery was successful, with his surgical wound expected to take six weeks to heal, and for him to make a 90% recovery in six months. However, the recovery period for the pain in his hand is unknown.
In July 2017, Yoshiki performed six concerts with X Japan. He also performed a series of seven Evening with Yoshiki dinner shows in Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. In October 2017, Yoshiki completed a 10-country tour of Europe promoting the X Japan documentary ''
We Are X
''We Are X'' is a 2016 documentary film about the Japanese Rock music, rock band X Japan and its co-founder, drummer, pianist and leader Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki. Directed by Stephen Kijak, it premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on J ...
''.
On July 28, 2018, Yoshiki collaborated with
Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
for performances of "Endless Rain" and "
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
''Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites'' is the second extended play (EP) by American electronic music producer Skrillex. It was released exclusively through Beatport on October 22, 2010, through mau5trap and Big Beat Records, while being released o ...
" at
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...
in
Niigata, Japan. On October 3, Yoshiki released the song "
Red Swan" featuring
Hyde, as the opening theme of the
third season of the ''
Attack on Titan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' anime, reaching #1 on the iTunes rock charts in 10 countries. On November 16, Sarah Brightman's version of Yoshiki's composition "Miracle" hit the top 10 on classical charts in 15 countries, and Yoshiki was announced as a guest performer on Sarah Brightman's Hymn World Tour in 2019 in selected cities in the US and Japan. On New Year's Eve in 2018, he performed in the long-running TV show, ''
Kouhaku Uta Gassen'', where, for the first time in the show's history, he was a member of both the Red and the White teams, teaming up with Hyde for a performance of "Red Swan" and then joining Brightman for "Miracle".
In January 2019, it was announced that Yoshiki would partner with the H Collective to compose the score and theme song for the fourth installment of
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
's
''xXx'' film series and create the theme for the animated feature film ''Spycies''. In March 2019, New York-area
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
station
WNET
WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...
Thirteen premiered a one-hour version of his 2017 Carnegie Hall concert. On May 3, 2109, Yoshiki appeared as the featured pianist on
Hyde's single "Zipang". The ''Yoshiki: Live at Carnegie Hall'' special began airing on PBS stations nationwide in November.
In November 2019,
YouTube Originals
YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service that provides advertising-free streaming of all videos hosted by YouTube, offline play and background playback of videos on mobile devices, access to advertising-fr ...
announced the documentary series ''Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star'' would premiere on the streaming platform in March 2020. In December 2019, Yoshiki appeared on stage with Kiss during their
End of the Road World Tour, playing piano for "
Beth" and drums for "
Rock and Roll All Nite
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, released in 1975 as the first single from their third studio album '' Dressed to Kill''. The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on the ''Billboard'' singles chart, besting ...
" at
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...
and
Kyocera Dome Osaka
The (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Osaka, Japan. Opened in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merg ...
. They later collaborated for a televised New Year's Eve performance of "Rock and Roll All Nite" under the name "YoshiKiss" on NHK's 70th
''Kouhaku Uta Gassen''.
In January 2020, Yoshiki wrote and produced the debut song "Imitation Rain" for male vocal group
SixTones
is a Japanese idol boy band formed by Smile-Up (formerly known as Johnny & Associates) in 2015. The group was previously a sub-unit of Johnny & Associates' pre-debut trainee group Johnny's Jr. SixTones made their official debut on January 22, ...
, which launched at number one on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
chart and the
Billboard Japan Hot 100
The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
chart, and sold 1.3 million physical copies in its first week.
In March 2020, Yoshiki collaborated with
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
,
Will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...
, and
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...
to create "#SING4LIFE", a song written and compiled remotely by the four musicians to lift spirits during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In August 2020,
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305 ...
and Yoshiki teamed to create a classical arrangement of her song "
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
". In September 2020, "Disney - My Music Story: Yoshiki" premiered on the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
service, featuring Yoshiki's new arrangements of themes from Disney films ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' and ''
Frozen''. In November 2020, Yoshiki's photobook ''XY'' with images by American photographer
Melanie Pullen
Melanie Pullen (born 1975) is an American photographer who lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Early life and early inspiration
Pullen was born in New York City and raised in the West Village. As a child her family consisted of write ...
, placed number one in the Oricon weekly book chart.
Yoshiki's online concert presented by YouTube Originals titled ''Under the Sky'', with
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
,
the Chainsmokers
The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The electronic dance music, EDM-Pop music, pop duo achieved a breakth ...
,
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
,
Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007.
Stirling per ...
, the
Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
,
Hyde,
Sugizo
, born and better known by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the Rock music, rock band Luna Sea since 1989.
Sugizo started his solo ...
,
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress.
Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
,
SixTones
is a Japanese idol boy band formed by Smile-Up (formerly known as Johnny & Associates) in 2015. The group was previously a sub-unit of Johnny & Associates' pre-debut trainee group Johnny's Jr. SixTones made their official debut on January 22, ...
, and St. Vincent was postponed from its December 2020 premiere due to post-production delays caused by COVID-19. On December 31, 2020, Yoshiki performed a virtual collaboration of X Japan's song "
Endless Rain" on ''Kouhaku Uta Gassen'' with Roger Taylor and
Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
of Queen, Sarah Brightman,
Babymetal
(stylized in all caps as BABYMETAL) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse Inc., Amuse talent a ...
, SixTones,
Lisa
Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA"
* Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978)
* Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980)
* Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
, and
Milet
Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and e ...
. In October 2021, Yoshiki gave a virtual piano performance of "Miracle" for
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
Japan's 40th anniversary event.
In October 2022, Yoshiki and NTV premiered the talent competition show "Yoshiki Superstar Project X", which ranked number 1 in Hulu Japan's domestic variety show category. On November 11, a new
supergroup project called
the Last Rockstars
The Last Rockstars is a Japanese rock supergroup formed in 2022 by Yoshiki (X Japan), Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel, Vamps), Sugizo (X Japan, Luna Sea), and Miyavi (ex- Dué le Quartz). The four members announced their collaboration in November 2022, ...
was announced, featuring Yoshiki, Hyde,
Miyavi
, better known by his stage name MIYAVI (雅, ''Miyabi'', stylized in all caps), is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger- slapping style of playing a guitar.
He has been active since 1999, f ...
, and
Sugizo
, born and better known by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the Rock music, rock band Luna Sea since 1989.
Sugizo started his solo ...
. The group released their first single, "The Last Rockstars (Paris Mix)", in December of the same year. In January 2023, the group launched their first international tour with sold-out shows in Tokyo, New York, and Los Angeles.
2023–present: classical world tour and directorial debut
On February 23, 2023, Yoshiki gave the keynote address at
Stanford University's conference on "The Future of
Social Tech". On May 15, 2023, Yoshiki announced his classical world tour at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, titled "Yoshiki Classical 10th Anniversary World Tour with Orchestra 2023 “Requiem". The tour was held in October and included shows at Tokyo Garden Theater,
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
,
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue (Los Angeles), Highland Avenue, in the Holly ...
, and Carnegie Hall.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
and St. Vincent joined Yoshiki on stage at Royal Albert Hall as guest vocalists, and the concert was broadcast worldwide by On Air and exclusively in Japan by
Wowow. He also announced the release of two singles: "Requiem", a classical single dedicated to his mother, and "Angel", X Japan's first single in eight years.
On June 20, the debut single of boy band
XY, produced by Yoshiki, was announced on Yoshiki Channel. The song, titled "Crazy Love", written produced, and composed by Yoshiki, was released on June 30. On July 2, Yoshiki appeared at Anime Expo to reveal the cover art for "Requiem" with artist
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He began his career in 1967 at Tatsunoko Production working on anime such as '' Speed Racer'' and later became the c ...
. On July 15, Yoshiki performed at Japan Expo, joined by XY and French opera singer Séraphine Cotrez.
In July 2023, following
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
's move to rebrand
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
as "X", it was reported that the Japanese branch of the company, currently called "Twitter Japan", would be rebranded as "X Japan". This led to Yoshiki commenting on Twitter that: "I think it's already trademarked." As a result of the band having the trademark for "X Japan", it was reported that "Twitter Japan" would instead be rebranded "X Nippon" instead. Yoshiki said in an interview with ''
Consequence
Consequence may refer to:
Philosophy, science and social sciences
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences
* Consequent ...
'' that he respected Musk and he felt fans should decide the name of the platform. "Angel" was released on July 28.
On August 2, Yoshiki announced the premiere of the feature documentary concert film ''
Yoshiki: Under the Sky'', which is the musician's debut as a film director. Premieres in New York, London, and Los Angeles were also announced. The film received positive reviews for its performances, production values, editing, and positive themes from ''Revolver'', ''Spin'', ''Total Film'', and other publications.
On August 4, the Last Rockstars released their second single, "Psycho Love" and announced a tour of the U.S. and Japan for November. On September 14, Yoshiki became the first Japanese artist to be honored with a
hand and footprint ceremony at the
Chinese Theatre
Theatre of China has a long and complex history. Traditional Chinese theatre, generally in the form of Chinese opera, is musical theatre, musical in nature. Chinese theatre can trace its origin back a few millennia to ancient China, but the Chin ...
in Hollywood since the tradition began in 1927. He dedicated it to his parents and former X Japan band members Hide and Taiji. On November 14, Yoshiki received the Icon Award at the Stars Asian International Film Festival in Los Angeles. On November 28, Yoshiki received the
MAMA award
The MAMA Awards (, formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major Music award, music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ ENM. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes have been won by K-pop artists, although ...
for Favorite International Artist and performed "Endless Rain" with
K-Pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
artists
Tomorrow x Together
Tomorrow X Together (; Tomorrow by Together, stylized in all caps), commonly abbreviated as TXT, is a South Korean boy group formed by Big Hit Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and HueningK ...
's Taehyun and Hueningkai,
Boynextdoor
BoyNextDoor (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'wikt:boy next door, boy ...
's Jaehyun,
Riize
Riize (; stylized in all caps; pronounced as "Rise") is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of six members: Shotaro (rapper), Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton. Originally a seven-piece ense ...
's Anton, and
Zerobaseone
Zerobaseone (stylized in all caps; abbreviated as ZB1; ) is a South Korean boy band formed through Mnet (TV channel), Mnet's reality competition program ''Boys Planet'' and managed by WakeOne. The group consists of nine members: Kim Ji-woong, Zh ...
's Han Yujin.
On January 8. 2024,
Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and Fashion accessory, a ...
announced that Yoshiki would compose the theme song for
Hello Kitty
, also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...
's 50th Anniversary. On March 27, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' selected Yoshiki as the 2024 International Achievement in Music honoree.
On April 16, Yoshiki performed the
U.S. National Anthem
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
at
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...
in Los Angeles. On July 6, the girl group
Bi-ray, produced with Yoshiki, made their debut live performance on NTV's "The Music Day" with a preview performance of their first song "Butterfly". On August 1, Yoshiki announced that he would undergo his third neck surgery in October, and that all scheduled musical activities after that would be either postponed or canceled.
On September 17, Yoshiki was a featured presenter at
Dreamforce
Salesforce, Inc. is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, artificial intelligence, and appl ...
2024, where he discussed challenges of combining
AI, ethics, and creativity with Paula Goldman, EVP at
Salesforce
Salesforce, Inc. is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, artificial intelligence, and ap ...
and Member of the
U.S. Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econo ...
National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC). In October 2024, Yoshiki and designer/producer
Hiroshi Fujiwara
(born 1964) is a Japanese musician, producer, and fashion designer.
Biography
Fujiwara was born in Ise, Mie. He moved to Tokyo at eighteen and became a standout in the Harajuku street fashion scene. During a trip to New York City in the early ...
released an EP under the project name Bluebyrds.
In October 2024, Yoshiki and NTV began the second season of "Yoshiki Superstar Project X", which opened with controversy due to NTV's handling of the addition of
Yuya Tegoshi
is a Japanese singer, actor, and television personality. He debuted as a member of Japanese boy band NEWS under Johnny & Associates and was also part of its sub-group, Tegomass.
Career
2002–2020: NEWS, Tegomass
Tegoshi entered Johnny & As ...
to XY's lineup.
''Yoshiki: Under the Sky'' was released in the U.S. on DVD, Blu-ray, and on-demand digital video by
Magnolia Home Entertainment
Magnolia Pictures LLC is an American independent film distributor and production company, and is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment.
Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in ...
on November 19, 2024. The film began streaming on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
on February 20, 2025. On March 18, 2025, Yoshiki performed the U.S. and Japanese national anthems at the
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
Tokyo Series opening ceremony. In April, ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine named Yoshiki one of the most influential people of 2025 in their
Time 100
''Time'' 100 is a list of the top 100 most influential people, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly ...
list.
Influences
When asked what the albums were the most influential for him, Yoshiki named ''
Led Zeppelin IV
The untitled fourth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin, commonly known as ''Led Zeppelin IV'', was released on 8 November 1971, by Atlantic Records. It was produced by the band's guitarist, Jimmy Page, and recorded be ...
'' by
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, ''
Alive!'' by
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
and ''
Killers'' by
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
. Yoshiki stated he loved "the punkish elements" of the albums by
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
and that their work got him into
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
.
He was into punk rock bands from the United Kingdom and Japan such as
the Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, ,
Chaos UK
Chaos UK is an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Portishead, near Bristol. They emerged as part of the anarcho-punk scene, developing a fast and aggressive hardcore punk style. The band recorded two EPs and a full LP for Riot City Rec ...
,
Discharge,
GISM
was a Japanese punk metal band formed in Tokyo in 1981. Although the guitar style resembled heavy metal in many aspects, GISM was one of the first Japanese hardcore bands, while at the same time drawing influence from the early industrial/ava ...
, and
Gauze
Gauze is a thin, translucent Textile, fabric with a wikt:loose, loose open Weaving, weave. In technical terms, "gauze" is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after each Warp (weaving), w ...
around 1984.
He also cited the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
,
the Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
, and
G.B.H. as his favorite bands.
Yoshiki has also named
Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
's
"Unfinished" Symphony and
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
's
5th Symphony as influences.
His favorite classical composers also include
J. S. Bach,
Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music, ...
,
Berg
Berg may refer to:
People
*Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* General Berg (disambiguation)
* Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor
* Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...
,
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
,
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
,
Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
, and
Chopin.
He named
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
as his biggest drumming inspiration and cited
Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, B ...
as the reason he started to play
double bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The hea ...
s.
He also likes
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is an American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and an occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established th ...
,
Shuichi Murakami
(January 1, 1951 – March 9, 2021) was a Japanese jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragti ...
,
Jun Aoyama
is a former Japanese football player.
Club career
Aoyama was born in Sendai on 3 January 1988. He joined Nagoya Grampus Eight (later ''Nagoya Grampus'') from youth team in 2006. However he could hardly play in the match and he moved to J2 Lea ...
from
T-Square
A T-square is a technical drawing instrument used by draftsmen primarily as a guide for drawing horizontal lines on a drafting table. The instrument is named after its resemblance to the letter T, with a long shaft called the "blade" and a s ...
, and Minato Masafumi from
Dead End. He picked
George Winston
George Otis Winston III (February 11, 1949 – June 4, 2023) was an American pianist performing contemporary instrumental music. Best known for his solo piano recordings, Winston released his first album in 1972, and came to prominence with his ...
,
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also be ...
,
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing.
Life ...
, and Mishiba Satoshi from
Kinniku Shōjo Tai
, also known as , is a Japanese rock band. They became very popular in the late 1980s through the late 1990s. In 1999 they disbanded, but then in 2006 they regrouped.
History
Independent years
In 1979 when Vocalist Kenji Ōtsuki and Bassist ...
as his favorite pianists.
[『ロッキンf』(1989年11月号)立東社] The Köln Concert
''The Concert'' (TKC) is a live solo double album by pianist Keith Jarrett recorded at the Cologne Opera#The opera house, Opera House in Cologne, Köln, West Germany, on 24 January 1975 and released on ECM Records later that year. It is the bes ...
by Keith Jarrett inspired him to learn jazz theory and improvisation.
He also studied jazz piano under
Dick Marx
Richard Henry Marx (April 12, 1924 – August 12, 1997) was an American jazz pianist and arranger. He also composed for film, television, and commercials.
Personal life
Marx and wife Ruth (née Guildoo) had a son, Richard Marx, pop singer, s ...
and
Shelly Berg
Shelton "Shelly" Glen Berg (born August 18, 1955) is an American classical and jazz pianist and music educator. He is the dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and the school's Patricia L. Frost Profe ...
.
Songwriting and composition
Yoshiki composes his songs by hand, writing the score on paper before sharing with band members or collaborators. In the 1990s, he experimented with various aliases on songwriting credits, including fictitious names such as Hitomi Shiratori (X Japan's "
Tears
Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...
"), Rei Shiratori (L.O.X.'s "Shake Hand"), and Tomomi Tachibana (
Shizuka Kudō's "Shinku no Hana"), in order to separate his rock image from his "softer" works.
He has composed lyrics and music for numerous artists including Glay ("Rain"), Dir en grey, and
Seiko Matsuda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she has continued to release new singles and albums, go on annual summer concert tours, perform at wi ...
.
Philanthropy
Yoshiki Foundation America
In 2010, Yoshiki founded
Yoshiki Foundation America
Yoshiki Foundation America is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2010 by Japanese musician Yoshiki, leader of rock bands X Japan and The Last Rockstars. The organization provides support for natural disaster relief and recov ...
, a California non-profit, public benefit corporation with tax-exempt status as a section
501(c)3
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
.
The organization provides support for natural disaster relief and recovery, mental health and suicide prevention, and refugee assistance in the form of emergency relief operations throughout the world.
Yoshiki and Yoshiki Foundation America have donated several million dollars to international and U.S. disaster relief, including support of the
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
,
Australian bushfire victims,
aid to victims of
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...
,
Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...
and
Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton was an extremely powerful and destructive tropical cyclone which in 2024 became the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Rita in 2005. Milton made landfall on the west coa ...
, U.S. COVID-19 relief, the
Hualien earthquake Hualien earthquake may refer to:
* 1966 Hualien earthquake
* 2009 Hualien earthquake
* 2018 Hualien earthquake
* 2019 Hualien earthquake
* 2024 Hualien earthquake
On 3 April 2024, at 07:58:11 Time in Taiwan, NST (23:58:11 Coordinated Univer ...
in Taiwan, the
2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake
An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the moment magnitude scale struck Iburi Subprefecture in southern Hokkaido, Japan, on 6 September 2018 at 3:08 a.m. JST. The earthquake's epicenter was near Tomakomai and occurred at a depth of . The Japan ...
, and numerous others.
Through YFA, Yoshiki has supported several charities including the
Recording Academy
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely known for its Gramm ...
's
Musicares foundation
MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis ...
,
American Red Cross
The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
,
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...
(IOM), Earth Alliance Amazon Forest Fund,
Make-A-Wish Foundation, the
Australian Red Cross
Australian Red Cross, formally Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1914 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, Australian Red Cross Society is ...
,
Rainforest Trust
Rainforest Trust is a US-based nonprofit environmental organization focused on the purchase and protection of tropical lands to strategically conserve threatened species. Founded in 1988, Rainforest Trust was formerly known as World Parks Endowme ...
,
Japan's National Center for Global Health and Medicine, and St. Vincent
Meals on Wheels.
In January 2025, Yoshiki and Yoshiki Foundation America donated $500,000 in support of relief efforts for the
2025 Los Angeles wildfires and announced Yoshiki Foundation America's support for several charity organizations, including MusiCares, World Central Kitchen, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, American Red Cross, Motion Picture & Television Fund, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and Entertainment Community Fund.
Personal activism
Yoshiki started his charitable work as a result of losing his father to suicide at a young age, saying he wanted to support children who have had traumatic experiences like he did.
In 1995, in response to the
Kobe earthquake
The Great Hanshin Earthquake (, ) occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 o ...
, Yoshiki held X Japan's
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
charity concert in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, and presented the certifications of new pianos to students whose schools were damaged during the earthquake.
In 2009, he invited 200 young orphans to attend two X Japan's concerts in January in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, and donated money to a charity organization for orphans. On March 29 and 31, he visited a town in the province of
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
, China, which was devastated by the
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
in 2008, and donated musical instruments to the schools in the area. He again invited children from the local orphanages in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, to be the special guests in the X Japan's concert on May 30.
In 2011, to provide aid to the victims of March 11's
Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the Foundation in association with
Yahoo! Japan
is a Japanese web portal. It was the most-visited website in Japan, nearing monopolistic status.
According to ''The Japan Times'', as of 2012, Yahoo! Japan had a footprint on the internet market in Japan. In terms of use as a search engine, ...
organized the Japan Relief Fundraising Auction, and all the benefits were sent to the
Japanese Red Cross
The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross.
The Imperial Family of Japan has traditionally supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters ...
.
Yoshiki auctioned one of his
Kawai
is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is best known for its grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was founded in Augu ...
Crystal Grand CR-40 pianos, and with restructuring verification system by
Yahoo! Auctions
Yahoo! Auctions is a service set up by the online search giant Yahoo! in 1998 to compete against eBay.
There are currently only two localizations of the service active iTaiwananJapan Yahoo! has discontinued the service in the United States, Canad ...
, because offers reached high as $20 million, it got sold for $134,931.
In June 2019, Yoshiki visited the
Frost School of Music
Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music is the music school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. From 1926 to 2003, it was known as University of Miami School of Music.
Academics and programs
The University of Miami's Frost ...
at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
where he made a $150,000 donation and held a masterclass for students, where he advised the future musicians to "play every concert as if it is your last."
In September 2019, Yoshiki donated 10 million yen to support disaster relief in his hometown of
Chiba after it was struck by
Typhoon Faxai, and later volunteered for manual labor at the recovery site when he returned to Japan.
In March 2022, Yoshiki helped raise over US$9 million for humanitarian relief efforts in
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
after announcing his own donation to the fundraiser initiated by
Hiroshi Mikitani
(born March 11, 1965) is a Japanese billionaire business magnate and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Rakuten, Inc. He is also the president of Crimson Group, chairman of the football club Vissel Kobe, chairman of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchest ...
, CEO of
Rakuten
is a Japanese technology conglomerate based in Tokyo, founded by Hiroshi Mikitani in 1997. Centered around the online retail marketplace Rakuten Ichiba, its businesses include financial services utilizing Fintech, digital content and communi ...
. The same year, Yoshiki continued his support for the people of Ukraine with two donations totaling 20 million yen in November and December to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
agency
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...
(IOM) for its emergency relief operations in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
In January 2024, Yoshiki donated 10 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross to support areas affected by the
Noto Peninsula Earthquake. At the unveiling ceremony for his handprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre on January 9, Yoshiki announced that he would auction his custom Kawai crystal piano to raise more funds for earthquake relief and reconstruction, raising an addition 40 million yen.
In February 2025, Yoshiki volunteered with World Central Kitchen to serve meals to disaster victims following the Los Angeles wildfires. In April 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation auctioned music scores hand-written and autographed by Yoshiki and also signed by Dodgers pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to support wildfire relief in the Palisades and Altadena, California, and Ofunato, Japan.
Recognition and awards
In December 2019, Yoshiki was named as one of
''Forbes'' Asia's 30 Heroes of Philanthropy for his contributions to "disaster relief, orphanages and treatment for children with bone-marrow disease".
In March 2021, the Japanese government awarded Yoshiki the
Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon for his charity work through Yoshiki Foundation America.
Fashion
Yoshikimono
In 2011, Yoshiki debuted
Yoshikimono, a line of rock-inspired
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...
, at the Asia Girls Explosion fashion event in collaboration with
Tokyo Girls Collection
The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. It is mainly held near Tokyo area and some local cities such as Kitakyushu, Nagoya and Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa. The fashion event showcases the seasons fas ...
. Yoshiki created the fashion brand to pay tribute to his parents who ran a kimono shop when he was growing up. The collection debuted at
Tokyo Fashion Week
Tokyo Fashion Week (, also known as Tokyo Collection) is a fashion trade show held bi-annually in Tokyo, Japan. It is held twice a year with luxury, ready-to-wear, and streetwear brands presenting their spring collections and fall collections.
It ...
with its first fashion show during the finale of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo, and was invited to open Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo 2017. Yoshikimono opened Tokyo Fashion Week 2020 S/S with the brand's third collection, which featured kimono designed around characters from the anime series ''
Attack on Titan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' and the comic book series ''Blood Red Dragon,'' co-created by
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
''.''
In February 2020, Yoshikimono was announced as part of the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
's "Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk" exhibition in London. In June 2020, Yoshikimono was featured in the
Tokyo National Museum
The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...
's "Kimono" historical retrospective. In November 2022, Yoshikimono was featured in the touring version of the V&A's exhibition presented at the
Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Maison Yoshiki Paris
On July 4, 2023, Yoshiki announced the establishment of his high-fashion brand
Maison Yoshiki Paris
Maison Yoshiki Paris is a luxury fashion brand of ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and eyewear created by Yoshiki. The brand was announced in Paris in July 2023 and debuted at Milan Fashion Week in February 2024.
History
Japanese musici ...
. The brand will also produce wine and champagne glasses in collaboration with
Baccarat
Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...
.
In February 2024, Maison Yoshiki Paris debuted at
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week () is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. Upcoming autumn/winter fashions are showcased in February/March of each year, and upcoming spring/summer fashions are showcased in September/October of each year ...
Fall/Winter 2024/25 at
Bocconi University
Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...
as part of the official calendar. The runway show featured an onstage musical performance by Yoshiki (including new songs and a collaboration with
Hiroshi Fujiwara
(born 1964) is a Japanese musician, producer, and fashion designer.
Biography
Fujiwara was born in Ise, Mie. He moved to Tokyo at eighteen and became a standout in the Harajuku street fashion scene. During a trip to New York City in the early ...
) and the production team included fashion stylist
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele is a noted French stylist, art director and photographer.
Early life and ancestry
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele grew up in La Garde-Freinet, near Saint-Tropez, in the south of France, as well as in Paris, where she received ...
, casting director Maida Gregori Boina, hair stylist
Odile Gilbert
Odile Gilbert has been described as France's "most celebrated female hairstylist",Chu, Ying Marie Claire. Hearst Magazines. 1 October 2009. and is the only woman in that profession to have received the French honor ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' ...
, and makeup artist Kabuki.
In September 2024, he presented his second collection of Maison Yoshiki Paris at the
Pallais de Chaillot during
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week (, commonly ) is a series of designer presentations held semi-annually in Paris, France, with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Pa ...
S/S 2025, for which
Paris Jackson
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (born April 3, 1998) is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe. In 2020, Jackson signed a deal with Republic Records. Her debut al ...
joined the production as runway model.
In April 2025, in the ''
New York Times Style Magazine
''T: The New York Times Style Magazine'', known simply as ''T'', is a perfect-bound magazine publication of ''The New York Times'' newspaper dedicated to fashion, living, beauty, holiday, travel, and design coverage. ''T'' is not a suppleme ...
'', Yoshiki discussed Maison Yoshiki Paris in connection with the evolution of Japanese
avante-garde fashion, saying it "couldn’t exist in a nation that wasn’t so deeply conformist that to create something truly original requires something else to push against."
Modeling
In August 2017, Yoshiki was chosen for the cover of ''
Vogue Japan
''Vogue'' (stylized in all caps), also known as American ''Vogue'', is a monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers style news, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. It is part of the global collection of ...
'', as the first Japanese male to do so.
In October 2018, Yoshiki was the featured model for the
Yves Saint Laurent YSL Beauty Hotel opening event in Tokyo, participating in a female makeup demonstration applied by Yves Saint Laurent's beauty director
Tom Pecheux
Tom Pecheux (born 3 February 1963) is a French make-up artist and currently the Global Beauty Director for Yves Saint Laurent Beauty.
Early life
Born and raised on a farm in Burgundy, France, Pecheux experienced a childhood deeply connected ...
.
In September 2020, Yoshiki was featured on the cover of fashion magazine ''Numero Tokyo'', and in October 2020,
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
announced Yoshiki's fashion photo book ''XY'', shot at the
Paramour Estate in Los Angeles.
Other brands
In October 2021, French fine crystal manufacturer Baccarat debuted a 180th anniversary version of its Harcourt glass at Paris Fashion Week 2022 designed by Yoshiki.
Business ventures
Yoshiki has launched several business ventures, including music recording, entertainment, wine, energy drinks, fashion, finance, and lifestyle products.
In 1986 Yoshiki founded
Extasy Records
Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The label's first release was X's 1986 single "Orgasm".
Over the next few years, the label signed several then-li ...
in Japan with money he received from his mother when she sold her business,
later established Extasy Japan and Extasy Records International, around 2000. He also founded Japanese record label Platinum Records in April 1992 as an affiliate of
PolyGram.
In 1992, Yoshiki purchased One On One Recording, a recording studio complex in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...
from Jim David, renaming it
Extasy Recording Studios after his own record label in 1999.
He sold the studio in 2012, and it later became
17 Hertz Studio
17 Hertz Studio was a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, Los Angeles originally established in 1972 as One on One Recording.
Background
One on One Recording was established by Jim David, son of songwriter Hal David, in 1972, occupying ...
. In April 1998, he bought Brooklyn Recording Studios, which housed the Los Angeles offices of
Maverick Records
Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Warner Music Group and run by recording artist Madonna, as well as Frederick DeMann and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev. It included a record label ( Maverick Records), a film producti ...
, from owners
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
and
Freddy DeMann. He renamed it One On One South
before using it as the headquarters of Extasy Records International. In 2013, Yoshiki bought The Pass, a Los Angeles recording studio previously known as
Larrabee East.
On May 15, 2000, Yoshiki invented a method for reproducing mp3 music and holds a patent for compressed music data playback technology.
In 2015, the Yoshiki Channel was launched on
Niconico Video, a Japanese video platform. The channel streams exclusive live shows and distributes links for movies and magazines.
Yoshiki also has his own
Hello Kitty
, also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...
product line, named ''Yoshikitty''.
Yoshiki has partnered with researchers to investigate music as therapy.
Yoshiki also has branded MasterCard and Visa, Inc., Visa credit cards, and is an investor in Green Lord Motors.
In May 2022, Yoshiki formed a business partnership with Coca-Cola Japan to create the energy drinks "Real Gold X" and "Real Gold Y", themed after Yoshiki's connection to rock music and classical music, respectively.
In August 2022, French Champagne house Pommery announced a collaboration with Yoshiki as the brand's first co-release with a celebrity artist. In July 2023, Pommery expanded the distribution to Germany after the Champagne set sales records in Japan.
Y by Yoshiki wine
In 2009, Yoshiki launched his wine brand "Y by Yoshiki" with California winemaker Michael Mondavi,
including varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé. The brand, which is served in premium hotels and restaurants, has continually sold out across Japan
and is referred to as a "phantom wine" due to its scarcity.
The first two wines, "Y by Yoshiki California Chardonnay 2008" and "Y by Yoshiki California Cabernet Sauvignon 2008" were released in autumn 2009 exclusively in Japan.
Yoshiki Chardonnay 'Encore' California 2017" and "Y by Yoshiki Cabernet Sauvignon California 2017" shipped over 100,000 bottles in their initial release. In 2018, Yoshiki created `"Y by Yoshiki California", which he called "smart casual", and released a Rosé wine to the series in 2024.
In May 2025, Yoshiki announced the launch of his first Japan-produced wine in partnership with Takahiko Soga, one of Japan’s most respected winemakers and founder of Domaine Takahiko, to be based at Field of Dreams Winery in Yoichi, Hokkaido.
Yoshiki is personally involved in the selection and creation of each vintage and is a renowned wine connoisseur, demonstrating his wine tasting knowledge on national television in Japan.
Equipment
Yoshiki said he considers himself a Groove (music), groove drummer.
He normally wears a neck brace when playing the drums; as a result of his years of "headbanging" while drumming, he injured his neck and had to undergo surgery.
In 2015, Yoshiki stated he is more of a songwriter than a drummer.

Tama Drums created a custom-made Poly (methyl methacrylate), acrylic drum set for Yoshiki to use on stage, the ArtStar series. Yoshiki admitted that the clear acrylic shells are great for appearances, allowing the stage lights to color his drums with varying hues, but are not ideal sound-wise. He explained that the clear drums are difficult to play because they do not have the usual responsiveness of wooden shells and are not very durable; as they require much more physical pounding to deliver a good sound and that causes the heads to be essentially ruined after only a single concert.
Yoshiki's live kit uses two Bass drum, kick drums, and centers the 14" snare drum directly in front of him. He usually works with five tom drums: three rack toms with diameters of 12", 13", and 14", and two floor toms with diameters of 16" and 18". However, in the studio he uses a limited made titanium kit from Kitano drum called Tama Artstar II "Titan Body" with Evans coated heads.
Yoshiki usually performs on a
Kawai
is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is best known for its grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was founded in Augu ...
Crystal II Grand Piano CR-40A. Kawai also makes a Yoshiki-model grand piano of traditional wooden design.
He has a constant numbness of two fingers on his left hand that he says makes it difficult to play piano.
He also suffers from chronic Tendinitis, tendonitis on his right hand, which may cause him to be unable to play musical instruments in the future.
Discography
;Solo studio albums
*''
Eternal Melody'' (April 21, 1993)
*''
Eternal Melody II'' (March 23, 2005)
*''
Yoshiki Classical'' (August 27, 2013)
Tours and concerts
Solo tours and appearances
*December 3–4, 2002: Symphonic Concert 2002, Symphonic Concert,
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district.
Toky ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
*2014: Yoshiki Classical World Tour Part 1
* 2016: Yoshiki Classical World Tour Part 2
*January 12–13, 2017: Yoshiki Classical Special with
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2024, it has 166 members.
The orchestra plays frequently a ...
, Carnegie Hall,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
*June 24, 2018: Lunatic Fest
*2023: Yoshiki Classical 10th Anniversary World Tour with Orchestra 2023 "Requiem" (Tokyo Garden Theater, Royal Albert Hall, Dolby Theatre, Carnegie Hall)
Dinner show events
* Evening with Yoshiki in Tokyo 2014 (August 15–16, 2014)
* Evening with Yoshiki in Tokyo Japan 2015 (August 14–15, 2015)
* Evening with Yoshiki in Osaka and Tokyo Japan 2016 (August 30–31, September 2–3, 2016)
* Evening with Yoshiki 2017 (Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo) (August 26–27, 29–30, September 1–2, 2017)
* Evening/Breakfast with Yoshiki 2018 in Tokyo 6 Days 5th Anniversary Special (July 13–16, August 31, September 1, 2018)
* Evening/Breakfast with Yoshiki 2019 in Tokyo (August 9–12, 23–25, 2019)
* Evening/Breakfast With Yoshiki 2022 In Tokyo (August 11–15, 19–21, 26–28, 2022)
*Evening/Breakfast With Yoshiki 2023 In Tokyo (August 5–6, 11–13, 19–20, 2023)
*Evening/Breakfast With Yoshiki 2024 In Tokyo (August 2–4, 23–25, 2024)
*Evening/Breakfast With Yoshiki 2025 In Tokyo Kurenai (August 22–24, 29–31, 2025)
With X Japan
With Sarah Brightman
*"Hymn: Sarah Brightman In Concert" - 2019 (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo (Yokohama), and London)
*"A Starlight Symphony: An Evening with Sarah Brightman" - 2022 (Las Vegas and Mexico)
*"A Christmas Symphony" - 2022 (Japan)
Awards
References
External links
*
*
Yoshiki Foundation America website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Yoshiki
1965 births
20th-century Japanese classical composers
20th-century Japanese classical pianists
20th-century Japanese drummers
20th-century Japanese male musicians
20th-century male pianists
21st-century Japanese classical composers
21st-century Japanese classical pianists
21st-century Japanese drummers
21st-century Japanese male musicians
21st-century male pianists
Globe (band) members
21st-century Japanese businesspeople
Japanese male classical composers
Japanese male classical pianists
Japanese expatriates in the United States
Japanese fashion designers
Japanese heavy metal drummers
Japanese multi-instrumentalists
Japanese philanthropists
Japanese record producers
Japanese rock drummers
Japanese rock pianists
Japanese rock keyboardists
Japanese male songwriters
Living people
Musicians from Chiba Prefecture
People from Tateyama, Chiba
Recipients of the Medal of Honor (Japan)
Sirius Satellite Radio
Visual kei musicians
X Japan members