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| Chachamaru (Gt.), GACKT, YOU (Gt. + Violin) |
This week I will not
introduce a band, but a well known artist. Gackt is a name you'll see
and hear almost everywhere in Japan, and with good reasons. You don't
get the title of “#1 Best-Selling Male Solo Artist in Japan”
easily. I know that he's an artist you'll either love or hate, but I
decided to review him anyway because I think that there's at least
one song in his repertoire that anyone can like.
Gackt's music lessons
started at the age of 3. His parents were musically inclined and
decided that their second child should learn how to play the piano.
By the age of 11 he lost interest in playing and quit so he could
spend more time on mischief. Eventually he found his passion for
playing instruments again when he saw that a classmate was better
than him. Even at age 14 he had a strong competitive spirit. In high
school he switched from classical music to rock music and took up
drums. It was in the studio where he practiced drumming that he found
his supporting member YOU Kurosaki. The two of them didn't get along
at first because Gackt couldn't believe that YOU was the guitarist he
had seen on stage before. After arguing and Gackt admitting he was
wrong, they formed a band called “CAINS:FEEL”. Gackt was
originally the drummer of the band, but he switched to the role of
vocalist. The band had no vocalist yet and YOU said as a joke that
Gackt should do it. Full of determination, Gackt took vocal lessons
before he sang in front of YOU. After receiving compliments Gackt
continued to improve his vocal skills.
CAINS:FEEL didn't last
long after Mana from the group “Malice Mizer” approached Gackt.
Mana had listened to a demo tape and wanted Gackt to fill in the
vocalist position since Tetsu had left. After meeting the band
members Gackt accepted the offer and brought new life into Malice
Mizer. Both the music and clothing style changed under Gackt's
influence. Malice Mizer got more attention from the public and signed
with major label “Nippon Columbia”, but it wasn't meant to last.
After Kami's death and Gackt's departure, the band was forced to go
back to Mana's own record label “Midi:Nette”. No one really knows
the reason why Gackt left so suddenly so all kinds of rumors are
speculating on the internet.
After leaving Malice
Mizer it was time for Gackt to start his solo project. Even though it
is a solo project, he still has support members. They are called
“GacktJOB” and since the very beginning there have been two
constant members. Former band member YOU Kurosaki and legendary
guitarist Yukihiro “Chachamaru” Fujimura. Drummers, bassist, etc.
have been replaced a lot of times, but Gackt has been very busy
during these 13 years as a solo artist. Singing, writing, acting,
voice acting, martial arts... He improved all of those skills to
please his fans who he calls “DEARS” affectionately.
When the earthquake and
tsunami struck Japan on March 11 of 2011, Gackt started the charity
foundation “SHOW YOUR HEART”. This project came to life along
with the band “YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz” or “YFC”. Gackt
gathered some of the finest artist to create a band that could reach
out to people and tell the disaster victims that they were not alone
in this. A lot of the band's profits were donated to the Japanese Red
Cross via “SHOW YOUR HEART”.
Personally Gackt is my
favorite artist, but I can also understand why some people don't like
his work. As always, it's up to you to decide if his work is worthy
of your time or not.
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