Interview with YOSHIKI

This has been a busy year for YOSHIKI. The iconic Japanese musician has been active in a variety of mediums and genres, performing live in Japan and the US with rock supergroup THE LAST ROCKSTARS, producing the boy group XY, which just officially debuted earlier this year, and attending premieres for his documentary film "YOSHIKI: UNDER THE SKY". He is now poised to embark on a classical world tour that will bring him to historic venues in Japan, the US and the UK.

YOSHIKI recently took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with JaME about his film, the upcoming tour, becoming the first Japanese artist ever to be immortalized in cement by the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, and continuing to push creative boundaries.

Your Classical World Tour starts soon, with performances in Tokyo, London, L.A., and New York. What are fans going to see during these performances that they've never seen before?

YOSHIKI: I've been playing a lot of shows with rock artists as well as classical artists. So in this tour, somehow I'm going to be combining things. I mean, it's based in classical music, but I’m playing some of the songs in a shocking way. I'm going to add some rock elements to it. I've never done this, so we'll see. I'm still in the middle of the rehearsal, trying to make the final choices.

Tokyo Garden Theatre, Royal Albert Hall, Dolby Theatre and Carnegie Hall — you're the first Japanese artist to headline all these historic venues. Why are these places special to you? How did you choose them for this tour?

YOSHIKI: The offers from all these venues came in around the same time. My agent in America asked me if I wanted to perform, and the tour was already being planned around the time of my mother’s death. After that, I was kind of hesitating, I was about to give up. I was so sad, I wasn’t ready for the impact of how hard my mother’s death hit me. But at the same time, I felt I needed to do it in order to move forward, and also I was very grateful for those venues asking me to perform. It' s going to be challenging, but I have to be thankful to my agent as well as to my fans who supported me.

You're a prominent figure in the music industry, and you're known for creating classical music and rock music. How do you blend these genres into a single concert?

YOSHIKI: Hmm, I don't know. I guess my strength is that I can do both types of music. So I might as well just do it all the way. I might go back and forth between piano and drums, something like that. As I said, I'm creating the song list and finalizing the production right at this moment.

Your first film as director, “YOSHIKI: UNDER THE SKY”, has gained a lot of attention, and you worked with a wide range of artists including The Chainsmokers, St. Vincent, HYDE, and SUGIZO for it. What was the inspiration behind this project?

YOSHIKI: Even though I collaborated with some amazing artists in the film, the best part was collaborating with my fans during Endless Rain. When I started the project, I just wanted to cheer people up. I wanted to thank my fans. Because this project started during a pandemic, it was kind of a dark, dark moment. As a musician, as an artist, it's kind of my mission to make people happy, make people somehow inspired. So, that's how it started.


So, this project is not just a concert film, it has a personal message about life. Can you explain that message for fans who haven't seen the film yet?

YOSHIKI: This film is like a hybrid between a music film as well as a dramatic story. Because it's a documentary, there's no script or anything, just what really happened. So, you'll be shocked towards the end about the outcome of this film. But I wanted to convey the message that music can unite people. Also, “don't give up”, basically. I experienced a lot of death, but I'm still here because of the love from my fans. I'm still alive. So, it's like “we will not give up", that kind of message.

You are the first Japanese artist ever to be honored by the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. How does it feel to know that decades from now, a young composer or young drummer will be able to place their hands inside your handprints?

YOSHIKI: If I could do it, anybody can. (laughs) I just tried hard and I'm lucky, I have amazing fans. Of course, I've been trying really hard to create beautiful music. But I'm no different than other amazing artists, so if I can do this, anybody can do it. Keep on trying and your dream can come true.

It seems that you can't slow down. How do you stay motivated to continue pushing creative boundaries?

YOSHIKI: Interesting question. I don't know – I'm still breathing, I'm in the world, I'm still alive. So I want to try as much as I can while I still can. I just want to try hard to please my fans.

In addition to your classical tour and your film, you're the leader of the supergroup THE LAST ROCKSTARS. The band's L.A. concert is coming up in November. I had an interview with MIYAVI in July in Brazil and he said he is interested in touring with the band to other countries. So, can fans hope for a tour including Latin America and Europe someday?

YOSHIKI: That'd be amazing. I really miss all those countries I went to with X JAPAN… Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Chile. Yeah, I miss them. Yeah, there's a big possibility that may happen in the coming future.

YOSHIKI's YOSHIKI Classical 10th Anniversary World Tour with Orchestra 2023 "Requiem" will kick off at Tokyo Garden Theatre on October 7th, taking him through London and Los Angeles before it wraps up in New York on October 28th. Tickets are available for purchase here.


The teaser for THE LAST ROCKSTARS' August single Psycho Love can be viewed below, followed by a performance of Requiem, a song YOSHIKI wrote for his late mother.