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[Charismatic Rock Singer] The Allure and Masterpieces of Kiyoharu

[Charismatic Rock Singer] The Allure and Masterpieces of Kiyoharu
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[Charismatic Rock Singer] The Allure and Masterpieces of Kiyoharu

When you say “charisma,” it’s a word often used in rock as well, and there are many people in Japan who fit that description.

Eikichi Yazawa、Kyosuke Himuro、YOSHIKI、hideHyde, Kazuya Yoshii, Tomoyasu Hotei, Kenji Ohtsuki,Yutaka Ozaki、Kiyoshiro Imawano……

I could go on and on, but each of them has a striking individuality in every action and word, and even now they enjoy passionate fans and overwhelming support, almost to the point of being deified.

I’m one of those people who have been captivated by such charisma.

Now, among those Japanese rock artists hailed as charismatic figures, I’d like to introduce Kiyoharu—a vocalist who emerged from the visual kei scene of the ’90s and continues to wield tremendous influence to this day.

Who is Kiyoharu in the first place?

First, as basic information, Kiyoharu is a 48-year-old singer-songwriter and rock vocalist.

And, broadly speaking, their activities as an artist can be divided into

will be

Incidentally, despite the fact that he personally handles the majority of the songwriting and composition for these three,They all have different musical styles.。

During their Kuroyume days, they shifted their musical style with each album—from a distinctly dark, visual kei sound to more J-pop-oriented, hit-seeking tracks, and by the late ’90s they had transitioned into punk.

And SADS, which launched right after Kuroyume went on hiatus, also underwent rapid changes over its short four-year run—from rock ’n’ roll to glam rock to heavy rock.

Then SADS went on hiatus as well, and in contrast his solo work shifted to mellow numbers and a more song-oriented direction. After resuming activities, both Kuroyume and SADS gravitated toward heavy rock.

The lyrics ranged from decadent works with an aesthetic, fin-de-siècle feel to raw, punk-like hostility toward society, and then, in a complete shift, evolved into lyrical poetry in his solo career.

Even Kyoharu’s visuals have changed drastically; taking just Kuroyume as an example,

Center, initial

latter period

On restart

And this is how much it has changed.

If we also include Solo and SADS here, it changes even more frequently.

People who have read this far "Will the fans really stick with this?You might wonder, "?"

That's what gets fans, isn't it?

Why does it still attract fans even though things are changing so rapidly?

Did I manage to become a charismatic figure?

I’m going to delve into that from here on.

What is charisma?

Despite such substantial changes, the fact that fans continue to follow them can only be attributed to their appeal and undeniable charisma.

As a fan, I’d like to unravel Kiyoharu’s charisma from two perspectives.

First, from the perspective of the singing, Kiyoharu’s way of singing is very distinctive.

At the time of Kuroyume’s debut, the Japanese rock scene favored a masculine vocal style characterized by singing powerfully with a husky voice, but he...Something unheard of in rock up to that point: a delicate singing voice that makes extensive use of falsetto and vibrato, punctuated by strategically effective shouts.It was.

If you look at the individual elements, his singing style was indeed influenced by MORRIE, the vocalist of DEAD END (one of Kiyoharu’s respected singers), but he sublimated it into a unique original of his own.

That vocal style became the foundation of today’s visual-kei singing, and every vocalist has undoubtedly been influenced by Kiyoharu in some way.

It had such an impact that it practically created a whole genre.

Furthermore, their singing style is so distinctive that even the covers they perform end up sounding like their own songs.

Up until now,

from so-called rock-type songs such as,

We’ve covered a wide range, including songs like these from the kayōkyoku genre.

And the fact that every one of them goes beyond being a mere cover and now only sounds like a Kiyoharu song is something that even I, as a fan, find truly astonishing.

His singing has such a remarkably strong individuality.

And when it comes to live performances, their fashion sense is outstanding—they nail the moments that need to be nailed, they talk big, and they’re truly...It simultaneously delivers a performance that feels like a distilled embodiment of rock’s allure.That is also one of its major attractions.

They’re the kind of person you don’t often find in rock bands these days.

As another aspect, quite...reckless actions and remarksthere is / there are

For example,

And so on... at this point, I don't even know what I'm writing anymore.

It's really a complete mess.

Whether it's music or not, I'll do it; one moment I'm doing reckless, dangerous things, and the next I'm handling the harsh, rational business of running an office.

Their statements keep changing.

Yes, I still have what you might call a chuunibyo streak.

Reading this far, one might think that would be a drawback at first glance, but the sheer appeal and prowess of the music itself completely overpowers it.

Rather, it turns into a positive; however, it cannot hold if either one is missing.

I felt that this was exactly the embodiment of a rock band’s frontman, and that all of it connected to charisma.

In other words, charisma is not something that can be measured by individual factors like words, actions, or music; it is being extraordinary in every respect.

Have absolute confidence in yourself.

Is this the charisma that irresistibly attracts a wide variety of people?

As proof of that charisma, the bonus footage included with Kuroyume’s 2014 album “Kuro to Kage” features hyde (L’Arc~en~Ciel), INORAN, and SUGIZO (both from...LUNA SEA), Tetsu Takano (ZIGZO), Masato, Katsuma (bothcoldrain), MORRIE (DEAD END), Ryutaro Arimura (Plastic Tree),MIYAVI, Hazuki (lynch.), Takanori Nishikawa, RUKI (the GazettE), Mao (SidMembers of various genres and eras—an illustrious lineup—each speak in their own words about Kiyoharu’s appeal.

It may seem like a banal conclusion, but how many rock artists today are actually able to do this to such an extent?

In today’s rock scene, where relatability, listenability, and how well songs hype up a live show are emphasized, I felt that from Kiyoharu we can learn something that transcends good and evil—something beyond words.

Recommended songs review

I’m well aware of Kiyoharu’s charisma, but the songs themselves are also captivating.

They vary quite a bit depending on the name and the period, so I’d like to pick a few and introduce them.

1.

Black Dream

Kiyoharu’s first band, Kuroyume, underwent significant changes in its musical style.

for dear

It’s Kuroyume’s debut single, included on the 1994 album “Mayoreru Yuritachi ~Romance of Scarlet~.”

Kiyoharu’s fully visual-kei makeup, his aesthetic and decadent lyrics, and his delicate yet distinctive voice—marked by sobbing inflections and rich vibrato—were already firmly established even at this time.

Miss Moonlight

It’s included on Kuroyume’s 1995 album “feminism,” which earned them their first No. 1 on the Oricon chart.

Many of the tracks on this album are very pop, and this one is no exception. While it’s seasoned with a touch of melancholy and the aestheticism typical of visual kei, it’s fundamentally classic pop, making it very easy to listen to even for those unfamiliar with visual kei.

Like @ Angel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqyF7d4-vnU

It's a staple song at Kuroyume's live shows and is included on their 1997 album 'Drug Treatment.'

From the opening drum entrance through to the chorus, it unfolds simply and without waste—a song where the lyrical sense of urgency, Kiyoharu’s vocal delivery, and the hardcore punk elements that Kuroyume had begun to showcase all miraculously align.

I’ve never heard any other song that’s pop yet rebellious and incorporates elements of hardcore punk.

Guernica

It’s included on Kuroyume’s album “Kuro to Kage,” released in 2014 after the band restarted in 2010.

The musical style of the reformed Kuroyume did not continue the late-’90s punk direction, but shifted to a digital rock approach and, with this release, to a heavy rock direction.

With further improvements in his vocal technique and, after SADS and his solo work, Kiyoharu’s lyrics have shifted from rebellious to more abstract and poetic expression. Combined with the band’s characteristically heavy sound, this presents a profoundly deeper world that differs from what Kuroyume had shown before.

SADS

This is the band that started up right after Kuroyume went on hiatus.

While their musical style may not shift as rapidly as Kuroyume’s, it still changes significantly. Also, around this time Kiyoharu was extremely turbulent, and DVDs and interviews conducted after SADS went on hiatus suggest he was dissatisfied with the members and the quality of their live performances.

TOKYO

It’s a signature early SADS track included on the 1999 album “SAD BLOOD ROCK’N’ROLL.”

Released immediately after Kuroyume went on hiatus, this work further refined, in a sense, the simple and punkish direction that Kuroyume had been pursuing to the utmost.

With lyrics that are somewhat satirical and clearly allude to his previous band, paired with simple bass, drum, and guitar phrases, this track is incredibly thrilling and quintessentially Kyoharu in that era.

Masquerade

It is included on the 2003 best-of album “GREATEST HITS ~BEST OF 5 YEARS~.”

After this work, Kiyoharu put SADS on hiatus and moved on to a solo career.

SADS’s musical style changed significantly from the early days along with the successive member changes, and this work became a song where the mellow aspects from his solo period and SADS’s hard direction at the time fit together well.

It was around this time that Kiyoharu started playing the guitar, and he looked frighteningly good doing it.

DISCO

SADS, which was reborn in 2010 with new members except for Kiyoharu, has shifted its musical style to the point where it could be called heavy metal.

All the instrumentalists have an exceptionally high level of skill.

It’s included on the 2010 album “Lesson2,” and the chugging seven-string guitar along with the heavy drums—somehow reminiscent of PANTERA—strongly exudes a heavy rock vibe.

Although it’s completely different from SADS before their hiatus, Kiyoharu’s charisma and aggressiveness remain intact.

solo

I started my solo career after SADS went on hiatus, and now this has become the longest-running one.

While their musical style ranges from acoustic to rock, unlike during their Kuroyume and SADS days, there is almost no emphasis on rebellious spirit; instead, it is crafted into mature adult music that contemplates life, love, and death.

Slow

This is a track released as a single from the 2006 album “VINNYBEACH: A Fictional Shore,” and personally, I think it’s one of the finest ballads of his career.

The sight of him singing, poetically yet with full-blooded emotion about yearning for someone, is a far cry from the defiant, rebellious persona of late-period Kuroyume and his SADS days—something I could never have imagined.

The band’s sound is also very mellow, and the song has been crafted in a way that vividly conveys the inner changes of the artist Kiyoharu.

Nazary

It’s a track included on the 2016 album “SOLOIST.”

This album is a work that tells the story of who the artist Kiyoharu is right now; there are few up-tempo tracks, and it doesn’t really give off the vibe of a flashy, glitzy rock singer.

Kiyoharu once said his lyrics 'always have someone absolutely present within them,' and I feel that tendency has grown stronger as he’s gotten older.

It’s a song with a very unusual way of arranging words, and that in itself adds to its charm.

the SUN

A track with a very cool intro guitar, included on the 2012 album “UNDER THE SUN.”

It’s a track that shows how Kiyoharu’s take on glam rock would look today, captivatingly demonstrating a sensual, mature kind of rock firsthand.

The music video for this song is incredibly cool. Besides the female rhythm section, the guitarist is none other than LUNA SEA’s INORAN, who appears together in the video. His overwhelming aura makes it an irresistible watch for someone like me who was completely immersed in ’90s visual kei.

Kiyoharu’s career evolved from being in a rock band to becoming a more mature solo singer, and I feel his approach has become a kind of model case for how to keep working within the visual kei genre—a scene that inevitably centers on younger fans.

Come to think of it,Rock is thrilling and, at the same time, very glamorous.I think Kiyoharu’s presence played a big part in teaching me that.

From the moment I first learned of him until now, the existence of Kiyoharu will likely continue to reign within me as a charismatic presence.

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