Hizaki (stylized as HIZAKI, born February 17, 1979) is a Japanese
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Som ...
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as guitarist of the
symphonic power metal
Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...
band
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. He is also a member of
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
and has a solo career. Before forming Versailles he was in several independent bands.
Early life
Hizaki grew up in the countryside of
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...
.
He liked
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
in kindergarten, especially the violin, but his parents refused to let him learn the violin or piano. When he was in sixth grade his older brother started to learn guitar, and after Hizaki's first time playing with it, he "dove into music."
Even at that young age he hated playing other people's songs, and wanted to create his own. Already a fan of
Loudness
In acoustics, loudness is the subjectivity, subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The rel ...
and
X Japan
was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...
, Hizaki wanted to play
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, but was not skilled enough for their songs at the time and so created his own guitar exercises. After studying diligently, Hizaki was quite skilled by middle school, but had no one around him at his level. He entered high school during Japan's band boom and so finally had others to play with in a band, but had to lower his skill level in order to fit in. While unwavered in his love of
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
and
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Som ...
, his friends preferred
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
or
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
. As such, Hizaki said he had no fun in the band and that his high school days were "quite gloomy."
After graduating, Hizaki moved to
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
and finally found the music scene he always longed for.
Already comfortable wearing makeup from shows in high school, he formed a visual kei band with a former upperclassman of his and the upperclassman's friends. He explained that ever since he started guitar, he felt that being able to play was not enough, one must be good-looking or put on a great performance; "I always thought about how I could stand out on stage, and eventually, my conclusion was to look like a girl." In 2020, Hizaki remarked that his visual kei style of makeup and skirts has been the same since high school. He also noted that he has a lot of childhood photographs where he is wearing red clothes, possibly being the reason a lot of his stage costumes are red.
Career
Hizaki debuted as guitarist for the Kyoto-based
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Som ...
band Garnet Grave in 1997. After two years, Hizaki and bassist Hizumi departed from Garnet Grave to form Crack Brain with guitarist Airi (Madeth Gray'll).
In 2002, Crack Brain disbanded and Hizaki and Airi formed the band , who in May 2003 changed their name to Schwardix Marvally.
They released two
EPs
EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to:
Commerce and finance
* Earnings per share
* Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China
* Express Payment System, in the Philippines
Education
* Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...
, one composed of cover songs from various bands. Soon after releasing the two EPs, Schwardix Marvally disbanded in 2004.
Hizaki then proceeded to start a solo career that same year and released ''Maiden Ritual''.
He published two more EPs: ''Dance with Grace'' and ''Maiden Ritual -Experiment Edition-'' with a variety of musicians in the
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Som ...
scene. In 2005 he put his solo work on hold and joined Sulfuric Acid, staying until they disbanded in October 2006.
On 31 October, Hizaki supported
Lareine
Lareine (stylized as LAREINE) was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1994. The band's name is reported to have come from the French Queen Marie Antoinette. at their last concert.
He then restarted solo activities and formed his solo group, Hizaki Grace Project, with Hikaru (
Izabel Varosa) on vocals,
Yuu (Jakura) on bass and support drummer Seiji (Sulfuric Acid). After recruiting Mikage (Babylon) on drums,
Teru (Aikaryu) on guitar and
Juka (
Moi dix Mois
Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup cha ...
) on vocals, they released the album ''Dignity of Crest''.
Hizaki Grace Project's album, ''Curse of Virgo'', was released on 26 December 2007.
In early 2007, he became support for
Node of Scherzo
Shaura, formerly known as Juka (ジュカ), is a Japanese visual kei metal singer who first became known in 2002 when he was recruited by Mana for his project Moi dix Mois. In late 2006 he joined HIZAKI's solo project, HIZAKI grace project. He t ...
, a project fronted by
Kamijo (Lareine), Juka and
Kaya
Kaya may refer to:
People
*Kaya (given name)
*Kaya (surname)
Places
*Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department
*Kaya Airport, serving the town
* Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...
(
Schwarz Stein
Schwarz Stein is a Japanese visual kei electronic music duo formed by Hora (洞) and Kaya (迦夜) in 2001 (as "Rudolf Steiner"), who disbanded in 2004 and regrouped in 2014.
Biography
History
During its first three years of activity, the gr ...
), and also supported by
Jasmine You
Jasmine You (March 8, 1979 – August 9, 2009) was a Japanese musician, best known as original bassist of the symphonic metal band Versailles. Jasmine You, then known as Yuu, entered the visual kei music scene in 1998 after joining Jakura, who ...
and Asagi (
D). At Node of Scherzo's first live performance on 14 March, Kamijo and Hizaki announced they were forming a band together. On 30 March, the details of the band were announced, it would be named
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
and also included drummer Yuki (Sugar Trip) and Hizaki Grace Project's Jasmine You and Teru. Hizaki's solo work was put on hold while he focused on Versailles.
On September 23, 2008, Hizaki modeled clothing for
Baby, The Stars Shine Bright
is the name of a Japanese clothing brand created in 1988 by Akinori Isobe and his wife, Fumiyo. Baby, The Stars Shine Bright specializes in Lolita fashion. The company's flagship store, opened in 1999 in Daikanyamachō, Shibuya, was relocated t ...
on the runway at Individual Fashion Expo IV.
On 15 July 2010, he partook in the one-night only revival of Crack Brain, at a concert for their old record label, Crow Music.
In January 2011, he and the rest of Versailles started starring in their own TV mini drama called . The show also starred
Rina Koike
(born September 3, 1993, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actress affiliated with Very Berry Production.
Career
In the early 2000s, Koike auditioned for Hello! Project Kids but did not pass the audition. Koike started a junior idol car ...
and aired on
Mainichi Broadcasting System
, or MBS, is a radio and television broadcasting company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN), National Radio Network (NRN), Japan News Network (JNN) and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region.
It i ...
and
TV Kanagawa
(tvk for short) is an independent television station in Japan serving Kanagawa Prefecture and parts of the Greater Tokyo Area with favorable reception. The station was founded on April 20, 1971 and began broadcasting on April 1, 1972. Its call si ...
until March.
![Jupiter live 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Jupiter_live_2015.jpg)
In response to the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
on 11 March, Hizaki composed and dedicated the song "Prayer" to its victims.
Both Hizaki and Teru participated in the Blue Planet Japan project, which was created in response to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The project is composed of many visual kei artists, including members of
DaizyStripper,
heidi.
Heidi. (stylized as heidi.) is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in Tokyo in February 2006. They gained popularity after performing at the memorial concert on the 10th anniversary of the death of the musician hide on May 4, 2008 to tens o ...
,
Matenrou Opera
is a Japanese visual kei power metal band. The band was formed in 2007 by Sono and Yuu who were previously the vocalist and drummer of Jeniva. and
Dolly
Dolly may refer to:
Tools
*Dolly (tool), a portable anvil
* A posser, also known as a dolly, used for laundering
* A variety of wheeled tools, including:
**Dolly (trailer), for towing behind a vehicle
**Boat dolly or launching dolly, a device fo ...
. They performed live at Shibuya O-West on 25 June and released the single "Hitotsu Dake ~We are the One~" on 14 September, with the proceeds from the single donated to the victims.
Hizaki composed the music for the title track of
Kaya
Kaya may refer to:
People
*Kaya (given name)
*Kaya (surname)
Places
*Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department
*Kaya Airport, serving the town
* Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...
's January 2012 single "Vampire Requiem". On 20 July, Versailles announced they were stopping all activities by the end of the year. Hizaki, Kaya, Versailles bassist Masashi,
Ken Morioka
Ken Morioka ( ja, 森岡賢; March 15, 1967 – June 3, 2016) was a Japanese musician, keyboardist, composer, and music producer. He died of heart failure at the age of 49.
In addition to being a member of influential synthpop group Soft Ballet, ...
(
Soft Ballet
Soft Ballet was a Japanese electronic group formed in 1987. The group consisted of three members, Maki Fujii, Ken Morioka, and Ryoichi Endo, though they employed extra support members for live shows. While Soft Ballet weren't necessarily chart topp ...
), Kenta Harada and Chargeeeeee (Omega Dripp, ZIZ) performed in a special session band on 7 October at Shinjuku Loft.
On 1 April 2013, every member of Versailles minus singer Kamijo announced they had formed a new band named
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
.
They recruited Zin as vocalist and released their debut single, "Blessing of the Future", in the summer.
That same year Hizaki participated in the ''Dead End Tribute - Song of Lunatics -'' album, paying tribute to the band
Dead End
Dead End or dead end may refer to:
* Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''.
Film and television
* ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by David ...
by performing on the cover of their song "Dress Burning".
Hizaki returned to solo activities in 2015 with short European and South American tours. He released his first solo album in 11 years, ''Rosario'', on 3 August 2016, via major record label
Warner Music Japan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* Nipsey Hussle, All Money In
* Mike Caren, Artist Par ...
. A mini album, ''Back to Nature'', was released by Zeno Records on 27 November 2019. The single "Pavane" was released on 15 July 2020, and credited to Hizaki grace project. The solo mini album ''Rusalka'' was released on 17 February 2021. As Hizaki's first international solo release, Setsuzoku Records combined his past two mini albums into ''Rusalka + Back to Nature'', which was released on 17 September 2021.
Music
The focus of Hizaki's solo work is guitar instrumentals, creating the main melody with the guitar. He said the idea is to replace the vocalist with a guitar. Rather than technical skill, he thinks his ability to create melodies is where he excels. Hizaki said his approach to guitar solos in a band is different than other guitarists; instead of trying to match the flow of the song and insert a solo, he tries to "bring the song into another dimension." Instead of playing "on top of the hook," Hizaki creates a song within a song. He suggested this was influenced by She-Ja (
Gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
,
Animetal
was a Japanese heavy metal band who specialized in metal covers of theme songs from classic and modern Japanese anime and tokusatsu television series.
They were composed of several luminaries of the Japanese metal scene, most notably vocalist ...
, Volcano), who he said used to play solos "completely irrelevant" to the song.
Hizaki revealed that he hates practicing guitar: "I'm the kind of person who wants to create music whenever I have a guitar in my hands. Practicing studiously is something I really hate, so I almost never do it." He admitted that he regresses and loses his touch, frequently not playing for two days in a row. He said he is unsure of how precise his picking is, but is sure that he has a "heavy" way of picking.
Hizaki admitted that at the beginning of Jupiter it was pretty similar to Versailles, as it had four of the same five members. But when Versailles reunited, they chose distinct directions for each, and in 2020, said the main difference was the vocalist's key. He described Kuze as having a "powerful, masculine voice with transcendent high tones while Versailles' vocalist has a mid-range voice with a great aesthetic appeal." Since the key is different, Hizaki's approach to composing music for each is different as well, and he views the two bands as completely different.
Hizaki Grace Project members
;Last line-up
* Hizaki –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*
Yuu/Jasmine You –
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*
Teru – guitar
* Mikage –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
*
Juka –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
;Former members
* Hikaru – vocals
* Seiji – drums (support member)
Equipment
;Current
- ESP Maiden Hizaki Custom Rose
;Other
- ESP Horizon-III Hizaki Custom Pearl White Gold w/flake
- ESP Horizon-III Hizaki Custom Illusion
- ESP Bottom Line GT
- Boss GT-10 Guitar Effects Processor
- Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
- Ibanez Jemini Distortion Pedal
- Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer
- Marshall Guvnor
- Morley Wah Pedal
- Custom Audio Electronics Cables
-
TC Electronic
TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pro ...
G Major
- Korg DTR-1 Rack Tuner
- EX-PRO Wireless System
- Furman Power Conditioner
- Roland FC-200 Midi Foot Controller
- Marshall JVM410H
- Hughes & Kettner, Bogner, Brunetti, Mesa Boogie and Laney Amps
- Keeley Katana Boost Pedal
- Boorocks MD-1 LEON Multi-Driver
Discography
;Albums and EPs
* ''Maiden Ritual'' (29 September 2004)
* ''Dance with grace'' (27 April 2005; two editions: regular was instrumental)
* ''Maiden Ritual -Experiment Edition-'' (11 May 2005)
**The song "Tragic Serenade" was replaced by the instrumental "Scarlet", while "Ritual" has been replaced by its instrumental version.
* ''Grace Special Package I'' (2005)
**Three disc box set: includes ''Dance with grace'', ''Maiden Ritual -Experiment Edition-'' and bonus CD-R with "Members Comment" and instrumental version of "Tragic Serenade".
* ''Rosario'' (2016),
Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
Peak Position: No. 60
* ''Back to Nature'' (2019) No. 231
* ''Rusalka'' (2021) No. 132
* ''Rusalka + Back to Nature'' (2021, international only)
With Hizaki Grace Project
;Albums
* ''Dignity of Crest'' (1 January 2007)
* ''Ruined Kingdom'' (19 September 2007)
* ''Curse of Virgo'' (26 December 2007)
;Singles
* "Pavane" (15 July 2020)
;DVD
*
* , Oricon DVDs Chart Peak Position: No. 264
;Omnibuses
* ''Graceful Playboys'' (5 August 2006; with "Race Wish")
* ''-Unique-'' (9 August 2006; split EP with +Isolation, with "Solitude" and "Cradle")
* ''Summit 03'' (29 November 2009; with "Cradle")
* ''Final Summit 2000~2010: Sequence Records'' (16 February 2011; with "Philosopher")
With Garnet Grave
*
With Crack Brain
* "Crack Diary" (24 July 1999; demo tape)
*
*
*
* ''-Reset-'' (23 March 2002)
* "-Speed・R-" (11 May 2002; freely distributed at concert at Meguro Rock-May-Kan)
With Schwardix Marvally
*
**Four track EP with covers of
Gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
,
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 make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most success ...
and Madeth gray'll and one original song, track one credited to .
* ''Heaven's Romance'' (28 January 2004)
**Released in two versions, each with a different bonus disc.
*
With Sulfuric Acid
* "Vanilla Sky" (19 September 2005; freely distributed at concert at Meguro Rock-May-Kan)
*
*
* ''【s∧lfj'urik 'aesid】'' (April 27, 2006)
*
* ''Final Summit 2000~2010: Sequence Records'' (16 February 2011; omnibus with "Acid Trip")
With Versailles
With Jupiter
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial Twitter
{{Authority control
1979 births
Living people
Versailles (band) members
Visual kei musicians
Japanese heavy metal guitarists
Japanese songwriters
Japanese male models
Japanese male actors
People from Shiga Prefecture
Unidentified musicians
20th-century Japanese guitarists
21st-century Japanese guitarists
Male-to-female cross-dressers