Ken (born November 28, 1968 in

Maibara, Shiga is a city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 38,259 in 14761 households and a population density of 150 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maibara is located in northcentral Shiga Pre ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) is a musician and singer-songwriter, best known as guitarist of the Japanese

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

L'Arc-en-Ciel L'Arc-en-Ciel ( French: 'The Rainbow', stylized as L'Arc~en~Ciel), also known as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band, formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist tetsuya and vocalist hyde. Following the departure of original members hiro and pero, guitarist ...

. He is also the leader, vocalist and guitarist of

Sons of All Pussys Sons of All Pussys (typeset as SONS OF ALL PUSSYS, abbreviated as S.O.A.P.) was a Japanese rock band. Formed in 2002 by Ken, his former L'Arc-en-Ciel bandmate Sakura, and German born model Ein (who appeared in L'Arc-en-Ciel's PVs for " Heaven' ...

(also known as S.O.A.P.) and has released a solo album entitled ''In Physical''. While in L'Arc-en-Ciel his name is stylized as ken.

Biography

L'Arc-en-Ciel

Two months before his graduation in 1992, Ken left the

Nagoya Institute of Technology The , abbreviated to Nitech (or in Japanese to 名工大, ''Meikōdai''), is a public highest-level educational institution of science and technology located in Nagoya, Japan. Nitech was founded in 1905 as ''Nagoya Higher Technical School'', then ...

, where he was an architect major, to join

at the request of his childhood friend

Tetsuya Tetsuya is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Tetsuya can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: * 哲也, "philosophy, to be" * 鉄也, "iron, to be" * 哲哉, "philosophy, alas" * 徹也, "devotion, to be" ...

. He has written a breadth of L'Arc-en-Ciel's music ever since his joining, including "As if in a Dream", "

Vivid Colors "Vivid Colors" is the third single by L'Arc-en-Ciel, released on July 6, 1995, it reached number 16 on the Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and informatio ...

", " Niji", "

The Fourth Avenue Cafe "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" is the thirtieth single by L'Arc-en-Ciel. Originally expected on March 21, 1997, but due to drug charges against drummer Sakura it was only finally released on August 30, 2006. The single reached number 5 on the Oricon c ...

", "Shout at the Devil", " Kasou", "Lies and Truth", "Lover Boy", " My Heart Draws a Dream", "Lost Heaven", " Daybreak's Bell" and "Twinkle Twinkle".

Sons of All Pussys

In 2002 Ken formed his own band,

(S.O.A.P.), as a result of a break in L'Arc-en-Ciel's activities, with ex-L'Arc-en-Ciel member Yasunori "Sakura" Sakurazawa as drummer, and Ein as bassist (a half Japanese/German model who appeared in a few L'Arc PVs). Each member contributed songs based on themes; Ken with love, Ein with desire, and Sakura with his experiences in jail, and together they released three albums; ''Grace'', ''Gimme A Guitar'', ''High!'' and one single, "Paradise". All S.O.A.P. activities have ceased since 2004.

Solo career

On August 23, 2006, Ken released a solo single titled "Speed", and has taken a new "clean" appearance similar to his early days with

. In 2008, he began releasing more singles, including "Deeper" and "S", leading up to the eventual release of his first solo album, ''In Physical'', in 2009.

Guitars

Ken is currently an endorser for

Fernandes Guitars Fernandes Guitars is a Japan, Japanese guitar and accessory manufacturer. It originated in 1969 as a builder of flamenco guitars. As the company grew, it expanded production to include electric guitars, bass guitars, instrument amplifier, amplifie ...

and is usually seen playing these guitars live with

. However he tends to modify his models instead of using them stock. For instance, in the past he used to use Van Zandt pick-ups heavily in his own personal guitars and has since moved on to Kinman pick-ups (this change having now been reflected in one of his more recent Fernandes signature models). However he has also used many different guitars in and out of L'Arc-en-Ciel, including

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

, Fender, and

Steinberger Steinberger is a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The name "Steinberger" can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that originally pro ...

models. In 2010, he endorsed the American-based guitar brand Fender, Ken (together with

Inoran , better known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea since 1986. He started his solo career in 1997. Luna Sea disba ...

from

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 ...

) was approached by Fender and signed the endorsement contract; his signature model is a

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

Discography

Albums

* ''In Physical'' (2009.04.22)

Mini albums

* ''The Party'' (2010.08.04)

Singles

* "Speed" (2006.08.23) * "Deeper" (2009.03.04)

Videos

* ''Ken Tour 2009 "Live in Physical"'' (2009.11.18)

Production work

;

Mucc is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1997. The classic line up of Tatsuro on vocals, Miya on guitar, Yukke on bass, and Satochi on drums was solidified in 1999 following the departure of original bassist Hiro. Af ...

* "

Ageha ageHa (also as 'AGH') was a weekend club event in Tokyo, Japan. It was held on Friday and Saturday at the Usen Studio Coast event space in the Shin-Kiba district, which also hosted live concerts and other events. The word ''Ageha'' is Japanese fo ...

" (2008.08.27) * " Sora to Ito" (2009.01.28) * "

Freesia ''Freesia'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1866 by Christian Friedrich Ecklon (1886) and named after the German botanist and medical practitioner, Friedrich Freese (1795 ...

" (2009.11.25) **Also arrangement. ;

Baroque (band) BAROQUE (previously stylized as Baroque and baroque) was a Japanese rock band originally formed in 2001.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ken 1968 births Living people L'Arc-en-Ciel members Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Japanese rock guitarists Japanese male singer-songwriters Japanese male rock singers Visual kei musicians Japanese alternative rock musicians Musicians from Shiga Prefecture 20th-century Japanese guitarists 21st-century Japanese guitarists