is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist and poet. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the heavy metal band Dir En Grey. He was formerly in a string of visual kei rock bands, with the most notable being La:Sadie's from 1995 to 1997. He then started Dir En Grey in February 1997, following La:Sadie's disbandment with three of its members, formed the experimental rock band Sukekiyo in 2013, and the supergroup Petit Brabancon in 2021. Kyo was inspired to become a musician when he saw a picture of Buck-Tick vocalist Atsushi Sakurai on the desk of a junior high school classmate. When he then discovered X Japan he was particularly fond of hide and had his parents buy him the guitarist's black signature model guitar. However, after realizing how difficult it was to play guitar and then bass, he then switched to vocals.
Artistry
Vocal abilities
With a tenor voice spanning just below five octaves, Kyo's vocals are considered a pivotal aspect of Dir En Grey's music. He has gained wide recognition for his large range and versatility, being able to "howl, croon, emote cleanly, scream, shriek, growl, bellow, and make nearly inhuman sounds." Loudwire wrote "Sporting incredibly low death metal gutturals, Kyo can also turn a complete 180 as one of metal's highest shriekers." Dane Prokofiev of PopMatters said that his "natural ease at and inclination towards striking such a stark contrast between the two opposite ends of the human vocal spectrum can be obtained as only a kind of pre-birth winning lottery ticket—you know, that much coveted prize we call 'talent'."
AllMusic's Thom Jurek has compared him favorably to experimental and avant-garde vocalists Mike Patton and Diamanda Galás. Kyo's own bandmate Die said "he's like a guitar or an effect. Kyo is an instrument. That inspires me. That allows me to grow as a guitarist as well."
Lyrics
While he has only composed a handful of Dir En Grey's songs (for example, "The Domestic Fucker Family" and "Hades"), Kyo is responsible for all the lyrics, which usually have negative implications and touch on a variety of dark, sometimes taboo, subjects, such as sexual obsessions ("Zomboid"), child abuse ("Berry"), and mass media ("Mr. Newsman"). A lot of his lyrics are also love poems. Several songs deal with specifically Japanese issues, such as the country's casual attitude towards abortion ("Mazohyst of Decadence" and "Obscure") and its conformity-oriented society ("Children"). Others deal with more traditional subject matter such as personal feelings, emotions, and lost love ("Undecided", "Taiyou no Ao", "Mushi").
When asked why most of the band's lyrics are in Japanese instead of English, which has more broad international appeal, Kaoru said that "We consider our music [to be] a piece of art. [...] The language is part of that artwork." He explained that Kyo prefers "the sensitivities that Japanese language offers. There are expressions and nuances that can only be conveyed in Japanese; he values that."
The vocabulary used ranges from vulgar to exalted, with wordplay and double entendres occurring frequently. For example, the title of the song "Mitsu to Tsuba", which is about rape, means "Honey and Saliva", but is written with the kanji inverted, suggesting reading them with an inverted pronunciation - "Tsumi to Batsu" - which would translate to "Crime and Punishment", a more appropriate title.
Stage image
His stage performances became known in the mid 2000s for their shock elements such as full-body makeup resembling heavy burns, fake vomit of varying color and consistency, which developed into various acts of self-mutilation. There is video documentation from the mid-2000 involving the use of blades as well as evidence of strained mental health and fainting, although some of it was performative, and purported to be in place within a tour's usual set-list. Kyo would also regularly engage in fish-hooking during the performance of "Kodoku ni Shisu, Yueni Kodoku" throughout the "It Withers and Withers" and "Inward Scream" tours. However, after 2008's Uroboros, the occurrence of these incidents have subsided; while he still sometimes wears costumes on stage, he rarely performs self mutilation, real or simulated, his last recorded one being during the same song on Dir en Grey's TOUR16-17 FROM DEPRESSION TO __ [mode of Withering to death.] tour.
Collaborations
While in a 2010 North American co-headline tour, Kyo performed with Apocalyptica, singing "Bring Them To Light" along with Tipe Johnson. Later that year, he recorded vocals for Daisuke to Kuro no Injatachi's debut album.