Miyavi

This is the 110th post in our Musician of the Day series.



Miyavi was born Takamasa Ishihara in 1981 in Japan. He bought his first guitar at the age of 15 and when an injury left him unable to play soccer he began writing music.

In 1999 he joined the band Due le Quartz where he was credited under the name of Miyabi. The band dissolved in 2002 and Miyavi announced that he would be pursuing a solo career under the name of Miyavi. He soon signed to PS Company and released his first album Gagaku in October of 2002.

The following year he released Galyuu which earned him a large enough reputation to sign with a major label. In 2004 he signed with Universal Records Japan.

His first major album was Miyavizm and it was released in 2005.

It was after this album that he began to make a switch toward an acoustic pop sound and this was reflected in his second and third albums on Universal. MYV☆POPS and Miyaviuta ~Dokusou~ were both released in 2006.

In 2007, Miyavi joined the band S.K.I.N. and began performing with them. He also released an EP and remix album for his solo career.

His most recent album was released in 2008 and is called This iz Japanese Kabuki Rock. He followed it up with a world tour to promote the album.

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