Country: Japan
Rock star, actor, model and former soccer player Miyavi has been a part of the music scene in Japan since 1999, when he was the guitarist for band Miyabi. By 2002, he had his debut solo album out and he has been releasing a steady stream of content since, most recently releasing Holy Nights this year.
Along with touring Japan and Korea (he is half Korean), Miyavi has done world tours, collaborated with a range of different artists, and even been part of a Japanese rock supergroup called S.K.I.N. who had their debut at the 2007 Anime convention in Long Beach, CA. Miyavi‘s style draws from a hefty dose of guitar-driven post-punk, with further influences from electronica, hip hop, pop and dance music seeping their way into his tunes.
Songs like “Samurai 45” from 2019’s No Sleep Til Tokyo is a hypnotic English-language rocker with a jaunty, steel-slick chorus. “Odyssey” from 2015’s The Others grooves with angular guitars that is reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand‘s best tracks, while the title track, from his latest album, Holy Nights, moves further into dance rock, relying on heavy drum beats and a big pop chorus to make this one to move to in a club.
He certainly has garnered some famous fans already (see who did the intro to his 2017 album)! Start getting to know Miyavi‘s music in our World Watch Playlist!
The Indy Review 