Biography

-miyavi- (Born September 14th, 1981 in Amagasaki, Hyôgoken, Japan) was originally known as Miyabi, but changed his preferred romanization of this name to Miyavi after going solo in 2002. (Miyabi means “elegant” in Japanese, and as the language has no “V” sound, they still pronounce the word as ‘Miyabi.’) Known as 'Miyabi' when he was in the visual-kei/indies band Dué le Quartz (which disbanded in 2002). In the same year, Miyabi announced that he was going solo, changed his name to Miyavi (which is phonetically the same in Japanese) and released his début album "【雅楽】-gagaku-." He soon signed a contract with PS Company along with other artists such as Alice Nine, Kagrra, Gazette (band), and Kra (band).

In October 2004, Miyavi released his first major single "ROCK no Gyakushû -SUPERSTAR no Jôken- (ロックの逆襲-スーパースターの条件-)" and began to credit himself in the song writing credits of liner notes as "MYV". His first major album, "【雅-miyavizm-主義】", was released in June 2005.

雅-miyavi- composes, arranges, and produces his own music. He has been playing guitar for 11 years.

雅-miyavi-'s significant change in music style since leaving Due'le Quartz caused many of his original audience to disperse, but attracted a new audience that he did not originally have.

In addition to his musical career, 雅-miyavi- also starred as himself in the 2003 film "Oresama (おれさま)" and models for various J-Rock magazines such as Fools Mate, Arena 37c, and Shoxx magazine. He has also modelled for the clothing line Fotus.

He was supposed to do a concert tour of the US in 2004, but pulled out.

In his solo work he seems to enjoy his youth and natural charm to the extreme in eccentric music videos and photo shoots. He's had every color hair to go with his sometimes space-aged (sometimes circus-themed) costumes that are nothing like those he flaunted when in Dué le quartz. He's released a variety of videos, singles, and two albums so far. While the music on his first album is basically within the same genre range, comparing any of those tracks to 'Ashita Tenki ni Nare' from the 'Jingle Bell' single is like comparing winter to summer. Likewise, 'Shindemo Boogie Woogie' has a much different feel to it than 'Pop is Dead'. The point? 雅-miyavi- doesn't see the need to limit himself to a certain mold when he writes music. And this observation is not limited to mood. It involves instruments, vocal range, presentation, and just about everything else. He creates music that is acoustic, melodic, catchy as hell, and sometimes just plain noisy. There's something for everyone, if you're willing to give him a try.

There are many theories behind his name change but most of them are based on the idea that he has felt personal growth, and is no longer the same person he was when he was with Dué le quartz. Others say it's because he's just crazy and likes to do things that make people wonder what's going on inside his head. I've seen a lot of disappointment in the fact that he is no longer nearly as visual as he used to be. I guess him dressing up as a Geisha or a vampire isn't cutting it for those fans. Miyavi himself has said it's kind of strange not being as visual as he used to be. Before his first live he wasn't sure what to do with his extra time, since it used to be consumed with hours of makeup application and hair styling. He did say, however, that he does still practice visual appeal and he will continue to entertain his fans this way.

雅-miyavi-'s solo personna is classified by his incredible camera presence, an upper body littered with tattoos (he claims each of them represent something that has occured in his life), his ability to make bizarre dancing look good, and the fact that he smiles with two rows of teeth. 雅-miyavi- spends plenty of free time on his computer updating his "diary" (which is not actually a diary but a place where he can write messages to fans), and reading emails from his loyal followers. He asks them to send jokes and pictures when he needs to be cheered up. He thanks them for being there. He tells them he loves them, no matter what country they're from or who they are. He's never afraid to get up close to fans during lives, holding their hands and even reading their fan mail on stage.