Ken (musician)

Ken (born November 28, 1968, in Maibara, Shiga) is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter, best known as guitarist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. After he joined them in 1992, they went on to sell over 40 million records,^[1] making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. He has written a breadth of L'Arc-en-Ciel's material, including "Vivid Colors", "The Fourth Avenue Cafe", "Niji", "Kasou", "My Heart Draws a Dream", "Daybreak's Bell" and "Chase". Ken was also the leader, vocalist and guitarist of Sons of All Pussys (also known as S.O.A.P.), and has released a solo album entitled In Physical.

Biography

L'Arc-en-Ciel

Two months before his graduation in 1992, Ken left the Nagoya Institute of Technology, where he was an architect major, to join L'Arc-en-Ciel at the request of his childhood friend Tetsuya. On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune on the well-known independent record label Danger Crue Records. The album was a success and caught the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed a contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Ki/oon division and released their major debut album Tierra that same year. Their third studio album Heavenly followed in 1995. In 1996, their fourth album, True, became their first number one record on the Oricon Albums Chart and sold over a million copies.^[2] However, drummer Sakura was arrested for drug possession in early 1997, and the band took a hiatus.

L'Arc-en-Ciel resumed activities as a trio with the October 1997 release of the single "Niji". It features former Zi:Kill and Die in Cries drummer Yukihiro as a support member. Sakura officially announced his departure from L'Arc-en-Ciel on November 4, and the band held their first concert back at the Tokyo Dome on December 23, 1997, entitled Reincarnation. It was the band's first performance at the venue and had an attendance of 56,000 people, with the tickets sold out in a record-breaking four minutes.^[2][3] Yukihiro officially joined L'Arc-en-Ciel as their drummer on January 1, 1998. The single "Winter Fall", which was released at the end of the month, became the group's first number one on the Oricon Singles Chart.

L'Arc-en-Ciel went on to become one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. Their 1999 simultaneously-released albums Ark and Ray are each one of the best-selling albums of all time in Japan. In 2003, L'Arc-en-Ciel were ranked number 58 on a list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan.^[4] In 2012, they became the first Japanese act to headline Madison Square Garden in New York City.^[1]

Sons of All Pussys

In 2002 Ken formed his own band, Sons of All Pussys (S.O.A.P.), as a result of a break in L'Arc-en-Ciel's activities, with ex-L'Arc-en-Ciel member Sakura 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 L'Arc-en-Ciel. In 2008, he released another single titled "Deeper", leading up to the eventual release of his first solo album, In Physical, in 2009, and a national tour in support of the album in the same year.

In 2010, he released the mini-album "The Party".

Equipment

Ken is currently an endorser for Fernandes Guitars and is usually seen playing these guitars live. 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, Fender, and Steinberger models.

In 2010, he endorsed the American-based guitar brand Fender, Ken (together with Inoran from Luna Sea) was approached by Fender and signed the endorsement contract; his signature model is a Stratocaster.^[5]

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)

Other work

Mucc

• "Ageha" (2008.08.27) – produced
• "Sora to Ito" (2009.01.28) – produced
• "Freesia" (2009.11.25) – produced and arranged
• Myakuhaku (2017.01.25) – produced

Baroque

• "Girl" (2016.10.26) – produced

Tatsuro

• "The Love Letter" (2022.02.02) – composed, co-wrote and co-arranged

References

External links

• Official website

This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 18:39