“Which is why, I am simply, a voice and nothing more. “ - Kyo

Vocalist Kyo’s identity is something that has received high appreciation not only in Japan, but the world over. But, according to the man himself, just to what esteem does he hold himself?

Regardless, to solely believe in oneself self alone is the peek of self confidence.

But to the Kyo san who continues throwing his voice out into the world through DIR EN GREY and sukekiyo, just what is his reason to continue?

His visually shocking front page spread together with his thoughts and imagination, Kyo san shares all.





This is one of the most visually impacting issues since the launching of this magazine.

I just wanted find a way to visually express “the things that exist inside my head” as well as “my own belief system” without getting caught up in too many unnecessary things.

For example, if this were a photoshoot for DIR EN GREY my choice of clothes etc would be completely different, this time around I was told “anything is fine” so I really took advantage of that.

Although when tomorrow comes, I’ll probably end up saying something completely different would be better. I’m never satisfied. Not remotely.

Talking about the visual aspect, you certainly know how to utilise the moment. But just how do you continue to challenge this insatiable greed?

I don’t think it’s really a case of challenging something. It’s almost as if these things just come to mind pointlessly when the timing is off, so a lot of the time there’s no opportunity for me to use these ideas and they just get thrown away.

You have quite a relaxed open attitude. Is that why you are so able to effectively divide and express yourself through DIR EN GREY and Sukekiyo?

It’s not as if it’s my intention to fill some kind of role. At the end of the day, there are times where I write the lyrics after having heard the melody. But in the case of DIR EN GREY, those words and the melodies I apply to the sound tend to be a very “DIR” sound that comes to me naturally. With Sukekiyo there are times where very sukekiyo-esque lyrics come to me, but there are also times where in I’m physically expressing the shape of what I’m feeling in that moment. Which is why it’s not a case of “Oh, because it’s DIR it should be like this.” or “because it’s sukekiyo it should be like this.” I have no intentions of forcibly changing myself to fill a role.

It really feels as if you are completely capable of adapting yourself to each and every moment. You’ve probably heard this a thousand times before but you really are incredibly talented.

No, no not at all. I’m really not talented. My own self worth is actually quite low.









“Rather than stopping, if you don’t continue forwards then I feel like there really is no point in living. “

Well that’s very surprising. The calibre of your performances goes without saying, but you also compose poetry and are very talented at drawing, It seems as if you really are talented in every single aspect. I really feel it’s something not many people could impersonate.

To tell the truth, I feel that is simply because no one is doing it as seriously as I am. If they were to actually do it in real life, they would realise that they are better at it than me. Which is why I make sure to hold myself in such low regard. Of course there are people who are kind enough to compliment me, but I feel as if half of those people are simply saying it just for the sake of it. Which is why I never really take them seriously.

I’m not sure how to put this but, surely you can take it seriously?

Nope!

I see (haha) But honestly, the reason people are saying it’s “good!” really is because it’s good.

Hmmm, I just, personally, don’t believe people are that honest. Which is why I just can’t believe things like that (haha). My own self worth has always been low right from the very start, so nothing ever becomes a positive or a driving force. It’s like, I don’t really know how to feel about the idea of focusing on one point because I was praised about it or like thinking I’m particularly good at something. So in general I don’t really pay attention to other people and what they say.

Did you always think that way even from the time when you first started a band?

I wasn’t quite able to express it to this point in words but, yes, I did.

There was this one time in particular, when I was in my first band. In my hometown I played at a various bands live and there was only like 10 people there. Whatmore, even though we were in the middle of a live they just sat there and chatted away. That didn’t really sit right with me, so I went down to floor and said to them “Do me a favor and go home!” (haha) I suppose you could just say I was young but at the core I haven’t changed that much. Even since way back then, I’ve never been someone who cares about what worth others hold in me.

It’s quite incredible that even from those early days you had such a sense of self awareness. Although I get the feeling that, that strong sense of resolution is still ingrained in the Kyo san we know today.

I honestly think that if you care too much about what others think about you then probably, somewhere along the way, you’ll become unable to progress forward and then wouldn’t your own way of doing things, slowly get smaller and smaller? Which is why, somewhere along the way, I just realised that “You are who you are” and that it is better to believe as such.

That is certainly true. If there were a 100 people in a room then there would be a 100 ways of thinking, to the point where if you were to focus on the thoughts and opinions of others you would become unable to do anything at all.

Yep. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s not as if anyone is going to criticise you to your face anyway.

Are you speaking from experience?

No, nothing like that. I mean that’s exactly why I don’t understand people. Even if I were to care about the people around me and live whilst expressing various things, when it comes to the day that I quit music or die, it’s not as if anyone is going to remember me. At the end of the day, all that matters is this moment. Which is why, If you were to just live your life like that; caring about other people, once you died and looked back on your life and asked yourself just how much did you really live your life, wouldn’t the realisation that you cared too much about others to actually live your life be an extremely lonely one? Which is exactly why I live my life without caring and that way I become who I am without any regrets and without hurting anyone.

It almost feels as if you’re saying something pro-active but that’s not the case is it?

I’m sure such things as being encouraged by praise for something and wanting try harder next time in order to be praised again is something that can be seen as quite pro-active. But personally, it doesn’t matter what I do, it just doesn’t satisfy me.

But even still, rather than stopping, if you don’t continue forwards then I feel like there really is no point in living.

I live each day feeling as if I am searching for something in the darkness, and as such I am always filled with this sense of sorrow.

You say you feel as if you are searching for something in the darkness, however is there light to be found there?

If there is light to be found there that would nice I guess. I mean, all it would take would be for me to head towards that light. But that isn’t to say that the person I am right now is unhappy. But it’s just, now matter how large of a venue we play in, the next day I feel as if I’m going to die from this overwhelming sense of emptiness. And even if in the moment I feel like “Oh! oh!” about the live, the second it’s over it just becomes a thing of the past and within me it unfortunately becomes something that registers as zero, minus. I’m certain, if I were normal, I’d be able to brag about my past accomplishments and be all “I’m so amazing” and boast, probably. But I’ve never so much as said anything even remotely like that. If anything, my heart is never even remotely satisfied. Which is why a part of me longs to become normal like everyone else. I mean of course everyone is unique and it’s not like they’re living each day completely satisfied by life but like, working really hard so you can go on holiday, things like that, I don’t have anything like that. All I do is just make the things I want to do and the ideas that float around in my head into a reality and in that moment I find a sense of redemption.

At times it’s a sense that, whilst I just keep on walking forwards, then maybe, depending on what it is that I’m doing, I will become able to see that light in some way or another. I still can’t see even a glimmer of light and so in that sense I yearn for it.





“I find the prospect of not being able to find a new version of myself more frightening.”

This year DIR EN GREY will celebrate their 20th anniversary, I understand that you are earnestly moving forwards but just how have these past 20 years been for you?

I guess if I look back it’s been a long 20 years. But, I can still feel every moment.

Until now you have released various different types of songs. However with the announcement of the winter best album release, is this not a way to see the bands growth rings, so to speak?

I’ve already reached the point now where I want to re-record all of the songs on ARCHE, as well as wanting to re-record the songs that have been compiled for the best album too, But really there’s no end to that kind of thinking so I’m just going to pretend like I can’t see it.

I agree with your constant want to make things anew.

I have no idea how the other members feel but, the thought that “if I could sing this song as I am now…” is constantly there, and like, despite the fact that thought is there, putting out an album where we just leave those old songs as they are really just doesn’t sit right with me. But looking at it from the fans point of view, I’m sure there are songs that hold significant meaning for them. And so if we were were to change everything I’m sure they would be sad, so I’m just going to pretend like I can’t see it. (haha)

I’m happy just being able to hear such words. When I saw the joint live at Yokohama arena I felt this but, I couldn’t help but wonder if the audience were the same fans that have followed you for the past 20 years. Recently, you see a lot of musicians who create bands because they look up to you.

But the reality is so different that it makes me wonder if they’re just saying that. So I don’t believe them. I mean, like for example, if I were to quit the band and have absolutely nothing to do with music, if they came up to me then and said “I’m a huge fan” then maybe I’d believe them a little bit.

That being said, do you wish for people to see just what kind of person “Kyo” is in his entirety?

Actually, I’d rather they didn’t see (haha) Also, I don’t really like those kinds of people who are like “Oh if I did like this it would be good” or “This kind of thing is so Kyo right?” which is probably why I make new things, do over those thing that are nostalgic. If you don’t make something new you’re just gradually going to get stale.

Personally, I really hate the word “stable”. I mean isn’t someone who’s unstable fun? If you wanna just do one thing, that’s fine. Maybe that’s what is considered to be cool. But for me it’s the completely opposite, doing just one thing makes me feel as if I’ll become unable to do anything but that one thing and I really don’t like the idea of that.

In Kyo san’s case, your belief, your convictions have always been something that is “unstable” have they not?

I mean, that’s what ‘belief’ is. But I mean it’s not as if those expressions are something that are purposefully stable. This time around I decided to do something that was to the extreme.

Which is why I honestly think the word “natural” really suits you, especially when you take into consideration the theme of the photo shoot.

It was just of a case of me questioning what it means to believe in something.

Everyone, respectively, has their own form of ‘God’ or something that they believe inside of them do they not? I just thought; that right there, that something inside is what I want to try and express, variation is everything is it not? Even Gods that are considered to be abnormal in some way, shape or form are fine. To be honest there were more things I wanted to do for this shoot. In order to represent the act of murdering my own God, I wanted to hang myself, but even without me going that far, the elements that I wanted to express came into being without overdoing it.

Generally speaking, when I express something radical, all the focus ends up being on that so I figured I’d save that for another occasion.

‘God’ so to speak, is something that “one holds faith in”, with that in mind, what do you think about that statement? If you were to name something that you solely held faith in, what would you say?

Myself. I believe only in myself.

Believing only in oneself, the pursuit of something new. However, with that search for something new isn’t the prospect that one might change completely something that is to some degree frightening?

No, I find the prospect of not being able to find a new version of myself more frightening. In that case doesn’t that mean you’ve gone as far as you can go? It’s not as if being able to discover a new version of yourself is something that I consider fun, however it makes me feel alive. I mentioned this before but, being limited to just one thing, my existence becomes meaningless, there becomes no point it being me, anyone can do it. If that were the case I’d quit without hesitation.

And so, going on what we’ve covered so far there’s one more thing I was wondering if you could answer for me. Kyo, you are someone who expresses themselves via performing, an artist, a musician. Which of these do you feel suits you the best?

I suppose I would have to say “none”. They are all in the same, upon reaching some level of satisfaction I suppose it would be fine to say which one in particular suited me but music, art, I am not satisfied with any of them. Also I think there is a tendency to pigeonhole into a genre or to put a wall up but I do not think that way. Which is why, I am simply, a voice and nothing more.