Biography
Born in Japan.
As the guitarist of L'Arc~en~Ciel, Ｋｅｎ made his major debut with the video EP “Nemuri ni yosete” and the album “Tierra” (Ki/oon Sony Records) in 1994 and has released 35 EPs and eleven albums with the band so far.
In 1996, the album “True” sold over a million copies, and, in 1999, the number of sales of the simultaneously released albums “ark” and “ray” reached six million.
In 1997, tickets for their concert at the Tokyo Dome sold out in only four minutes. Their live tour “1999 GRAND CROSS TOUR” (total 12 shows) drew audiences totaling 650,000 people, and was broadcast throughout many Asian countries. In 2005, “ASIALIVE 2005” in Seoul and Shanghai were a great success and also made him known as a member of a monster band of Asia. In 2008, L'Arc~en~Ciel's “TOUR 2008 L'7 Trans ASIA via PARIS” was a huge success and saw the band plaing ten shows in seven different cities of the world. It included their first live show in Paris. The success of the tour made people think of L'Arc~en~Ciel as not only a cool Japanese band, but a great worldwide band as well.
Ｋｅｎ has also been the vocalist and guitarist of SONS OF ALL PUSSYS since 2002. With this project, he has gone on nationwide live tours, performed at SUMMER SONIC '03 and concerts in other Asian countries, and has released three mini albums, three EPs, and three DVDs. His activity is being developed with his desire “do something fun” simply and aggressively.
Ken also produced ムック's (MUCC) "AGEHA" single in 2008. As he has proved through his work in the past, it is not too much to say that he could be one of the greatest producers in Japan, considering his outstanding knowledge of music and technique and his good sense regarding bands he works with.
Also, as a solo artist, Ｋｅｎ released his first single, “Speed,” which initially ranked #4 on Japanese charts in Summer of 2006. His strong individuality and multi-faceted music character, including the expression of his own feelings and the uniting of rock and emotions, were strongly emphasized in this release. He released his second single, "Deeper," in March of 2009 and followed that up with his first full-length album, "IN PHYSICAL," in April.
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