By Keiko Miyako Schlegel, translated by Bruce Rutledge
Photos courtesy of YOSHIKI
▪️YOSHIKI is a composer, classically trained pianist, rock drummer, and the leader of X JAPAN. Over the course of his career, he has achieved numerous milestones, including performances at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. His creative work extends beyond music into fashion, film, and wine production. In 2023, he became the first Japanese artist ever to have his handprints and footprints immortalized at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. He is also widely known for his philanthropic work and commitment to promoting culture through the arts.
A lover of beauty in all its forms, YOSHIKI has dedicated his life to its pursuit. After relocating to Los Angeles in the 1990s, he overcame countless hardships while continuing to push beyond the boundaries of music in search of ever-greater artistic expression. Looking back on his journey, one word comes up again and again in his reflections: dream. What still lies ahead for him? In this interview, YOSHIKI speaks about his aspirations, his determination as an artist, and his thoughts ahead of his Los Angeles performances this July.
The crystallization of YOSHIKI’s aesthetic: his crystal piano.
Please tell us about the concept behind your Los Angeles performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall on July 16 and 17.
Although the concerts are rooted in classical music, I’m planning something quite unconventional in terms of production. I want to create a fully immersive artistic world, so it will be very different from a typical classical concert. It’s going to be a spectacular show. And actually, I won’t just be playing piano. I’ll be performing on drums as well.
Would you describe this as part of the YOSHIKI CLASSICAL world tour?
I’ve performed internationally many times before, but if everything up to now was the prologue, then this is where Chapter One truly begins. In that sense, yes, it is a world tour. It starts in Japan, which is my homeland, and continues to places deeply connected to me, including Los Angeles and Paris.
You’ve now lived in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. What has life in America been like for you?
To me, Los Angeles is the center of the world for entertainment, especially music. That’s exactly why I chose to base myself here. Of course, there have been hundreds of times when I wanted to go back to Japan. But I always felt that I couldn’t return until I had accomplished something. That mindset has carried me through the past 30 years. Even now, I feel like I’m still climbing the stairs, one step at a time.
It’s surprising to hear someone of your stature say that you still haven’t accomplished enough. Does that reflect how much more you still want to do?
I love art in a holistic sense. Fashion, of course, but also things like producing wine. I’m deeply drawn to beauty itself. I’ve devoted my life to that pursuit, but I still don’t feel I’ve reached its fullest expression. Naturally, I’m a musician, so I compose as well, but I hope that by letting people witness my ongoing pursuit of what I call the ultimate aesthetic, I can offer them even a little courage.
For the bottle design of his wine label, Y by YOSHIKI, YOSHIKI collaborated with celebrated contemporary Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara.
You’ve taken on so many challenges and succeeded in so many fields. If you were reborn, what kind of life would you want to live?
To be honest, I wouldn’t want to live the same life over again. I’ve been blessed with incredible fans, and I’m deeply grateful for that, but my life has also been filled with just as much pain. Actually, I shouldn’t say that in the past tense. It’s still ongoing. There have been hundreds, maybe thousands, of moments when I felt like I was about to break. If I knew the same life was waiting for me again, it would simply be too hard.
And yet, because it has been this kind of life, I try to believe that I’ve been able to create music that only I could create.
It seems you carry a heavy burden, one can sense that even watching you on a screen.
I often tell myself that God doesn’t give us trials we cannot overcome.
In a different life, I think I would devote myself to art and volunteer work. I’ve been involved in charity for a very long time, and helping people gives meaning to my life. But then again, maybe I would still end up doing music in another life, too. I’ve loved music since childhood. As long as I can remember, music has always been around me.
Let’s talk about music. Piano and drums seem to express very different things. How do you approach each instrument?
Human beings experience all kinds of emotions: sadness, joy, anger. For me, the piano expresses sorrow and loneliness, while the drums express pain and anger. I use each instrument as a different outlet for my emotions. I also play trumpet and guitar, but piano and drums are my main instruments.
When people think of YOSHIKI, they often think of the crystal piano. How did the YOSHIKI model come about?
I’m drawn to things that are transparent and pure. That applies to the heart as well. I love purity. From a stage-production standpoint, the crystal piano also changes color depending on the lighting, and as I continued using it, my own model was eventually created. I use crystal drums as well.
Music is clearly your life itself. After undergoing three cervical spine surgeries, what kind of resolve do you carry with you now that you are back on stage?
When I perform, I do so as if I’m offering up my entire being. I’ve spent years playing drums with incredible intensity, and the same goes for piano. In a sense, the consequences are unavoidable. Even if I were to need a fourth or fifth surgery in the future, I would accept that. In every performance, I give my all.
Finally, what message would you like to share with Japanese people living in the Pacific Northwest, especially younger generations?
Living overseas can be very difficult. But there are also many people who wish they could go abroad and cannot. In a way, I think those of us who are living overseas also carry their dreams with us.
When I moved to America 30 years ago, it was still hard even to imagine Japanese people thriving internationally. By doing our best, we can inspire people back in Japan. I hope everyone will keep that in mind and continue striving forward.
“Carrying dreams” is a beautiful phrase. Do you think it is essential to hold on to dreams in life?
I think it depends on what kind of lens you choose to look at your life through. If you look through a dark lens, everything feels negative. I consciously make the effort to see things in a positive light, no matter what happens. The lens I try to see through is one filled with dreams. If people could look at life through that kind of lens, I think they would find hope and dreams there as well.
I hope to see you in Los Angeles.
YOSHIKI L.A. Concerts, July 16-17, Tickets on Sale Now
Following his April performances in Tokyo, the second installment of YOSHIKI CLASSICAL 2026 will take place in Los Angeles this summer under the titles “SCARLET NIGHT” and “VIOLET NIGHT.” Each of the two nights will feature a different set list. These performances will mark YOSHIKI’s full-scale return to the U.S. stage after he underwent cervical spine surgery in 2024 and completed a long rehabilitation process.
Dates: July 16 (Thu) and July 17 (Fri), 8:00 p.m.
Venue: The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets: $44.50-$199.00
Details: yoshiki.net/disneyhall2026
