Kamijo (musician)
| Kamijo | |
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Kamijo performing with Versailles in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | KAMIJO, SHOKI |
| Born |
July 19, 1975 Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Origin | Kantō, Japan |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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| Website | Official website |
Kamijo is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer. He is best known as lead singer of the visual kei bands Lareine and Versailles. He has also been the head of two independent record labels; the first being Applause Records (formed in 2000), and currently Sherow Artist Society since 2006. His music covers many genres, Lareine having mainly a baroque pop style, and Versailles a clear symphonic and neoclassical metal sound. He has an extensive discography with the bands Lareine, New Sodmy and Versailles, consisting of 15 albums, and a large amount of EPs and singles. In 2013, Kamijo began a solo career with his debut single "Louis ~Enketsu no La Vie en Rose~".
Kamijo was raised in a family of musicians; his mother and grandmother were both piano players, and his grandfather a violinist. His first steps in rock are set in the mid 90s, when he worked as a roadie for the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. He shared this job with Mayu, a guitarist with whom he formed the band Lareine.
In August 1994, Mayu and Kamijo (then using the name Shoki) met for the first time while they were working as roadies for Malice Mizer. The same year, in November, they decide to form a band together, which they named Laliene ru cheri, commonly called just Laliene; named that way for the French Queen Marie Antoinette. Along with guitarist Sakuren and drummer Kyouka, they begin to play. Later bass player Emiru entered the band, completing the first line-up.
In March 1996, Laliene held a live concert for their first anniversary, where they changed the name of the band to Lareine. That same year they released their first recording "Saikai no Hana", distributed freely at the anniversary concert in a limited number of 100 copies. After many years of releasing many albums, EPs and singles, during a short separation of the band, Kamijo created the band New Sodmy, and recorded two albums and five singles.
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Wikipedia