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GACKT

Revision as of 13:08, 30 April 2010 by Ryoutarou (talk | contribs) (→‎(as GACKT))
Gackt (2009)

GACKT (ガクト, but most often written in English, even in Japan; pronounced Gakuto) is a vocalist, songwriter, multi-talented instrumentalist, actor, as well as a beloved celebrity amongst females, both in Japan and in the international J-Pop fan community. He is the former singer of both CAINS:FELL and MALICE MIZER. It was during his time in MALICE MIZER that he began to gain some national recognition. He can play the: trumpet, tuba, horn, trombone, piano, guitar, drums, bass, other standard orchestral instruments, and most traditional Japanese instruments. Gackt can also speak: Japanese, English, Mandarin, Korean, and French, all with varying degrees of fluency. His fanclub is called "Dears", which is named from track #10 of his debut album MARS.

Profile

Biography

Early Life

Since Gackt became a member of MALICE MIZER, he has claimed (jokingly) to be a vampire and to have been born on July 4th, 1540. He himself announced on November 5th, 2009 that his actual birth year is 1973, and said he never particularly concealed his age. Born in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, Gackt's parents were strict while he was growing up. His television viewing was restricted to national or educational programming. At the age of seven, Gackt nearly drowned in the Sea of Okinawa. In his autobiography, he claims that after being rescued he became aware of supernatural abilities - he goes on to say that he does not wish to have children, for fear of passing these abilities on.

Gackt is a very competitive person and has been quoted as saying, "It's not that I want to win, it's just that I don't want to lose.". His parents, both music teachers, forced him to take music lessons at the age of 3. At that young of an age, he would have been physically incapable of taking on such a feat. The lessons continued with Gackt having little or no interest, until he saw that his friend had far surpassed him at the instrument. Out of competitiveness, he dedicated himself to his lessons. Later he would have a similar reaction when he saw his father play the trumpet and his musical preference would shift to brass.

When Gackt turned 17, his interests shifted to rock. He eventually would focus on modern rock and could play non-classical instruments proficiently. Gackt started as a drum technician for a recording studio and drummer for an unknown band. Later on, he met You and formed the band CAINS:FEEL, with Gackt as the vocalist.

MALICE MIZER

Gackt's career in the public eye began upon joining the visual-kei rock band MALICE MIZER in October of 1995 as their new vocalist. With his influence, the band's music became romanticized and wistful. They shed their modern "goth" image for colorful historical costumes.

After four years, Gackt left in 1999, apparently due to either creative differences or financial problems, although it was never officially explained in detail. Gackt claimed that he was asked by MALICE MIZER to leave, although he wished to stay. This has never been confirmed otherwise.

Solo Career

Gackt

After leaving MALICE MIZER, Gackt started a solo career with his backing band GACKTJob. The band curently consists of: Fujimura "Chachamaru" Yukihito, You, Ju-ken, Jun-ji, and Igao. His solo career is a great success as he continues to maintain a level of popularity even greater than when he was with MALICE MIZER.

In addition to music, Gackt has done work as an actor in TV, movies, and commercials, usually "playing" himself. Gackt starred in the Japanese drama Hero's Hero as well as co-starred in and authored the script for the movie Moon Child with hyde, the vocalist of L'Arc~en~Ciel. He also played Uesugi Kenshin in the NHK drama Fuurinkazan.

Gackt was also involved in the PlayStation 2 game Bujingai, where he performed voice work as well as motion capture for the game's protagonist Lau Wong. He also done voice work for Square Enix's game Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. In this game, Gackt has a character modeled after him, named Genesis Rhapsodos. That character also appears during a hidden movie in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, where Gackt has also done voice work for the Japanese version, as well as contributed the song "REDEMPTION" for its theme song.

Gackt's performances and videos are often sexually suggestive and usually contain a level of homoeroticism. This is usually considered to be a form of fan service, either for the female audience or to (theoretically) "shock" a more conservative media. Gackt has stated in his autobiography that while he is emotionally capable of loving another man, he is sexually incapable of it.

As of June 2009, Gackt has changed his stage name to GACKT starting with the single, "Koakuma Heaven".

In 2010, Gackt moved labels and will now be releasing music through Avex.

S.K.I.N.

On May 25, 2007, the formation of the group S.K.I.N. was announced. Its members (besides Gackt) consists of fellow pop rock artist Miyavi, former LUNA SEA guitarist SUGIZO, GACKTJob member Ju-ken, and former X JAPAN member and co-founder YOSHIKI. The group gave its debut performance at the Anime Expo convention in Long Beach, California on June 29th, 2007 and had plans to release an album. No more news or plans about this group has been announced.

Discography

Gackt promoting single "Jesus" (2008)
Note: All releases are under "Gackt" unless otherwise stated.

Albums

Other Albums

Singles (as Gackt)

(as GACKT)

VHS / DVDs

Box Sets

PLATINUM BOX

External Links

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GACKT
Songs · Images · GACKTJob
Studio Albums HakuroPromo.png
Best Albums
Live Albums
Remix Albums
Soundtracks
Mini-Albums
Singles
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VHS / DVDs
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Box Sets
Platinum Boxes
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Official Website
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