Yoshiki on His Documentary ‘Yoshiki: Under the Sky’ and Death’s Undeniable Presence

Yoshiki may not be a household name outside of his native Japan. But being in his presence and seeing his fans gathering hours before one of his appearances, bodies quivering, tears rolling down their faces while they hold clasped hands at their chins as they stare fixedly at him, you wonder, why isn’t he a household name? 

A formidable drummer and a gifted classically trained pianist, Yoshiki came to prominence as the leader of the heavy metal group, X Japan, starting in the early ’80s. A force in their homeland, X Japan’s story and with it, Yoshiki’s story, is told in the 2016 documentary, We Are X. Suffice it to say they’ve sold over 30 million albums and singles and sold out the 55,000-capacity Tokyo Dome 18 times.

On his own, Yoshiki has achieved many milestones, the most recent of which is a hand and footprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood—the first Japanese artist to earn this honor. Additionally, Yoshiki has composed major studio film soundtracks and the official theme song for the Golden Globes. Plus, he is the designer of his kimono brand, YOSHIKIMONO and his high fashion but ready-to-wear line MAISON YOSHIKI PARIS.

There is an otherworldliness to Yoshiki: androgynous, alien, alluring, a Japanese David Bowie, if you will. Upon being introduced and when he departs, he bows with his hands in the prayer position. It is disarming to be on the receiving end of his graciousness, his sly humor, and his endearing habit of pulling on the ends of the hair strands nearest to his face.  

When we speak, Yoshiki is recovering from his third neck surgery, which took place two weeks prior. “I’m used to it,” he says casually. “Full recovery is going to take six months to a year, but I’m already back in the studio recording—no head banging.”

Yoshiki has made his home in Los Angeles for over three decades where he has cultivated a collection of superstar friends from around the world. During the pandemic, he reached out to several of them: The Chainsmokers, Scorpions, St. Vincent, Nicole Scherzinger, Jane Zhang, SixTONES, Sugizo, Hyde, and Lindsey Stirling to collaborate with him on a large production documentary/concert film, Yoshiki: Under the Sky.

“I wanted to do something as huge as possible—without crossing the guidelines,” says Yoshiki, who inadvertently became Under the Sky’s director. “I was very involved in all the processes, the production, talking to the artists. I didn’t know what exactly I was doing. My team told me, ‘You are directing the film.’ I’m usually the leader of the rock band, then I realized I’m actually doing the director’s job.”

The remote recording and communication methods in the 91-minute Under the Sky date the film. But its no-expense-spared production and smooth editing propel it into timeless territory. Yoshiki himself is on a DTLA rooftop with the skyline and the city’s inimitable light as his backdrop, accompanied by a small string section. With sweeping shots that boost the impact of Yoshiki’s performance, he is visible from every angle. He alternates between performing at his Lucite grand piano or his Lucite drum kit, switching outfits from an iridescent white long jacket into a shiny vinyl one or a floral print. He exudes glamor, refinement and super rock stardom.

Yoshiki and his collaborators give all-out performances, elevating the already high-quality production and giving the false sense of everyone being in the same place, even as they were continents apart. “I was visualizing hundreds of thousands of people there, convincing myself I was playing at a big stadium,” says Yoshiki of his committed performance. “People were frustrated trying to cope and fight with loneliness. I could hear that voice. It’s silent, but I could feel it. I used that to be like I’m performing in front of a lot of people.”

Yoshiki’s collaborators, whom he chose in part because he is a fan of theirs, and in part because of the respect he has for them, give equally committed performances without him having to convey anything to them. Under the Sky is best experienced on the big screen for maximum effect. The film has had several theatrical premieres, and continues to do so, and became available on DVD and Blu-ray on November 19th.

Even with the high-powered names and grand performances, death surrounds Yoshiki. He speaks of the people he has lost often and acknowledges his own brushes with death, both circumstantial and intentional. But he refuses to let death’s undeniable presence hold him down. During the editing process of Under the Sky, Yoshiki lost his mother. He was in Los Angeles, locked down, and missed seeing her before she died.

The film mirrors his experience with that of one of his fans losing their wife. The way Yoshiki sees it, “One of the themes of the film is artists trying to help each other to cheer people up. It’s been more than a year since my mother and it’s still hard to digest, but at least I could share my feelings with my fans through this film.”

Yoshiki’s relationship with his fans is unique in that it is both worshipful from the fans’ side and completely on equal ground from Yoshiki’s side. He doesn’t take their devotion for granted and is as grateful to them for their loyalty as they are to him for always moving forward and creating new art.

“I have extra life because without my fans, I could have been not existing in this world,” says Yoshiki. “My fans gave me a second, maybe third life. That’s why I have pretty much no fear. If I have to do another neck surgery, a fourth, a fifth, I’ll do it, as long as I can create art and give it back to my fans.”

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