Multi-hyphenate entertainer MIYAVI is bringing his 2025 Broken Fantasy Tour to the US this May. Ahead of this, we had the chance to speak to the Samurai Guitarist about some live music experiences that inspired him. Watch:
Cirque du Soleil
I think around 2004, I was coming to the States a lot. You know, New York, LA, Vegas. In Vegas, so many great entertainment performances, and this is one of the best. So when I first saw a Cirque du Soleil show, I was totally blown away. I took my family, I took my friends, and always like, "This part is crazy!" And I even bought DVDs and I was watching at home. So right after I saw Cirque du Soleil, I got some idea to make my band with beatboxers and a tap dancer, a DJ, and a Japanese Wadaiko player, BMX rider, like a bicycle thing. Artists create music with a message and deliver it to the fans. But at the same time, I'm an entertainer. Having those skills on stage is really, really crucial. And that's what I got from Cirque du Soleil.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, Tokyo. Just a couple years ago. And I took my whole family. Once you see her performance, you get moved and you feel it. Everything she says on stage is really, really honest. She's also a hustler, like a fighter. Always challenging new things. And it's risky. If you listen to the audience 100%, then you don't have to challenge new things at all. But at the same time, that's our responsibility, to take the audience and the fans to the next level, a new world. And she's been doing that the whole time. To me it's like, "Wow."
X Japan
X Japan was the legendary metal rock band in Japan, '80s, '90s. When I first saw them on the TV, I was blown away. Crazy hairstyle, head bangings. And also the way he was using the technology was really ahead. And also the attitude. "Fuck you" vibes. And then people loved it. When I saw them, it was just far away, you know? It was like this. Yoshiki combines rock music and also the classic music. He always almost dies on stage every night. Even if it's just 100 people or 10,000 people or more than that, put everything. I think that's what I got inspired by.
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