KAMIJO interview: “Los Angeles is now my greatest textbook and my stage”

You’ve described SANCTUS OF THE DAMNED as your Signature U.S. Debut. What made this the moment you felt ready to formally present yourself from Los Angeles?

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to explore this new step of mine so deeply.

Up until now, my performances overseas have come about thanks to many generous offers. I’m truly grateful for that. However, in a sense, those opportunities meant presenting my world within a frame that had already been prepared for me.

Now that I have established my base in Los Angeles, those constraints have disappeared. The size of the canvas and the colors upon it are all entirely under my own control. It means I now have the environment to offer everyone the perfect world I envision, without the slightest cloud over it.

That is why SANCTUS OF THE DAMNED is my signature. Rather than performing on a stage prepared by someone else, I can now share the true KAMIJO, a world in which my aesthetic permeates every corner, with all of you. I am convinced that this moment is when, together with those I cherish, we can truly spread our wings and take flight into the other world.

The performance takes place on July 18th 2026, exactly one year after the MASTERPIECE grand final at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA. Did you always imagine those two performances as being connected?

Of course. For me, each stage is never an isolated point. They are all part of a grand saga that continues to unfold. The MASTERPIECE grand final on July 18th 2025, was one complete culmination. Yet the very moment the curtain fell on that night, the countdown toward the next dawn had already begun.

In truth, I believe the concept of this sanctuary (SANCTUS) has existed within my music since the very first day I began to sing. Exactly one year has passed since that moment. After arriving in this new land of Los Angeles, the time has finally come for that hidden sanctuary to reveal itself.

What was once an ideal world that existed only within my heart will now manifest as a real stage. You could say that this one year was an essential process, necessary for that miracle to come to life.

The United Theater is a historic Spanish-Gothic venue with a very distinctive atmosphere. When you first encountered the space, what impression did it leave on you?

The moment I took that first step inside, I understood everything. I felt as though I had been guided to Los Angeles for this very purpose of singing here.

The solemn stillness created by the United Theater’s Gothic architecture, and every ornament that has quietly marked the passage of countless years, seemed to resonate with my soul. In that space, I realized that the sanctuary I had long been searching for had already taken shape and was waiting for me there.

“Although the forms of expression may differ, the passion to believe in and pursue one’s own aesthetic is something we all share.”

– KAMIJO

SANCTUS OF THE DAMNED is a special one-night performance. What can audiences expect from a performance like this that might not appear in a typical tour set?

I will present a world so unique that I can confidently say: this is my signature.
The new songs I will unveil here in this very place, and their natural harmony with the historic space of the United Theater. When these elements come together, they will give rise to a new dimension of entertainment unlike anything before.

To be honest, there was a time when I believed there were certain expressions that could only be realized in Japan. But now, I am convinced that there are things that can only be built here in America, the true home of entertainment.

The sense of scale that can only be achieved on this land will resonate with my own aesthetic, and together they will carve a new legend. On this single night, I will deliver a spectacle that surpasses even the dreams you have held until now.
Please look forward to it.

You announced your move to Los Angeles during the final show of the VIOLET DAWN tour. Once you arrived and began living there day-to-day, what was the biggest adjustment for you?

Every aspect of my life has changed. What has surprised me most is the incredible diversity this city holds. Even while being in a single city like Los Angeles, it sometimes feels as though I am witnessing a miniature version of the entire world.

Even something as simple as a meal can reflect that. One day it may be Mexican, the next Korean, or perhaps Mediterranean. Naturally, I’ve found myself encountering the atmosphere and culture of many different countries in my daily life.

It goes beyond the framework of any single nation. It truly feels as though I am embracing the world itself with my whole being. I can sense each of those moments becoming new flesh and blood within me.

Every day is filled with fresh surprises. In fact, there is hardly even time to feel lost or overwhelmed.

You’ve shared some unexpected experiences while exploring the city. Has seeing both the glamour and the harsher realities of Los Angeles changed how you view it?

During the first few months after I began living here, there were mornings where I would wake up and momentarily not know where I was. (laughs)

Of course, there were times when I encountered unexpected troubles or faced the harsher realities of this city. But now, even each of those moments has transformed into a vivid reminder that I am truly living here in Los Angeles.

More than anything, through the casual conversations I have with people here, I feel my heart gradually blending into this city, and that my life here has finally begun in the truest sense.

The strength to move forward while embracing both the light and the shadows. That is what is giving my expression a new breath of life right now.

Music video for ‘The Anthem’, from KAMIJO’s 2024 mini-album ‘VIOLET DAWN’.

Your music has long carried a cinematic quality through its orchestration and storytelling. When you announced your move to Los Angeles, you spoke about wanting to immerse yourself in film music production. Have any new ideas or techniques started to emerge from that so far?

I have a strong desire to challenge myself in the world of film music production. Here, through gatherings and parties, I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to speak directly with creators who are active on the front lines of the industry.

Their approaches to music production, and the way they command their DAWs, have been a constant source of surprise for me. I’ve witnessed methods that overturn what I once considered common sense, perspectives that made me think, “So there was a way to approach it like that.”

Traditional orchestration and the innovative techniques found here at the heart of the industry. Those two elements have now begun to quietly, yet powerfully, merge within me.
The new perspectives I’ve gained here in Los Angeles will surely bring deeper and more vivid colors to my music in the future.

You also mentioned training with a specific vocal coach after relocating. In practical terms, what has that changed about the way you approach your voice in rehearsals or recording?

In truth, I am not yet studying under one fixed vocal coach. At the moment, I am having sessions with many wonderful trainers, and I am still in the process of discovering who can draw out the full potential of my voice as an instrument.

You’ve been studying English more seriously since moving to the United States. Has that begun to affect the way you think about lyrics or the rhythm of language when writing songs?

The rhythm that English carries has always been, since I first began incorporating it into my lyrics, one of the greatest charms within my music. I want to continue valuing and using that resonance moving forward. However, just as with Japanese lyrics, I believe it is very difficult to casually use words that I do not truly understand from the heart. When it comes to English, that is even more true. Especially in my songs, the words used to express my world are often not the kind you encounter in everyday life. Because of that, it takes time to fully understand whether those words convey the meaning correctly, and whether their sound is truly worthy of my aesthetic.

What does studying look like for you day to day? Are you someone who studies formally with books and teachers, or do you tend to absorb ideas more through watching films, listening to music, and observing the city around you?

Typically, rather than sitting at a desk and studying in a systematic way, my style is to absorb things through daily life and experiences. The noise of the city, lines from movies, and above all, conversations with people. I value the process of picking up those living words that spill out from such moments and making them my own.

Rather than memorizing individual words, I try to build sentences with a clear intention of what I want to express. Sometimes I will even go out into the city simply to use that sentence in a real conversation.

The feeling in the moment when I speak it in my own voice and it reaches the other person. For me, that is the most certain kind of learning. This entire city of Los Angeles is now my greatest textbook and my stage.

…but I still can’t speak it very well yet. (laughs)

“…I now have the environment to offer everyone the perfect world I envision, without the slightest cloud over it.”

– KAMIJO

You attended a GRAMMY Awards after party earlier this year. As someone newly based in Los Angeles, what was it like meeting artists and creators from a completely different industry environment?

It was truly a torrent of inspiration. Having only recently moved my base to Los Angeles, being able to directly encounter the energy radiated by top creators from many different genres became a great treasure for me. Through my conversations with them, what I felt was that although the forms of expression may differ, the passion to believe in and pursue one’s own aesthetic is something we all share.

At the same time as feeling myself opening toward the wider world, it also became an opportunity to rediscover how special and worthy of pride the bloodline of visual kei flowing within me is, as well as the refined sense of style and beauty I cultivated in Japan.

The MASTERPIECE grand final brought together collaborators from across your history. Now you’re in LA, what sticks with you the most when you think back on that performance?

Now that I have crossed the ocean and look back on it, what remains most strongly in my memory is the bond we shared. Seeing the collaborators I’ve met throughout my career gathered together in one place to celebrate my new departure is a scene I will never forget. It is because of their feelings, and the support of the fans, that I am able to continue challenging myself here.

MASTERPIECE did not end. Rather, carrying the masterpiece that was completed on that night, I have now begun to draw the next chapter of the story.

More than anything, I was able to shape my own history into a single beautiful work of art. That is something I truly feel grateful for.

Live performance from KAMIJO’s 30th anniversary show at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (2025), featuring JVM Roses Blood Symphony, a project uniting Seth (Moi dix Mois), ASAGI (D), and Sono (Matenrou Opera), alongside Mana and members of Versailles.

Before forming LAREINE, you worked as a roadie for MALICE MIZER under Mana. Decades later you shared the stage with him during your 30th anniversary concert. What did that moment represent for you personally?

To share the stage with Mana, whom I once had the honor of supporting as a roadie, was a miracle that goes beyond the word “honor”. When he appeared in the music video for my solo debut single, we portrayed a scene symbolizing KAMIJO’s awakening. Being able to embody that moment of awakening again in front of the fans was not simply an act of looking back on the past. I believe it allowed them to feel it as a new awakening, one that points toward the future.

Music video for KAMIJO’s 2013 solo debut single ‘Louis ～Enketsu no La Vie en Rose～’, starring Mana in a symbolic portrayal of KAMIJO’s awakening.

Versailles are set to headline B7KLAN J-ROCK FEST in Paris this July. What does it mean to see visual kei represented at a dedicated festival of that scale in Europe?

I feel truly proud to be headlining as Versailles alongside Moi Dix Mois. It is thanks to B7KLAN, who for the past twenty years have worked to carve a path for Japanese music in Europe, that we are able to stand where we are today. To see comrades who once helped build this scene together with us, along with the artists who will carry the next generation, all gathered in one place means that the very history of visual kei itself will converge in Paris. For a festival of this scale, with such a pure focus, to be realized is proof that this culture has taken root around the world as a universal form of art. This is not merely a celebration. It is the signal fire for a new campaign, one that will see visual kei sweep across the world once again.

It will be the band’s first performance in Europe in nearly 10 years. What are you most looking forward to about returning to Europe with Versailles after so long?

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to visit Europe on a solo tour in 2024. The passion I felt from the audiences there left a vivid impression on me that I still remember clearly.
For Versailles, it will be our first time returning in nearly ten years. Thinking that I will now be able to share that incredible energy I experienced during my solo tour together with the band fills me with excitement even now.

The overwhelming power and sense of classical beauty that a band can create as a collective. I’m very eager to see what kind of resonance the Versailles of today, having grown over these years, will bring to the stage.

Please look forward to what I hope will be the best reunion, transcending these ten years apart.

Versailles – ‘Aristocrat’s Symphony’ (2008), from their debut album ‘Noble -Vampires’ Chronicle-‘, introducing the band’s symphonic, neoclassical style.

With Versailles performing in Paris shortly before your Los Angeles show, how do you mentally separate your role within the band from your solo identity?

Honestly, I don’t really feel that I clearly switch between the band and my solo work. Both are stories that overflow from me as a single creator.

In Paris, I will stand as a member of Versailles, a collective that embodies an unshakable and refined sense of style. Immediately after that, the Los Angeles performance will be a place where my personal identity is revealed more directly.

As these two different forms of brilliance unfold one after the other, the musical blood that flows within me awakens with greater depth and color. It is a thrilling journey, and one that I myself look forward to embracing with everything I have.

For many listeners outside Japan, visual kei can feel like a completely new world of music and aesthetics. From your perspective, what do international audiences respond to most strongly when they encounter it for the first time?

I feel that what they respond to most strongly is the overwhelming world itself, where music, fashion, and storytelling exist in perfect harmony. For those encountering it for the first time, the moment the curtain rises and the scene unfolds before them is likely such a powerful experience that it makes them forget reality altogether.

Even if the language is not fully understood, the aesthetic we uphold and the emotions placed into every single note pierce directly into the heart. Each time I witness that kind of passion from the audience, I am reminded that the expressive style known as visual kei possesses a universal power that resonates across the world. The pure surprise and excitement I see in their eyes becomes inspiration for whatever expression I pursue next.

You’ve spoken about moving to Los Angeles partly to test yourself in a new environment where past achievements matter less. Does SANCTUS OF THE DAMNED feel like the first major step in proving that decision to yourself? And where would you like it to lead next?

That is exactly right. The achievements I have built so far mean a great deal to me, but at the same time they must never become a place of comfort or complacency. By placing myself in an environment where no one knows who I am, I can stand and face the challenge purely with the music and expression I create now. Moving to Los Angeles was a necessary ritual for me to continue evolving in the truest sense. SANCTUS OF THE DAMNED is a milestone that proves that decision, both to myself and to the world. More than anything, what I want to share with the world is the depth of the culture known as visual kei. It is not created by the artist alone. Hair and makeup artists, staff, designers, and photographers all come together to form one scene, one work of art. I want to step into the global stage carrying the beauty of that total art form. Not as an individual alone, but together with all the talents who support this culture, to surprise the world. That is the future I aim for, and the landscape that lies beyond this challenge.