AOI, the former guitarist of the GazettE, has launched a solo project called Sai from u. (賽 from u.), taking on vocals as well as guitar. Now going by the name u., he wrote the lyrics and music for every song on ten-track debut album ‘What Stayed.’, and will play his first solo show in Tokyo in January.
‘What Stayed.’ arrives on streaming services on December 25th 2026, followed by a CD release on January 20th 2027. The project describes the songs as presenting u. as an untouched canvas that nothing has coloured.
He has already shared a 90-second preview of ‘Yō’ (Page), the album’s sixth track, on X (formerly Twitter), a song he described during recording as something like a love letter to his fans. The lyrics in the preview deal with a lonely stretch of time, and someone who kept watching over the narrator throughout. In the message alongside it, he thanked fans and said they had truly saved him.
“I came back because I wanted to tell you this. First, I want you to listen to this song.”
u., translated from Japanese
Watch video on X
His comeback began on September 4th, when he updated his X account for the first time in around six months. Changing his name to u., he apologised for worrying fans for so long and said he had been preparing little by little so he could show them he was well as soon as possible. He added that he wanted to keep making music a little longer.
Later that month, he told fans he had written a lot of songs this year and hoped they would like his music. His first vocal recording session followed on September 30th.
When the sessions finished on October 10th, he said they had taught him a lot, and that he had come to like his own clumsy voice a little after disliking it however many guide vocals he recorded. He also said work on the music had begun in March.
Sai from u. follows a contested split from the GazettE, where he had played guitar since the band’s formation in 2002. On March 10th 2026, the band’s 24th anniversary, the remaining members announced his removal, accusing him of unilaterally abandoning band activities and making repeated, unjust financial demands.
AOI disputed their account the same day. He said he had told the other members in April 2025 that he would leave at the end of that September, and had therefore already left the band before the announcement.
u. will play his first concert as Sai from u., titled Sai, at Zepp Shinjuku in Tokyo on January 20th 2027. The show falls on the CD’s release day, which is also his birthday.
Sai from u. 1st ONEMAN LIVE “Sai”
| Date | Location | Show & tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 2027 | Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO), Tokyo, Japan | Scheduled TicketsOn sale |
About Sai from u.
Sai from u. (賽 from u.) is the solo project of Japanese musician u., formerly known as AOI of the GazettE. He sings and plays guitar in the project and writes all of its lyrics and music, using it to express his inner world. As AOI, he was a founding member and guitarist of visual kei band the GazettE, who formed in 2002. Over more than two decades with the band, he played on albums from their 2004 debut 'DISORDER' to 2021's 'MASS', and performed with them at Nippon Budokan and Tokyo Dome and on world tours across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. His departure from the GazettE is disputed. The band announced his removal in March 2026, while AOI said he had already left at the end of September 2025. He returned to music as u. in September 2026 and launched Sai from u. that November, announcing debut album 'What Stayed.' alongside a first one-man concert at Zepp Shinjuku in Tokyo. Work on the album began in March 2026, and its sessions were his first full-scale vocal recordings.
