Kaya



Kaya is a Synth Pop Visual Kei singer known for his wide vocal range, flamboyant fashion style (usually involving dresses and other feminine attire), and being one of the few openly gay men in the Japanese music industry.

He started off as the vocalist for a few small electro-VK bands before forming Schwarz Stein with musician Hora in 2001. The duo released several singles and an album before breaking up due to Creative Differences in 2004, leading Kaya to start off his solo career in 2006. He was first signed to Midi:Nette, Mana's record label, before moving to Next Media Communications, a major label--then going back to being an indie artist when that label went bankrupt in 2009.

Kaya has performed around the world, touring Europe and South America with several concerts in the United States as well. He's collaborated with several other Visual Kei musicians (including half of the members of Versailles), and, in 2011, reunited with Hora for a one-time Schwarz Stein reunion concert.

Discography:
 * Glitter (2006, reissued in 2008 as Glitter (Best of Indies))
 * Hyakki Yagyou (2007, EP)
 * Kaya Meikyoku Series 1: Bonjour! Chanson (2009, EP)
 * Queen (2011)

Tropes applying to Kaya and his music:

 * Breakup Breakout: Both Kaya and Hora have had good careers after Schwarz Stein disbanded, but it's hard to contest that Kaya's become much more well-known.
 * Camp Gay: You really can't get much more camp than Kaya.
 * Costume Porn
 * Darker and Edgier / Lighter and Softer: His music zig-zags between these two tropes. On one hand, "Rose Jail". On the other, "Chocolat". On one hand, "Masquerade". On the other, "Vampire Requiem". The list goes on.
 * Darkwave: His overall sound and image are too light for him to be fully considered a Darkwave artist, but he still has quite a few songs that can be classified as this.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita: Quite often.
 * Epic Rocking: "Silvery Dark" (6:37) and "Silvery Dark (Queen's ver.)" (7:13)
 * Everything's Better With Princesses: He was known as "Hime" in his early career.
 * Everything's Sparkly With Jewelry
 * Eyepatch of Power: In the "Awilda" video.
 * Flowers in His Hair: Emphasis on the plural.
 * Fluffy Fashion Feathers: In both his hair and his clothes.
 * Gratuitous English: Occasionally, though mostly just in song titles.
 * Gratuitous French: Surprisingly, except for the song titles, Kaya Meikyoku Series 1: Bonjour! Chanson isn't actually an example of this--the album consists of Japanese covers of French songs.
 * Gratuitous German: "Walküre" ("Valkyrie").
 * Harsh Vocals: In "Rose Jail".
 * Hair Decorations: Ranging from relatively tame (ribbons, flowers, feathers) to "what?" (a birdcage in the "Transmigration" music video).
 * Impractically Fancy Outfit
 * Improbable Hairstyle: Many of his hairstyles can fall under this, but his hair in the "Transmigration" video has to win some kind of reward. What's most improbable: the general hugeness of it, the giant feathers, the dozen or so roses, or possibly the birdcage?
 * Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: He does techno music, so his songs don't apply here...except "Curse of Rose", which, with its heavy Symphonic Metal influences, is a fairly solid 6. Seeing as how it was composed by Hizaki, this isn't all that surprising.
 * Mondegreen: The chorus of "Rose Jail" contains some Gratuitous English--but German fans have universally interpreted the phrase "With all my..." as "Willst du'n Ei?" ("Do you want an egg?").
 * Nice Hat
 * Nice Shoes: Platform boots. Which he dances in.
 * Obligatory Bondage Song: "Rose Jail".
 * Of Corsets Sexy: Several of his outfits. One example: the cover for the "Madame Rosa no Shoukan" single.
 * Only One Name
 * Performance Video: The video for "Awilda", which mostly consists of clips from one of his live performances.
 * Pimped-Out Dress: His specialty.
 * Rearrange the Song: "Chocolat ~Sweet version~", "Kaleidoscope -glitter mix-", "Last Snow -piano ver.-", "Psycho Butterfly -Nightmare mix-", "Masquerade -fabulous night mix-", "Ouka ~Hyakki ranbu hen~", and regular remixes for "Chocolat", "Madame Rosa", "Ryouran", and "Silvery Dark".
 * Rock Me, Amadeus
 * Rule of Glamorous: Just about everything he does can be explained as falling under this.
 * Singing Voice Dissonance: He's known for having a deep singing voice, contrasting with his appearance...but his speaking voice is high-pitched and very feminine.
 * Something About a Rose: "Rose Jail", "Rose Kingdom", "Curse of Rose", "Sugar Rose", and the music video for "Awilda". His website (subtitled "Rose Addict") is at kaya-rose.com and he's on Twitter under the username "Kaya_rose".
 * Stage Name
 * Surprisingly Gentle Song: "Silvery Dark" (both the original and the Queen's version), "Last Snow" (the original and the piano version), and "Chocolat ~Sweet ver.~".
 * Wholesome Crossdresser