Why I love Yoshiki Hayashi

Short answer: I don’t really know, I just do. Now stay with me for the long answer. I was having coffee with Alina some time ago and we were talking, among other things, about the articles we were planning to write for eLitere. I told her about various songs from X Japan and this impulse to write about Yoshiki Hayashi. I hesitated, though. To be honest, I don’t know much about his private life, that part didn’t interest me (not even a decade ago)… so how could I possibly write this? What could I write?! The thing is… to me, it’s perfectly normal to love artists thanks to what they create, even when you know very little about other sides of their life.

Now, when I say that I love this or that artist, I mean that I admire them. Just a little side note… to love means “a iubi” and you’ll never hear me say that in Romanian, no matter how much I truly love a song/ book/ film. I’ll say that I like it, that it’s gorgeous and you will know that something fascinates me. But the word itself, love, holds too much weight in my mother tongue and I don’t use it often. That being said, I love X Japan, their songs are amazing and I don’t want to imagine a world where Yoshiki Hayashi wouldn’t create such beautiful music (for X or other projects).

He’s amazing and insanely talented, plain and simple. I knew I was going to get addicted to his music before I even knew the name of the band. I love him because, when I discovered his songs, I also came in contact with wonderful people who have changed my life for the better at one point or another. You can be sure that a man like Yoshiki attracts similar people around him, so I’m not surprised that his fans (regardless of age or cultural background) are respectful, passionate and devoted to what they hold dear.

I won’t add too many of his songs here because I will write separate articles for them, but you can read Kristen’s article, if you haven’t yet, and enjoy the songs she mentioned there. Also, I do recommend I’ll Be Your Love, sung by Nicole Scherzinger. There’s also a Japanese version to it… or, if you want to listen to it when you take a walk or maybe while you’re working, try this one, from the album Yoshiki Classical. I can’t get enough of this song and I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I discovered it. I’ll Be Your Love convinced me that Nicole has a beautiful voice.

The songs for X Japan are addictive and pull at your heartstrings… and so are those for Violet UK. I used to fall asleep listening to them and it was nice waking up in the dead of the night with, I don’t know, Unnamed Song still playing nearby. I feel more drawn to the Japanese songs, but their English siblings lose nothing of the beauty one is used to find in this man’s work.

I love the fact that Yoshiki Hayashi is passionate and hard-working. I don’t think there’s anyone who knows of him that hasn’t been concerned about his health, about the fact that he might be pushing himself too hard… but I hope that his family and friends are there to support him, as he deserves. As for his fans, they’re always there for him in any way they can.

What else? It’s fascinating to see him play the drums with such energy and even anger at times, as if he wants to break free from everything that might hold him back. And then he plays the piano and something in his demeanor changes. The passion is still there, but the anger steps aside. There’s pain, love and melancholy… and you’ll want to listen to him playing the piano for hours.

He’s handsome, elegant (who can resist when faced with beauty and elegance?) and there’s something charming in the way he speaks or carries himself. Even when a touch of awkwardness is noticeable, he still draws attention to himself. He’s not someone who can be overlooked. Why would anyone do that, anyway? I also love his voice and hopefully more interviews will appear as Yoshiki and X Japan become more visible worldwide. Side note: I remember watching a video and for some reason he swore in English… that made me laugh, it was almost adorable, even if he was obviously angry about something.

Anyway, there’s nothing vulgar about him, nothing that would make someone uncomfortable when he steps into a room. I think the same can be applied for what was happening around twenty years ago, when he wore more make-up and crazy outfits. To this day, I envy his hair from back when he was younger. Back to the point, though, he’s humble, but he’s well aware of his worth and what he can do. Yoshiki is not one to back down from a challenge and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s thankful for that. He claims to be quite shy, but confidence and ambition always shine through.

I’ll end this by saying that I’ve always been amazed by his bond with hide. And it’s not just him, it’s the way X Japan keeps hide’s memory alive. This friendship is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time and it’s also what made me admire Yoshiki even more. That being said, I hope we’ll all enjoy his presence and music for many years to come. Until next time!

by Elena Atudosiei

Tags: beauty, creativity, elegance, friendship, jrock, love, music, nicole scherzinger, pain, passion, unnamed song, violet uk, visual kei, x japan, yoshiki hayashi

This entry was posted on September 5, 2015 at 7:24 am and is filed under Muzica. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.