Gackt (pronounced Gakuto) is to Pacific Asia what Robbie Williams is to us here in the UK. Or perhaps more like David Bowie - with his picture perfect looks, and a never ending charade of stage costumes, he has managed to captivate audiences as far as the US and Europe. However, unlike some UK artists who have unsuccessfully tried to make it big in the US, Gackt has no such plans.
Instead he is more interested in uniting the Pacific Asian world with his music and singing in his native language of Japanese. Even more so, no one really knows much about him and he likes it that way. A lot of his personal information is shrouded in secrecy. In fact, he claimed his birthday was July 4th 1540. That would make him 470 years old!
However, more importantly, somewhere between his Final Fantasy looks, his strong deep voice, his outlandish stage fashion and his humourous and elaborate personal biography are a series of amazing songs that have captivated his audience in the east. To most of us unwitting westerners, songs like Mizerable, Wasurenaikara, Kimi ga Matteiru kara (the unplugged version), Missing, Journey Through the Decade and For My Dears (which he done with his band "Malice Mizer" before going solo) amongst many others may never make Radio One in the UK, but they may just be the songs you need to reinvigorate your love for alternative music (especially if you lost it), even if you can't speak Japanese.
From electronic pop to rock, he indiscriminately sways between the genres, and you'll find stuff you like and equally dislike over 13 solo albums done in the last 11 years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJLb-yldoCg
Posted In Features, Feb 07 2010.
Words - Gemma