History Music / Miyavi

* [[GenkiGirl Genki Guy]]: Sweet Jesus, his early years were full of this. His personality up until maybe 2009 was a mix of this, TheIdiotFromOsaka and {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

* IntercourseWithYou: ''"Secret"'', in a rather blatant example. The music video borders on softcore porn.

'''Miyavi''' (stylized sometimes as ''雅-miyavi-'') (Japanese: 雅) (born '''''Takamasa Ishihara''''' on September 14th, 1981 -- Japanese: 石原 貴雅 Korean: 이기아), also known as Miyavi Lee Ishihara, is a Japanese musician, actor, and businessman. Born in the Konohana-ku ward of Osaka City in the Osaka Prefecture of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}, Miyavi originally grew up wanting to become a [[UsefulNotes/{{AssociationFootball}} soccer player]] before seriously injuring his knee as a teenager. During a [[HeroicBSOD deep depression]] after his injury, a friend gave him a guitar to cheer him up, which he began to learn to play while recovering. Realizing he genuinely enjoyed the guitar and had a fondness for rock music, he moved to Tokyo in 1999 at the age of seventeen to start a music career.

'''Miyavi''' (Japanese: 雅) (born '''''Takamasa Ishihara''''' on September 14th, 1981 -- Japanese: 石原 貴雅 Korean: 이기아), also known as Miyavi Lee Ishihara, is a Japanese musician, actor, and businessman. Born in the Konohana-ku ward of Osaka City in the Osaka Prefecture of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}, Miyavi originally grew up wanting to become a [[UsefulNotes/{{AssociationFootball}} soccer player]] before seriously injuring his knee as a teenager. During a [[HeroicBSOD deep depression]] after his injury, a friend gave him a guitar to cheer him up, which he began to learn to play while recovering. Realizing he genuinely enjoyed the guitar and had a fondness for rock music, he moved to Tokyo in 1999 at the age of seventeen to start a music career.

[floatboxright:Influences:
+ Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/GunsNRoses, Music/XJapan, Music/DirEnGrey, Music/ElvisPresley, Michael Hedges, Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone, Marcus Miller, Louis Johnson, Music/AniDiFranco, Music/BBKing, Tommy Emmanuel, Kabuki, [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]], VisualKei, Music/LunaSea, Music/{{Gackt}}, Music/{{Korn}}
]

* PromotedFanboy: When the Japanese casting director for ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' met with Miyavi, he had little knowledge of the film, its story, or anything about it. When she asked him who his favorite actor was, he immediately answered with Creator/AngelinaJolie, having absolutely no idea that she was the director behind the project, or that she was a fan of his and had sought him out personally for the role of Watanabe. He later jokingly said on an episode of ''[[Creator/EllenDeGeneres Ellen]]'' that this was why he got the part.

* AscendedFanboy: When the Japanese casting director for ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' met with Miyavi, he had little knowledge of the film, its story, or anything about it. When she asked him who his favorite actor was, he immediately answered with Creator/AngelinaJolie, having absolutely no idea that she was the director behind the project, or that she was a fan of his and had sought him out personally for the role of Watanabe. He later jokingly said on an episode of ''[[Creator/EllenDeGeneres Ellen]]'' that this was why he got the part.

In 2004, he starred in a fictional quasi-autobiographical film called ''Film/{{Oresama}}'', where he travels back in time to Osaka in 1984 and starts a band. [[SincerityMode Yes, that is the plot of the movie.]] Ten years later, he was personally selected by AngelinaJolie to play the role of [[BigBad Mutsuhiro Watanabe]] in the 2014 film ''Film/{{Unbroken}}''.

* AscendedFanboy: When the Japanese casting director for ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' met with Miyavi, he had little knowledge of the film, its story, or anything about it. When she asked him who his favorite actor was, he immediately answered with Creator/{{AngelinaJolie}}, having absolutely no idea that she was the director behind the project, or that she was a fan of his and had sought him out personally for the role of Watanabe. He later jokingly said on an episode of ''[[Creator/EllenDeGeneres Ellen]]'' that this was why he got the part.

* ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' (2014)

* MixedAncestry: Is half-Japanese, half-Korean, and has stated in interviews that his Korean name is Lee Ki Ah.

In 2004, he starred in a fictional quasi-autobiographical film called ''"Oresama"'', where he travels back in time to Osaka in 1984 and starts a band. [[SincerityMode Yes, that is the plot of the movie.]] Ten years later, he was personally selected by AngelinaJolie to play the role of [[BigBad Mutsuhiro Watanabe]] in the 2014 film ''Film/{{Unbroken}}''.

* ''Oresama'' (2004)

* FollowTheLeader: His initial inspiration as a musician and in terms of style was Toshiya from DirEnGrey during their ''Gauze'' to ''VULGAR'' eras.

* TheIdiotFromOsaka: Played this persona up to pair with his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} personality.

After moving to America in 2014, he currently resides between Tokyo and Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

* BreakupBreakout: After ''Due Le Quartz'' split up, the rest of the band faded into obscurity, and Miyavi is currently an international superstar.

Joining the already established VisualKei band Dué le Quartz in the summer of 1999 as a guitarist and backing vocalist under the [[StageNames stage name]] Miyabi, the band achieved indie success within the visual kei scene, releasing four albums, six singles, and nine videos until the band's disbandment in 2002. After the disbandment, he changed his name to Miyavi and remained signed with Dué le Quartz's record label PS Company as a solo artist, releasing his first album ''Gagaku'' in 2002 and the singles "Shindemo Boogie-Woogie", "Pop is dead" and "Jingle Bell." His first major album, ''Miyavizm'', was released in 2005, peaking in the top ten of the Oricon charts, and embarked on his first world tour in 2007. Toward the end of 2006, Miyavi moved to UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, UsefulNotes/{{California}} to study English and dance, where he would often give free street performances at the Venice Beach boardwalk and Santa Monica Pier.

* VisualKei: Started out as this, and has experimented with the style almost as much as he has with his music. He dropped the look completely once his daughters were born.