On January 12 and 13^th 2017, YOSHIKI will make his Carnegie Hall debut with "YOSHIKI CLASSICAL: Featuring Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra." Although known as the founder, songwriter and drummer of X JAPAN, YOSHIKI is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, composer, and musician. Having composed the 2012 Golden Globe Awards theme song, he also composed and performed an orchestral piece and piano concerto to commemorate the Japanese Emperor's 10th anniversary of his reign. His recent album Yoshiki Classical features collaborations between Yoshiki and legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, and Quartet San Francisco. At the Carnegie shows, YOSHIKI will perform his original compositions alongside the world-renowned Tokyo Philharmonic; he will also play several traditional Classical pieces. YOSHIKI has tapped Yuga Cohler of YEETHOVEN to conduct the concerts. For tickets (here) and for the Carnegie Hall website, go: (here).

This past week, YOSHIKI completed the Japan portion of his YOSHIKI CLASSICAL WORLD TOUR of which the Japan Times described  "Despite being billed as a solo tour, X Japan's Yoshiki 'Yoshiki Classical' tour is undoubtedly deeply-rooted in the lore of one of the biggest rock acts of the country. The concert at Tokyo International Forum on Dec. 6 was packed with tear-jearkers, highlighting a career--and life--filled with both triumph and tragedy."                  

WHAT:         Yoshiki Classical concert w/Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

WHERE:      CARNEGIE HALL--57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan  

WHEN:        Thursday, January 12 & Friday, January 13 in New York, NY

TIME:           7:30 PM

In film news, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced X JAPAN's "LA VENUS" as one of the songs in contention for a nomination for this year's "Best Original Song" at the 89th Academy Awards^®. YOSHIKI--songwriter, drummer, classically-trained pianist and the creative force of X JAPAN--wrote "LA VENUS" for 'WE ARE X,' the critically acclaimed music documentary on the iconic Japanese rock group X JAPAN. The nominations for the 89th Oscars^® will be announced Tuesday, January 24, 2017. The Oscars^® will take place Sunday, February 26, 2017 at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  "LA VENUS" the single will be released via Sony Legacy Recordings and available everywhere in early 2017.

Watch as YOSHIKI describes "LA VENUS" and its role in the film WE ARE X (here) .WE ARE X is a transcendent and beautifully shot rock & roll story about the Japanese rock band X JAPAN, one of the biggest rock bands in the world. X JAPAN has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined--captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and the Japanese Emperor--while pioneering a spectacle-driven style of visual rock called Visual Kei, a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), and produced by the Oscar-winning production team  behind  Searching for Sugar Man, WE ARE X is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted--but truly unstoppable--virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans. The film continues to expand nationally in new cities every week; see the current list of playdates (here). Here is some early critical praise for the film 'WE ARE X': NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES, PITCHFORK, BUZZFEED, USA TODAY and LA WEEKLY.

Following are all YOSHIKI Classical and forthcoming  X JAPAN tour dates so far: