Hyde is a solo project by hyde, the singer and main lyricist for the Japanese rock band L’Arc~en~Ciel and the unit Vamps. He keeps his personal information scarce, and much of the biographical detail around him is unofficial, including his real name, which is often given as Hideto Takarai. He confirms a birthdate of 29 January 1969.

Solo career

Hyde debuts as a solo artist in October 2001 with the single Evergreen. Two more singles, Angel’s Tale and Shallow Sleep, follow before his first solo album, the ballad-focused ROENTGEN, appears in March 2002. An overseas edition with English lyrics is released in July.

His next singles, HELLO and HORIZON, both include a B-side not found on any album and appear before his second album, the rock-oriented 666, in late 2003. While L’Arc~en~Ciel is on a three-year hiatus, he continues his solo work.

Later releases and collaborations

Hyde writes the music for Glamorous Sky, which is sung by Mika Nakashima and used in the film NANA. In October 2005 he releases Countdown, with Japanese and English versions of the title song. Season’s Call follows and is used as the second opening theme to the anime series Blood+; the single is released in February. His third album, FAITH, appears in April and is described as hard rock with a religious touch.

FAITH is supported by a five-month tour with many dates in Japan and four concerts in California. A DVD of the concerts is then released in November.

Other work

Alongside music, Hyde appears in the films Moon Child and Last Quarter (Kagen no Tsuki). In early 2008 he forms a new unit, VAMPS, with guitarist K.A.Z, and releases a photobook titled HYDE IS DEAD.

Style and classification

He is associated with rock and, in some listings, electronic and psytrance, including full-on.