Watch: YOSHIKI Performs U.S. National Anthem At Dodger Stadium In Los Angeles

Japanese musician and composer Yoshiki received a standing ovation for his beautiful piano performance of the U.S. National Anthem at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on April 16 – "Hello Kitty Night."

The rock star — who has been named "the most influential musician in Japanese history" and has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years — also performed his international hit "Endless Rain", which he composed for his rock band X JAPAN.

The emotionally moving performance was greeted with loud applause from the players, officials, and audience members, which included fans who traveled from around the U.S. and other countries to see the historic moment.

Yoshiki received more cheers when he was asked to make the ceremonial opening announcement broadcast over the stadium: "It's time for Dodgers baseball!" Yoshiki was also presented with autographed jerseys from Dodgers star players Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his own custom "Yoshiki" jersey with number 44.

Yoshiki said, "It was an honor to talk with Ohtani and Yamamoto, who also live in L.A. I received signed uniforms from the two of them. In addition, I was surprised to receive a uniform with my own name on it from the Dodgers. After meeting athletes Ohtani and Yamamoto, I feel grateful and inspired to take on the world. I'm happy that in addition to Hello Kitty, yoshikitty also came to Dodger Stadium. It was an amazing day. I didn't expect that I would perform the American national anthem twice due to sound issues. As soon as I heard the loud applause after my performance, I was glad that I did my best, including the improvisation. It was worth it to come back to L.A. despite the extremely demanding schedule. Thank you to everyone."

In 2023, Yoshiki became the first Japanese artist to be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in nearly 100 years. In 2024, Variety selected Yoshiki as the International Achievement in Music honoree.

Earlier this year, Yoshiki was chosen to create the global theme song for Hello Kitty's 50th-anniversary celebration.

The popular character yoshikitty — modeled after Yoshiki himself — has been selected to compete in the global Sanrio Character Ranking for the tenth straight year with Hello Kitty and other popular characters. yoshikitty is the first Sanrio character ever to be modeled after a real person.

yoshikitty has been nominated in the Sanrio Character Ranking every year since 2015 and was voted more popular worldwide than Hello Kitty in 2018 among over 450 different characters. In regional voting, yoshikitty has been ranked No. 1 in Brazil, China, France, Germany, and Thailand.