X JAPAN Mainman To Launch His First-Ever Radio Show

SiriusXM radio announced today that Yoshiki, Japanese icon and leader of Japan's multi-million-selling, superstar rock band X JAPAN, will host his first-ever radio show, "Yoshiki Radio", on SiriusXM's The Boneyard, Channel 38. "Yoshiki Radio", the hour-long monthly show, will launch on Friday, May 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Beginning Sunday, June 5, "Yoshiki Radio" will air the first Sunday of every month at 9:00 p.m. ET.

"Yoshiki Radio" will offer an eclectic mix of East meets West, and will include Yoshiki's personal favorite music tracks, and music from artists that have influenced him, as well as an introduction to some of Japan's most innovative and successful artists. The monthly show will also feature elements of Japanese pop culture that already have made their mark on American life, from sushi to Sony to Nintendo/Wii, to the global megastar Hello Kitty, to the bourgeoning western popularity of Anime. Yoshiki's band X JAPAN has been credited with pioneering "Visual Kei," a cultural movement that greatly contributed to today's worldwide Anime craze.

"I'm very excited to do the show exclusively on SiriusXM, as I'd like to help tear down the wall between East and West," said Yoshiki. "I want to show people that there is no one language, no real boundaries when it comes to music and art, and that we are all more alike than not. I also hope my exposure of unique music choices to the West will allow me to show, with pride, a beautiful side of our culture in these difficult times."

"We love introducing listeners to bands they may not otherwise hear on other audio platforms and providing them the chance to discover great new music," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM radio. "Yoshiki's music ranges from heavy metal to ballads to alternative rock to symphonic. Only on SiriusXM will you hear Yoshiki's pioneering choices of songs that mix musical worlds."

Earlier this year, Yoshiki and his band X JAPAN signed an exclusive, three-year deal with EMI Music for distribution in North America. X JAPAN's North American debut album will be released later this year. The album's first single, "Jade", will be available this spring.

X JAPAN is one of the most successful rock bands in Japanese history, and the heart of X JAPAN is Yoshiki, songwriter, drummer, producer, and classically-trained pianist who also plays guitar, bass and trumpet. Yoshiki, who has been referred to by his first name only throughout his professional career, is arguably Asia's most influential musical artist and, according to one industry insider, "is to Japan what Bono is to the U.K." Hello Kitty, for the first time in its history, even designed a product line after a person, creating a new character, "Yoshikitty," based on Yoshiki. X JAPAN has sold more than 30 million albums, singles and videos, and headlined and sold out Japan's 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record 18 times. The band, having always wanted to break in North America, made its concert debut at 2010's Lollapalooza festival with a critically-acclaimed North American tour that followed last fall. The band plans to tour extensively in 2011, and has already announced dates in the U.K., Europe and Latin America.