Mana (musician)

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This article refers to the Japanese guitarist, composer, and designer. For the Mexican band, see Maná.
Mana
Mana modeling Moi-même-Moitié EGL clothing.
Mana modeling Moi-même-Moitié EGL clothing.
Background information
Born March 19
Origin Hiroshima, Japan
Genre(s) J-Rock
Visual Kei
Occupation(s) Musician
Fashion Designer
Instrument(s) Guitar
Keyboard
Drums
Years active 1990- present
Label(s) MidiːNette
Associated
acts		 Malice Mizer
Moi dix Mois
Website Monologue Theatre

Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, famed for his role as a leader and guitarist of the influential visual kei band Malice Mizer. He is widely considered the creator and figurehead of Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Moi dix Mois is Mana's current project.

Contents

[edit] Background

Mana was born on March 19 in Hiroshima; while many unsubstantiated rumors proliferate, his real name and year of birth are unknown. At an early age, Mana was introduced to classical music by his parents, who were both music teachers; classical music has remained an influence ever since. Mana has said that he started making music when he was in high school, at which time he listened to Mötley Crüe and had a mohawk. Typically, Mana's compositions blend classical music (especially baroque music, featuring pipe organ and harpsichord) with heavy metal music, gothic rock, industrial music and other more unlikely elements such as French pop music. In a recent interview Mana revealed that he has no formal training in music theory.

[edit] Project history

Mana's first known bands were Girl'e, a punk band active around 1989-1990; and Matenrou (摩天楼 Skyscraper?), active 1990-1992. After Matenrou's dissolution in April 1992, Mana and guitarist Közi founded Malice Mizer in August of that year. Mana was the band's lead guitarist, chief songwriter, choreographer and overall artistic director. He also founded his own indie music label, MidiːNette, on which most of Malice Mizer's work was released. After Malice Mizer went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, Mana founded his solo project, Moi dix Mois. He composes all of Moi dix Mois' music, writes the lyrics, produces, directs and designs the project members' stage costumes.

In 1999, Mana created his own clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, which features two lines of designs named Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. Mana continues to regularly appear in the scene's top publication, the Gothic Lolita Bible, modeling his own designs and giving updates on his various other projects.

In 2002, Mana signed the visual kei/darkwave duo Schwarz Stein to MidiːNette and went on to produce for them. Despite their growing success, Schwarz Stein disbanded in March 2004, and Mana has since been looking for new bands to sign and produce.

In 2004, Mana started to branch out internationally by opening his fan club to overseas members (a rarity amongst Japanese musicians) and setting up international distribution channels for his music and fashion. He played his first concerts with Moi dix Mois outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich, Germany and Paris, France. In recent months he has been interviewed and featured on the cover of European music magazines such as the German Goth magazine Orkus.

[edit] Public behavior

Mana in EGA clothing
Enlarge
Mana in EGA clothing

Mana has rarely intentionally smiled or spoken in public. In his filmed interviews he whispers into the ear of a band member or confidante, who then relates his words back to the interviewer. He has also been known to simply look at the camera as subtitles appear, as well as using Yes/No cards. According to him this is because he considers his music to be his voice. One of the few cases in which he has spoken is a 1996 Malice Mizer interview on the TV show Hot Wave, where he replied "Gitaa no Mana desu" ("I'm Mana, the guitarist"/"The guitarist, Mana") when asked about his name.

Though almost exclusively crossdressing during Malice Mizer's tenure, he has since largely dropped the practice with the exception of modeling Moi-même-Moitié products. His image is now generally androgynous or masculine.

Almost nothing is known about Mana's private life, although he has said more than once that there is no difference between his stage persona and his real self, and that he wears makeup and the same clothing both on- and off-stage.

[edit] Gallery

See Mana (gallery)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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