Kai's first guitar was gifted from his mother, but he recounts that his father was not supportive of his musical aspirations. When his father caught Kai skipping school to practise guitar, he smashed his guitar against a wall in an act of frustration.[2][3][4]
Career
Esprit D'Air
At the age of 17, Kai founded Esprit D'Air in London in 2010 as the lead guitarist. The band shortly split up in 2013 when most members returned to Japan.[5]
Esprit D'Air later reformed as Kai's solo project in 2016 and has since produced a catalogue of albums and singles as lead vocalist, composer, and producer, regularly entering the Official Charts in various top ten positions.[6][7]
Kai also books and promotes tours and concerts for Esprit D'Air without the help of booking agents and promoters.[8]
The Sisters of Mercy
In mid-October 2023, Kai joined The Sisters of Mercy, as a guitarist and backing vocalist and has since toured extensively in Europe. After being introduced to the band by Ben Christo, Kai was brought in as the replacement guitarist for Dylan Smith with only a few days' notice.[9]
Despite his background as a progressive metal guitarist, Kai introduced a less heavy metal influence, bringing back a live sound closer to the band's earlier work.[10] Kai also performs female-sounding vocals to The Sisters of Mercy's live performances in songs such as "Dominion", "This Corrosion", and "Temple of Love", which had not been present in live performances for decades.[11]
As of 2024, Kai is touring with The Sisters of Mercy in Europe and North America and has contributed new guitar parts for unreleased material.[12]
Kai is also inspired by the games of Final Fantasy, specifically Final Fantasy VII, and wanted to create music that sounds like it is from another world.[17]
Personal life
Kai follows a vegan diet and does not drink alcohol.[18] He has two cats, named Zack (named after Final Fantasy VII's Zack Fair) and Pan (named after the Japanese word for bread).[19]
Kai uses both he/him and they/them pronouns and has an androgynous appearance.[20]
Philanthropy
In March 2016, Kai performed at a charity event in London, where all proceeds went to Aoba-gakuen, an orphanage in Fukushima, Japan.[21][22] Through ticket, merchandise, food sales, and donations, the event raised over £1,100 for the orphanage.[23]
Kai supports LGBTQ+ rights and donates a percentage of record sales to Stonewall. Kai has also donated a percentage of record sales to Black Lives Matter, and Razom, a non-profit in Ukraine to provide humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the ongoing war.[24]
Kai created his own coffee brand called Kai Koffee with products named after Esprit D'Air song titles such as 'Leviathan', and 'The Awakening'. Each batch is freshly roasted weekly from a carbon-neutral coffee source.[26]