Born a music virtuoso on Tuesday, July 8, 1969 in Kanagawa, Japan, Sugizo was raised in a family whose very lifeblood was music. With both parents as members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Sugizo had been trained to play violin from the tender age of three -- quickly mastering an instrument which he would later on carry into his successful career.

As a child, Sugizo had been quite active -- excelling in academics, sports, and music. Growing up in the glitter and glam of the 1970's and the huge hair bands of the 1980's seemed to have had an incredible effect on the adolescent Sugizo, who quickly became intrigued with rock bands that his father strongly disapproved of.

Taking up the guitar in his early adolescence, Sugizo quickly mastered the instrument and set out to form a rock band with his high school friend, Shinya. This first project, which was named Pinnochio, began to grow with success -- gaining a rival known as Lunacy. In 1989, after Pinnochio fell apart (and during a small project called KASHMIR), Lunacy founders J (bass) and Inoran (guitar) recognized Sugizo's incredible skill and recruited him for the band -- bringing along Shinya's amazing drum skills. A few months later, Ryuichi -- who was the vocalist of another band, Slaughter -- was recruited as the final block of Lunacy's foundation.

Changing their name to Luna Sea, the band began to climb the ladder of the success in the indies scene. It didn't take long for the hugely popular band, X-Japan's lead guitarist, hide, to notice Luna Sea's budding potential. Quickly recruiting them, Luna Sea was signed to Extasy Records and released their first album. By 1991, Luna Sea was signed to MCA Victor, and almost overnight, they were selling out the Tokyo Dome.

As the lead guitarist, violinist, backup vocalist, and key songwriter of Luna Sea, Sugizo broke boundaries and cultural conventions unheard of in Asia with his charismatic personality, avant garde image, and brilliant skill. Luna Sea and X-Japan were bands that led the visual kei (visual shock) revolution of the early 1990's in Japan -- a revolution that glorified androgyny and beauty. With a huge appreciation for the aesthetic senses, Sugizo instantly became a fan favorite, right alongside the hugely popular guitarist, hide.

In 1997, Luna Sea went on hiatus for a year, allowing their members to explore solo work opportunity. During this time, Sugizo's daughter, Luna, was born and he released his first solo album, "TRUTH?", released on his own label, CROSS. A convergence of experimental work and brilliant collaboration with artists from worldwide, the album explored an aspect of Sugizo never imagined before by the public. Vastly different from his work with Luna Sea, "TRUTH?" carved Sugizo out to be far more than just another guitarist in a famous rock band -- revealing him as a music magnate whose talent far exceeded the role he filled in Luna Sea.

The band regrouped in 1998, pausing Sugizo's explorations into his solo work -- but not his side collaborative and production projects with other artists. With Luna Sea disbanding in 2000, a legacy had ended -- and a new one began.

In 2001, Sugizo began a production company, InterLUXIZ, in conjunction with CROSS. He has collaborated with dozens of artists, and produced several successful acts. Most of his solo work was released on CROSS. During 2001, Sugizo began to film for his first acting debut -- a starring role in a movie, Soundtrack. He also ended up writing all the music that was used within the incredible convergence of cinematography, storytelling, and music. Simultaneously during this time, Sugizo developed a project known as Sugizo & the Spank Your Juice.

The members of Spank Your Juice all seemed to be drawn from various different musical backgrounds. Primarily acting as backup musicians, only half of the band recorded on any releases. Sugizo covered most aspects of the production -- recording vocals, guitars, bass, and more. The veteran musician also drew bandmate, Shinya, to record on most of his releases. By the end of the Spank Your Juice project in 2004, Sugizo had released three separate singles and performed more than 20 lives with the Spank Your Juice.

Currently, Sugizo is busy with his latest project, The FLARE, which features a young artist named Katsuki Yuna who is originally from a boy band called Lazy Knack, and was also in a small band named R.E.D. that Sugizo apparently produced a single for. Sugizo created a new label called EMBRYO, which receives major distribution from Universal Music for The FLARE.

With lives underway and an album in the works, the future of The FLARE -- along with Sugizo's future endeavors -- look more than promising.