TAKUI
TAKUI (Nakajima Takui, also known as 中島卓偉), born at 19 October 1978 (Fukuoka, Japan), is a multi-talented artist whose dedication to his craft and love of life can be felt through his upbeat songs. Tinged with a classic rock influence and filled with a special "something" that reaches out and touches listeners, Takui's music has mellowed since he started in 1999 but still holds his strong messages of freedom and being true to oneself.
Takui grew up listening to classic rock like The Beatles and Elvis Presley, some of whose songs he has covered. Also of note is Takui's clear and crisp voice. With his wide vocal range and distinct pronounciation of words, he easily reflects the straightforward messages of his songs. Takui has performed acoustic versions of many of his songs, a proof to his range of skills as an artist.
Despite his rising popularity at present, Takui had little success when he first debuted in 1994 with his band ＭＡＧＧＩＥ ＭＡＥ, named after the Beatles’ song. However, he picked himself back up again and went solo in 1999 as TAKUI, under Sony management, debuting with the single TRIANGLE. In 2000, following a move to Columbia Music Entertainment, TAKUI released his first CD, NUCLEAR SONIC PUNK. Initially, TAKUI started out with a very visual kei look, possibly influenced by his mentor, X JAPAN's legendary guitarist hide. hide's band Zilch also backed-up Takui for NUCLEAR SONIC PUNK.
However, by his third single PIERCE, released in 2001, he dropped the visual kei look entirely, opting for a more casual but still fashionable style. 2002 saw TAKUI’s first tour, SWANKY SEVEN SEVEN GOD TOUR. Under Columbia records, TAKUI released five singles and two more albums, CHUNKY GOD POP and SWANKY GOD POP. The second album, SWANKY, showed off the classic rock influence from TAKUI’s early life listening to Elvis and other classic rock stars.
In February 2004, TAKUI moved to zetima records a sub-division of Epic Records that also handled Minimoni, Aya Matsuura, and Inugami Circus Dan, was POWER TO THE MUSIC. With the new label, the number of appearances made by TAKUI increased, including three tours in 2004, and another album, VIVAROCK was released later that year in September. Following his VIVA! LA ROCK ON tour starting in December, 2005 witnessed a change in musical style: TAKUI’s songs gradually became more mellow and had a softer feel, while still retaining his running themes of freedom and being true to oneself. Coinciding with the style change was a name change: TAKUI began using his real name, Takui Nakajima. The first album that was released under Takui Nakajima was Kasa wo Sasanai Kimi no Tame ni.
The name change was also for practical reasons, as TAKUI began to write and compose songs for other musicians, adding to his already extensive repertoire of talents. Since then, he has worked with and helped produce a number of artists, including Watashime Slug and Serial⇔NUMBER. In 2007, TAKUI continued to produce and release more work. While there were no single releases, he released two albums Boku wa Kimi no Omocha and SMILER which debuted in May and November respectively. In September, he had also released his demo-tape for his first label under Sony, 20’s CALBORN.
To date, TAKUI remains with zetima. Though as Takui Nakajima, he showed a softer side, he certainly did not completely abandon his classic rock roots. His most recent album STARDUST VOX released in July 2008 disproved talks of his switching to a more melodic style, showing off his bright energy and rock-style in the lively and powerful album.
TAKUI's passion for music and what he does shines through his music, as do his love for life and freedom. He continues to spread his message of self-truth and freedom and his outlook on life through his music and there's no doubt that he will continue to succeed in all of his ventures. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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