Kaya and AOL

Above you will find the debut video from Japanese pop star Kaya, "Chocolat," which I just found on YouTube. The Rococo garb and exaggerated facial expressions remind me of Army of Lovers. Well, Army of Lovers with less cleavage. Can you see the similarity too?



And just for the record, I love Army of Lovers.

I started researching Kaya upon the suggestion of some people I met at Tune in Tokyo. Kaya was first known as the vocalist of Schwarz Stein, a Japanese EBM group, and went solo almost three years ago. Androgyny is central to his persona and I have been told by a few of his fans that part of Kaya's mission is to blur gender roles.

Tonight, I'll be heading down to Little Tokyo for another installment of Tune in Tokyo. Perhaps they will play Kaya. Perhaps I will see someone dressed like Kaya. Who knows?

I can tell you that Blood, who is playing at the Knitting Factory tomorrow night, is doing an in store at Jungle/Cure USA, so there will likely be loads of visual kei kids tonight.

Related: "Tune in Tokyo: Where Jpop and Jrock Rule"