Taiwan’s J-pop fans have been pampered over the past year with concerts by Japanese superstars such as Ayumi Hamasaki in November and Namie Amuro in June. Tomorrow, another heavyweight act in the form of pop crooner Ryuichi Kawamura takes to the mic.
A far cry from the glitz and glamour of Hamasaki and Amuro, Kawamura was the vocalist of famed glam rock band Luna Sea (月之海) from 1989 to 2000, before embarking on a successful solo career as a balladeer.
Mostly known in Taiwan for the theme song I For You from the Japanese TV series Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi Dake (神啊!請多給我一點時間) starring Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武) and Kyoko Fukada, Kawamura wowed fans with his smoldering voice and his matinee idol good looks.
Since the breakup of Luna Sea, Kawamura branched out to become a singer/songwriter/musician, actor and record producer. His solo debut album entitled Love sold 3 million copies, establishing him in 1997 as the best-selling male singer in Japan ever. As a songwriter/producer, he is hotly pursued by other acts such as Shizuka Kudo, Noriko Sakai and Hong Kong’s Kelly Chen (陳慧琳).
Kawamura’s last performance in Taiwan was with Luna Sea in November 2000. Tomorrow’s Ever Fadeless Melody gig
is Kawamura’s first solo concert here.
Apart from new material from his latest
album Piano, which was released in April,
he will perform classic hits including Love is …, Ne, - Only Love -, Julia and a solo
rendition of I For You. He will perform some songs a cappella.
In the J-pop world, populated with highly packaged music acts, Kawamura is a rarity who can boast that his live performances are better than his recorded work.
Ryuichi Kawamura Live in Taiwan 2009 Ever Fadeless Melody (河村隆一2009台灣演唱會永不褪色的旋律) is tomorrow at 7:30pm at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 505, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段505號). Tickets are NT$900 toNT$3,600, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw. On the Net: www.kawamura-fc.com.
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