The impersonation of Jrock artists

It has been quite some time since I’ve written here.

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth; I simply I have been very busy working on graduate school application! Yes, you’ve read right: graduate school.

I am currently applying to PhD programs around the country for English Literature, as that is my true passion.

But that is not the reason why I am writing this right now.

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that there are quite a lot of fans who believe that they have been talking to Jrock artists who include: YOSHIKI (X Japan), SUGIZO (LUNA SEA, X Japan), Gackt, Miyavi, the members of Ayabie, the GazettE, and other indie rockers and also Korean rock/pop stars. This list is not limited to only the aforementioned; there are other artists who many fans believe to have been in communication with.

I am going to make something extremely clear as someone who has worked with the Japanese music entertainment industry and personally have dealt with some of these artists and worked with them very closely: the majority of Japanese music artists do not speak, write, or read English. They also would never communicate with fans that they met through the Internet privately using any form of messaging service such as MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo!, etc.

The only time an artist will ever communicate with a fan privately is through their official MySpace, Facebook, Alive Not Dead blog, or website.

If your friend “introduces” you to an artist online, chances are, it’s an impersonator.

There are very strict, unspoken rules of conduct of how artists deal with fans. And usually the rule of thumb is that they don’t deal with fans personally. There is a huge separation of “artist” and “fan” in the Japanese music industry, and that is a relationship they try very hard to maintain due to the nature of the business and the level of discretion that one must have within it. The more famous you are, the higher that level of discretion goes.

While it may be difficult to believe that fans actually fall for impostors online, when to some it seems so clearly evident that it is impossible for artists to have communications with fans over the internet, some impostors have extremely sophisticated methods of engaging fans.

I have heard of one particular group of impostors who use MSN Messenger and have been sending fans everything from photos taken with camera phones, scans of magazines that have just come out, to pre-recorded voice messages.

Before I talk about how impossible this is, I’m going to just point out some pretty huge logical issues with all of this. In case people don’t realize, or haven’t even considered, “exclusive photos” can be obtained via access to the artists’ blogs/ameblos/fan club blogs, or the blogs of their staff, who regularly post photos of the artists taken backstage, behind the scenes, etc. Voice messages can easily be made by recording any radio or television interview.

It is very dangerous to believe that just because there are “exclusive photos” being sent, that somehow this is proof — it isn’t!  Moreover, why on earth would an “artist” send anyone scans of a magazine? To do so would be a serious breach of Japanese copyright law; the reproduction of photos is a very serious issue in the Japanese music industry, and image usage is, by far, one of the most tightly regulated mediums of media. The artists themselves do not usually have direct access to the images, and when they do have access to them, it is usually not the scans of the images, but the raw images from the photoshoots which they obtain through their production/management companies, which brings me to another point.

Few artists in the Japanese music industry, especially if they are a major artist, would be able to do their jobs without a management team. The managers are the ones who decide what happens in their careers; the artists do not make the decisions themselves. While they have valuable input in the decision making, generally artists must defer to management decisions, as they are considered employees of the management/production company they are a part of. This means that they must respect the rules that managements set up for them, in terms of how they conduct themselves.

Talking to fans online in a personal capacity, especially foreign fans, is absolutely inappropriate behavior for artists, as it compromises the image that managements work so hard to build; there are certain ideas and images that must be upheld in the eyes of fans, and it is absolutely not allowed for artists to go outside of what has been crafted and presented.

While I know many fans dream of and wish that they can talk to their favorite artist, there are a lot of very dangerous online predators who prey upon impressionable young women. There are also a lot of very malicious fans who get a kick out of manipulating and emotionally controlling other fans for terrible reasons. I do not understand why people think it’s fun to exploit the emotions and trust of others. When this exploitation goes into the realm of sexual exploitation, such as asking these fans for cybersex or to send nude photos, this is not only a serious breach of safety of fans on the Internet, but a crime.

Do not believe that someone you are talking to is the real deal, even if they have “proof” to back it up. Unless you’re in an actual video chat with the artist, who is clearly waving at you through a webcam and saying “hi” in live time, chances are you are not talking to the artist!

The following is a list of screen names that I know, with absolute certainty, are without a doubt, impostors. If you have contacted these impostors,  please immediately cease communication and report them to the proper authorities. If you are someone who has been solicited sexually, please file a report with your local police department immediately, especially if you have proof of this solicitation. As these individuals are engaging in extremely illegal and fraudulent activity and identity theft by posing as someone else, such an act would be considered a form of online sexual solicitation, especially if a minor is concerned.

The list is as follows:

“YOSHIKI” (X Japan) [yoshiki_x_tama@hotmail.co.jp]
“SUGIZO” (LUNA SEA, X Japan) [sugiz0@hotmail.co.jp]
Gackt [gacktkudo@hotmail.co.jp]
Miyavi [sumakkuyukai@live.com]
DJ Sisen [sisenwonka@live.com]
Chihiro [chihiroblood@hotmail.com]
Ruki (the GazettE) [cuddlepoof@live.com]
Aoi (the GazettE) [supahnova@live.com]
Uruha (the GazettE) [uruhatastic@live.com]
Reita (the GazettE) [maniakkuomoirasen@live.com]
Kai (the GazettE) [kai-zee-oh@hotmail.co.jp]
Aoi (Ayabie) [bluayabie@live.jp]
Intetsu (Ayabie) [intetsuayabie@hotmail.co.jp]
Kenzo (Ayabie) [vivalakenzo@live.jp]
Yumehito (Ayabie) [yumeayabie@hotmail.co.jp]
Takehito (Ayabie) [tacohitoayabie@hotmail.co.jp])
Genki (VanessA) [genkisai@live.jp / vanessa_genki@hotmail.co.jp]
Ryuuto (Clearveil) [ryuuveil@hotmail.co.jp]
Saki (Clearveil) [sakiveil@live.jp])
Yuu (LiZ) [yuuliz@hotmail.co.jp]
Victor (LiZ) [victorliz@live.com])
Bou (ex-An Cafe) [boucafe@hotmail.co.jp]
Maya (LM.C) [dropthelmc@live.jp]
D [voidedsoul@live.jp]

Others impersonated include:

Noh “Rose” Minwoo (ex-the TraX/24/7) [ricebowlmanrose@hotmail.com / http://www.myspace.com/roseminwoo]
Yunho (Dong Bang Shin Gi/To Ho Shin Ki) [u.yunho@hotmail.co.jp]
Mikki Murder [mikkimurderdollbabe@hotmail.com]
Agatsuma Saori [agatsuma_saori@live.jp]
Kasai Yoh [kasaiyoh@live.jp]

All of the above belong to a “network” of “artists” who claim to be “friends” with one another and introduce “each other” to unknowing, impressionable fans, who then turn around and introduce other fans to these “celebrities.”

It is a very elaborate, very sophisticated setup, and also very dangerous and illegal.

For those of you who happen to believe in these impostors, and are still not sure whether or not you should believe the word of someone who’s worked in the industry for years and has enough evidence of her work to speak for itself, even if we were to completely discredit all the logical inconsistencies of the fact that 1.) the majority of the people on the list above, with the exception of the members of S.K.I.N. (YOSHIKI, SUGIZO, Gackt, Miyavi), do not speak English, and 2.) there are far too many industry regulations for artists to ever possibly engage with such behavīor online with fans, let me just point something out that I personally know to be true, and is also a public fact (though you’ll have to dig around on his blog to find it!):

SUGIZO does not know how to, nor does he use MSN Messenger or any kind of chat program. In fact, his only modes of communication online are MySpace and e-mail, as well as the program, Second Life. The very fact that “SUGIZO” is a part of this little ring of impostors is enough proof alone, even if all of the above that I’ve written were not taken into consideration at all.  SUGIZO is too busy to even respond to e-mails sent to him by his business colleagues and personal friends. So why on earth would he spend any of what little free time he has chatting with fans online who he’s never even met in person?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has, and am also open to editing this post with more known impostors in order to raise awareness about this issue. While I have not been very actively involved in the music industry in the past half year, fans are still, and always will be, very important to me. I will not simply sit here and act as though I do not know that this is going on when I know that fans are being exploited and taken advantage of in very terrible, malicious, dangerous, and illegal ways.

Those of you who would like to contact me privately can e-mail me at kuri@jrockrevolution.com or krystal@einsofmarketing.com.