Yoshiki’s legacy is being etched in stone – literally. The Japanese superstar will soon leave his handprints in cement at the historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, making him the first Japanese artist to do so since the tradition began in 1927.
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Yoshiki is one of 300 artists to put his imprint in cement, with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Cher and Katy Perry among the vast-ranging other artists to have done so over the past nearly 100 years. In addition to signing their names, many artists are immortalized through symbols such as the wands from the Harry Potter film series used by stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, and Groucho Marx’s cigar.
The ceremony will take place on September 14 at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Guest speakers at Yoshiki’s ceremony include KISS’ Gene Simmons and Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun, who was one of the first South Korean actors to have his handprints placed in cement at the Chinese Theatre in 2012.
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Yoshiki is widely known as the frontman of rock bands X Japan and The Last Rockstars. X Japan made history as the only act to sell out the Tokyo Dome, which has a capacity of 55,000 people, 18 times. X Japan has released five studio albums as of 2023, their last being Dahlia in 1996. They’ve been in the process of working on a follow-up album since 2008.
Though X Japan’s songs were chart-topping hits in their native country, Yoshiki is beloved around the world. As a solo artist, he’s released three classical albums, with Yoshiki Classical reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart in 2013.
Yoshiki will make his directorial debut with Yoshiki: Under The Sky, a documentary chronicling his concert that brought together artists from around the world after the COVID-19 pandemic including The Chainsmokers, Nicole Scherzinger and Broadway star Sarah Brightman. Under the Sky will have premieres around the world, beginning with the U.S. premiere in New York City in Times Square on September 7.
Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images
