Juka

Member: 

Vocal: Shaura (ex. Juka)

Bass: Kazuno (Support)

Guitar: Tetsu (Support)

Drums: Mikage (Support)

Status: Paused

Since: 2007

Juka - official site

Juka first became known to the public in 2002 when he was discovered and recruited by Mana (Ex-Malice Mizer, Moi dix Mois). Later he also became the vocalist for HIZAKI grace project before he went solo. He is gifted with a beautiful and emotional voice, which improves with every release.

If you like the music of HIZAKI and KAMIJO, you should definitely give Juka a try.

Juka was born in Yamaguchi, Japan on October 4th. He has been interested in music his entire life, and his first main influence was his father, who is also a skilled singer. Encouraged by his mother, he began learning to play the keyboards and various wind instruments. 

Juka's career began in 2002 when he was discovered by the famous visual kei artist Mana, who immediately recruited him for his solo project Moi dix Mois. His identity was kept a secret for several months before he was exposed to the public during the band's first live at Shibuya AX on July 31st. Juka, who was said to be a voice fusion of GACKT andKlaha—both former members of Mana's first major band, Malice Mizer—remained with the band for three years. He contributed to three singles, two albums and two DVDs. However, in April of 2005, he announced his departure fromMoi dix Mois, the reason being "disagreement in musical imaginations." He took his leave after the last concert of theInvite to Immortality tour, which took place the same month.

It didn't take long before he was heard from again: in October 2006 the guitarist HIZAKI announced that Juka would be the vocalist in his project HIZAKI grace project. With this band, Juka contributed to one album, a live DVD and a mini album. However, in February 2007 HIZAKI announced that he and KAMIJO (ex Lareine) would start the band Versaillestogether, while Juka would begin a solo career. These activities would take priority over HIZAKI grace project.

On March 28, 2007, Juka released his first single as a solo artist. Both HIZAKI and KAMIJO helped with writing and producing the music and also backed him on his next release, the mini-album Luxurious, which was released in June. The next month, Juka participated in a concert to celebrate KAMIJO's birthday and all three performed together withKaya (ex Schwarz Stein) in the rock musical Node of Scherzo. In October, he released SAINT CROIX, the first song he had written himself, but in December he announced that he would retire from the stage due to throat polyps. His upcoming project, the band Seventh Sense, was called off and the name instead used for his final release, a best-of album containing all songs from his short solo career.

It wasn't until two years later when we would hear from Juka again. In 2009, he picked up his activities again as vocalist, but this time under the name Shaura. With a new look and name, he started the duo XOVER with Kouichi(ex-Laputa). On May 10th they released their first PV Mezame and recorded their first mini-album, XGATE, with Masatoand Mikage as support members. At the end of October they released their first full album and started a tour around Japan. At the end of November it was announced that XOVER would disband, but they said that decision would be postponed until 2010.

Early in 2010, on January 5th, XOVER officially disbanded with their CLOSE THE GATE live. However, a DVD was released on March.

Nowadays, Shaura is the vocalist of VII Sense. VII Sense has already released a single, 「BLACK BIRD」, and done several concerts in the indie visual scene. In this new project Shaura works again with Mikage and Masato.