Disney+ subscribers around the world can now enjoy Disney My Music Story: YOSHIKI, a music documentary about the Japanese classic rock icon. With millions of fans all over the world, the documentary has wide appeal. But while the experience includes intimate interviews with YOSHIKI as he relates moments of his life as they relate to the Disney songs he performs, it presumes the audience knows a lot about him already. Here’s some helpful backstory that the film quickly glosses over for its intended Japanese audience.
Inspired by rock groups like KISS, Queen and David Bowie, YOSHIKI paired his classical music training with his rock and roll interests when he formed the Japanese rock group X, later rebranded as X Japan. The group introduced the Japanese equivalent of glam rock, called “Visual kei,” where men grew their hair long, wore makeup and wore jewelry. Resisting efforts to westernize their sound, X Japan became a unique entry in a classic rock landscape with international hit songs, two of which are featured in the special. In addition to becoming a legendary piano and drum player, YOSHIKI has collaborated with music artists around the world, even having his story inspire a Stan Lee comic book called Blood Red Dragon.
Part of YOSHIKI’s theatrical style is his signature crystal piano, a fitting instrument to perform one of his two Disney selections in the film, “Let it Go.” It also visually resembles Cinderella’s glass slipper and symbolically reflects the fragility of life, a recurring theme in the interviews with the artist who identifies most with the story of The Lion King due to the loss of his own father at a young age. As a fashion designer and icon, the artist also changes his coat for his two Disney songs, wearing a nature-inspired ensemble for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and a frost-like fabric for “Let It Go.”
If Disney My Music Story: YOSHIKI left you wanting to learn more about him, a YouTube documentary about his 2014 world tour includes more of the artist's backstory, which can be viewed below.
Sadly, the film ends with a promise that the full music performances will be presented after the credits, which are cut out of the U.S. version of the special. In the film itself, interviews and commentary are placed over the music. There isn’t an “Extras” section where they can be found either, so international audiences are missing the full concert experience that was seen in Japan when the special debuted last September. Hopefully Disney will add them soon for the world to enjoy, in addition to making the selections available on music streaming services. His renditions of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Let It Go” are mesmerizing and you want to experience them again and again.
To learn more about YOSHIKI, visit his official website.
Disney My Music Story: YOSHIKI is now streaming on Disney+.