Toshi

Toshimitsu Deyama (出山利三), known exclusively by his stage name Toshi, is a Japanese singer and songwriter.He is best known as lead vocalist and co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and are credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement.Toshi began what would become an extensive solo career in 1992, before leaving X Japan at the end of 1997.By his own admission, Toshi was "brainwashed" by a group called Home of Heart, whose leader would control his musical output for the next 12 years.In 2007, X Japan reunited and began touring the world.Toshi severed ties with Home of Heart in January 2010, and renewed his solo career.His distinctive, impassioned tenor vocals have been compared to those of Steve Perry.