Kai (musician, born 1993)

Kai (Japanese: 海) is a rock singer, musician, producer, and leader of the British-Japanese rock and alternative metal group Esprit D'Air as a multi-instrumentalist. He is also one of the current guitarists for English rock band The Sisters of Mercy.

Early life
Kai was born in England and grew up in East Finchley, North London. He attended the University of Westminster and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in music.

Kai's first guitar was gifted from his mother, but he recounts that his father was not supportive of his musical aspirations. When his father caught Kai skipping school to practise guitar, he smashed his guitar against a wall in an act of frustration.

Esprit D'Air
At the age of 17, Kai founded Esprit D'Air in London in 2010 as the lead guitarist. The band shortly split up in 2013 when most members returned to Japan.

Esprit D'Air later reformed as Kai's solo project in 2016 and has since produced a catalogue of albums and singles as lead vocalist, composer, and producer, regularly entering the Official Charts in various top ten positions.

Kai also books and promotes tours and concerts for Esprit D'Air without the help of booking agents and promoters.

The Sisters of Mercy
In mid-October 2023, Kai joined The Sisters of Mercy, as a guitarist and backing vocalist and has since toured extensively in Europe. After being introduced to the band by Ben Christo, Kai was brought in as the replacement guitarist for Dylan Smith with only a few days' notice.

Despite his background as a progressive metal guitarist, Kai introduced a less heavy metal influence, bringing back a live sound closer to his earlier work. Kai also performs female-sounding vocals to The Sisters of Mercy's live performances in songs such as "Dominion", "This Corrosion", and "Temple of Love", which had not been present in live performances for decades.

As of 2024, Kai is touring with The Sisters of Mercy in Europe and North America and has contributed new guitar parts for unreleased material.

Other projects
In 2016, Kai played bass for Stereo Juggernaut and went on a UK tour supporting The Birthday Massacre, as well as shows with 3Teeth, Hed PE and Warrior Soul.

Between 2018 and 2019, Kai was a frequent guest vocalist for London-based project Shot Through The Heart, a "monthly night of live hard rock, AOR and glam metal covers" presented by Ben Christo. The live sets featured guest musicians from various rock/glam/metal groups, including Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Gun, Marco Mendoza, Jettblack, and Lauren Harris.

On 15 October 2022, Kai was asked to perform guitar for original Tigertailz vocalist Steevi Jaimz on a one-off show to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Tigertailz debut album Young and Crazy alongside Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Rachel Stamp drummer Robin Guy and former BulletBoys bass player Rob Lane.

Equipment and endorsements
Kai uses a white Ibanez S-Series guitar with Seymour Duncan pick-ups, a white Fender American Stratocaster, an Ibanez YY20 (Yvette Young signature model), a Hagström Siljan II Grand Auditorium CE 12-String, and a blue Schecter Omen Extreme-6.

Kai is also a Vocalzone endorsed artist, using it prior to rehearsals, warm-ups, and mid-performance.



Musical influences
Kai named X Japan, Luna Sea, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and Dead End as some of his favorite bands from Japan in an article for Loudwire.

Kai is also inspired by the games of Final Fantasy, specifically Final Fantasy VII, and wanted to create music that sounds like it is from another world.

Personal life
Kai follows a vegan diet and does not drink alcohol. He has two cats, named Zack (named after Final Fantasy VII's Zack Fair and Pan (named after the Japanese word for bread).

Kai uses both he/him and they/them pronouns and has an androgynous appearance.

Philanthropy
In March 2016, Kai performed at a charity event in London, where all proceeds went to Aoba-gakuen, an orphanage in Fukushima, Japan. Through ticket, merchandise, food sales, and donations, the event raised over £1,100 for the orphanage.

Kai supports LGBTQ+ rights and donates a percentage of record sales to Stonewall. Kai has also donated a percentage of record sales to Black Lives Matter, and Razom, a non-profit in Ukraine to provide humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the ongoing war.

In 2024, Kai donated over $1,200 to Palestine Children's Relief Fund to aid humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths.

Kai Koffee
Kai created his own coffee brand called Kai Koffee with products named after Esprit D'Air song titles such as 'Leviathan', and 'The Awakening'. Each batch is freshly roasted weekly from a carbon-neutral coffee source.