Moi dix Mois
(From Virtual Japan)
After Malice Mizer announced a hiatus in 2002, Mana announced the formation of his solo project Moi dix Mois. The announcement was made on his birthday, 19 March, but the identity of the other band members was kept secret for some months. The two additional band members wore wears a white mask with the word "dix" on the forehead in photo shoots..
The band’s name, which translates from the French as "me ten months," holds a number of meanings for Mana. "Moi" represents his debut as a solo artist. Ten months is the average time in lunar months that a baby grows inside its mother’s womb, and so symbolizes a rebirth.
The project is very much under Mana’s control as he plays guitar, composes the band’s music and writes the lyrics, arranges, produces, designs the stage costumes and acts as artistic director. The band’s music is released via Mana's independent record label, Midi:Nette.
The line up was revealed on 31 July at Dis inferno as comprising Mana on guitar, Juka on vocals and Kazuno on bass. There was also a support drummer, Tohru, who wasn’t regarded an official member of the band. The new band’s members were almost unknown in Japan prior to their joining Moi dix Mois. Kazuno had oreviously performed with Grand Zero under the name Takeru and Tohru had played in Jils.
After a national tour, their first single Dialogue Symphonie was released in October 2002. Further tours and releases followed, and Tohru’s membership was made official.
Moi-même-Moitié, Mana’s gothic fashion label owned by Mana, began to amrket its products internationally and in November 2004, published the fashion photobook Magnifique.
In December, a new member was added to the band, guitarist K, who also added vocals and a third support guitarist, Jun, joined temporarily.
The band played their first international concerts in March 2005 in Germany and France as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. Immediately afterward, singer Juka left the band. Their new vocialist, Seth, was featured on the album, Beyond the Gate released in March 2006. Shortly afterward, Kazuno and Tohru announced that they were leaving.
The US tour planned for 2006 had to be cancelled because of disagreements with the organizers and Moi dix Mois are yet to play in the US.. In March 2007, they released their fourth album, Dixanadu.
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