Kaya recently talked about Mana Sama and their time working together during his appearance on the YouTube program Dorian & Junko no Maa Taihen ne from Naimon Channel.
Kaya recalled how Mana first discovered him after unexpectedly attending a show of Rudolf Steiner (Schwarz Stein) at Takadanobaba AREA. After the performance, Mana Sama went to Kaya’s dressing room and simply introduced himself as “Mana desu”.
He then invited Kaya to join his agency Midi:Nette and start working together. Kaya said the whole situation felt surreal because he was already a huge admirer of MALICE MIZER.
However, Kaya was young at the time and very protective of his own artistic vision. Although he was happy about the offer, he was also worried that joining an agency might mean losing some of his freedom to express himself. Because of those doubts, Kaya technically left Mana Sama waiting for an answer!
Looking back, Kaya says working with Mana taught him much more than music. One of the biggest things he learned was what Mana Sama called an “entertainment ethic”: understanding that when you step onto a stage, what you say, sing and do can genuinely have an impact on someone’s life.
Kaya also talked about how Mana taught him through example rather than simply giving him orders. He learned the importance of being polite, respecting other artists and taking care of the dressing rooms and venues they shared.
And when it came to his own artistic expression, Kaya says Mana gave him the freedom to be himself. Wearing dresses and breaking away from traditional gender expectations on stage was never something he was discouraged from doing. Instead, Mana encouraged freedom of expression.
It’s a really interesting look back at how much Mana Sama’s guidance influenced Kaya, not only as an artist, but also in the way he approaches his career.
View original post on Instagram