X Japan - Jade (Music Video)

What this video is

The 'Jade' music video represents a decisive pivot in X Japan's post-reunion career strategy: a deliberate, lavishly funded attempt to break into Western markets after decades as Japan's most commercially successful rock act. Shot in Hollywood in January 2010, the production was explicitly framed as a global statement, with Yoshiki describing it as a bridge between East and West. Released in 2011 after being…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of Visual Kei's attempted Western mainstreaming, 'Jade' represents the genre's highest-production-value foray into English-language global rock. The video synthesizes Visual Kei's signature theatricality and androgynous fashion with Hollywood-scale cinematography, serving as a…

The director

Dean Karr (born February 22, 1965, Seattle, Washington) is a Los Angeles-based American photographer, music video, commercial, and film director. He holds a BFA from Washington State University and attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He…