We’ve written about what Kaito’s voice does inside a Paledusk song. This piece is about something simpler: who Kaito is to the band. The answer is that Paledusk has never existed without this singer.
There From the Start
Paledusk began writing music in Fukuoka in 2014 and played its first proper shows in April 2015. Kaito, from Fukuoka, has been the vocalist since the band formed — a founding member alongside guitarist Tsubasa. The current lineup is Kaito on vocals, DAIDAI and Tsubasa on guitars, John on bass and BOB on drums.
That continuity matters in a band this restless. Paledusk’s music changes shape from song to song, and sometimes inside a single verse. A group like that needs one fixed point the audience can hold on to. From the first show onward, the fixed point has been the person at the microphone.
A Frontman Who Left Home Early
Most Japanese bands build a domestic base first and look abroad later. Paledusk reversed the usual order, and the dates show how quickly. The band signed with Australia’s Greyscale Records in 2020, the European agency Avocado Bookings in 2021 and the American label SharpTone Records in 2023, and has played festivals and tours overseas.
Fronting a band in rooms where almost nobody speaks your language is a different job from fronting one at home. There’s no between-song banter to lean on. The performance has to carry everything. A vocalist who learned the trade in Fukuoka’s small rooms and then took it straight to foreign stages has had an unusual education.
The Other Half of the Partnership
While Kaito holds the centre on stage, guitarist DAIDAI has been arranging and producing for Bring Me The Horizon. The two roles fit together: one member’s ideas are in demand at the top of the international scene, and the other is the reason those ideas work in front of a crowd.
If you’re new to the band, start here and follow the voice through each song. It’s the one thing that never changes.
