Since their U.S. debut at one of America's biggest events, Lollapalloza, X Japan has been making headlines across the North American territory with Yoshiki at the helm.

When you own your own race car team, jewelry line, clothing line, credit card brand, are only person to have a Hello Kitty doll (Yoshikitty) made after you, have a manager that co-created Lollapalooza, and buy out an entire studio that Metallica booked for a year, just because you want to record there, why can't you headline in America too?

Featured in the L.A. Times Arts & Book section [pre-Lollapalooza], headlined "America, Meet YOSHIKI," with a sub title, "The heavy metal drummer-pianist is huge in Japan. But he wants more." The article starts with X Japan's music video shoot in Hollywood that happened earlier in January, and quoted Yoshiki, "It almost made me cry," and "It was a touching moment. It gave us confidence to go forward, to tour in America, and want to release an album in the U.S."

The writer also goes on to mention how many other Asian pop acts have failed to cross over, but that X Japan is, "not simply world music performers, but as a legitimate pop act in the vein of Slipknot or Metallica." While the article goes further into what all fans already know (i.e. X Japan/Yoshiki's background), Chris Lee (the writer) is hoping to enlist Yoshiki in his own show "like Cirque de Soleil."

X Japan was also featured on "Time Out Chicago," interviewed on ABC News, Phoenix New Times, and Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Sun-Times headlined the band as "Lollapalooza: X Japan makes U.S. debut, winds converts."

There was another article in the LA Times post Lollapalooza, with a title, "After Lollapalooza, club scene will suit the band just fine."

While they have many fans and supporters, there are many in Japan that think otherwise.� The LA Times article goes on to say, "'From Japanese management, a lot of people said, 'You're not going to make it in America or outside Japan,' said Yoshiki. 'That makes me want to do it even more.' He continued to say, 'People say, 'You cannot get to the moon.' I want to get to the moon! The moon being the American market.'

It's not just Japanese management either, as there are some ex-X Japan fans that don't see the band making it any further than they already have. Some think it's a little too late for the band, seeing as how their disbandment in 1997 was the end of their era. You have to admit, if Yoshiki didn't have his manager, would X Japan have even made it to the main stage at Lollapalooza? That I can't answer, but I can say this, while many rockers Yoshiki's age are just doing reality TV shows, he is just now being re-born, and as an American this time.

Good luck to him! I hope his master plan works out.

[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

source: yoshiki twitter, la times
photos: natalie, yoshiki twitter