YOSHIKI (X JAPAN) and American singer Josh Groban have teamed up for a new version of “Forever Love,” releasing the live recording digitally on August 28 under the credit YOSHIKI feat. Josh Groban.
“Forever Love” was written and composed by YOSHIKI and originally released in 1996 as an X JAPAN single, becoming one of the band’s most beloved ballads. This new arrangement reworks the track for piano, orchestra, and vocals. Groban sings newly written English lyrics alongside portions of the original Japanese lyrics.
The recording was captured live in July at YOSHIKI’s solo concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. A trailer featuring footage of the performance has been released on YouTube.
YOSHIKI commented on the collaboration: “Josh brought incredible emotion and depth to ‘Forever Love.’ Hearing him sing it in Japanese moved me deeply. This song has connected with so many people in Japan over the years, and I hope this performance lets its message of love reach people around the world.”
Groban also shared his thoughts, calling YOSHIKI “an icon” and “Forever Love” one of the songs that defines him. He said he was honored to breathe new life into the song together with YOSHIKI, crossing barriers of language and genre.
Who is YOSHIKI?
YOSHIKI is the drummer, pianist, and primary composer of X JAPAN, one of the best-selling and most influential rock bands in Japanese music history, known for pioneering the visual kei movement. Beyond X JAPAN, he has built an extensive solo career blending classical and rock music, performing with symphony orchestras worldwide and composing for film and television. He has also been active in philanthropy, including recent donations to disaster relief efforts in Japan, France, and Spain.
Who is Josh Groban?
Josh Groban is an American singer, songwriter, and actor known for his powerful baritone voice and multi-platinum albums that blend classical crossover, pop, and musical theater styles. He has earned multiple Grammy nominations and is recognized as one of the best-selling artists of the 2000s in the United States.
Author’s Comment
A rock legend and a Broadway-adjacent crooner covering a 1996 X JAPAN power ballad together at Walt Disney Concert Hall — sure, why not, it’s 2026. But honestly, this is peak YOSHIKI: the man has spent three decades turning grief and melodrama into genuinely gorgeous music, and getting Josh Groban to sing half of it in Japanese is exactly the kind of grandiose, sincere gesture his fans live for. Japanese Twitter is already gushing that Groban’s Japanese pronunciation is shockingly solid. I’ll admit it — I teared up a little just reading the press release, and I haven’t even heard the track yet.
