Ikimono Gakari Vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka announced take a break

Ikimono Gakari vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka (26) announced on Wednesday night that her weekly radio show "Ikimono Gakari Yoshioka Kiyoe no All Night Nippon" will be ending with its December 21 broadcast. More importantly, she apparently confirmed that the band will be taking a break from performances during the first half of 2011.

A rumor was published in newspapers last month that the band would be going on hiatus for the first half of 2011, but the band and their record label issued public denials at the time. The band's leader, Yoshiki Mizuno, previously said that the members had discussed focusing on writing new songs, but that they would continue with their live activities.

It is now being reported that Ikimono Gakari will indeed be focusing on writing, but will not be doing any concerts or live performances. The length of the "hiatus" has not been decided, but a source says that it will be half a year at most, and that the band will fully resume activities by July. Their performance at Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31 has been declared as their "last" for now.

The timing of the decision seems odd, given that they are currently at their peak with their recent best album "Ikimono Bakari ~Members BEST Selection~" getting certified by the RIAJ as reaching 1 million copies shipped. However, Yoshioka said, "We've run too far so we would like to take a rest. Please forgive our selfishness."

Ikimono Gakari has three more concerts left in their current tour, beginning with one on Thursday. It is expected that they may deliver more details to their fans at those shows.

tokyograph