Pay money To my Pain

** Guitar: PABLO (worked as support guitarist for LiSA, FAKE?, OBLIVION DUST and Takuya Nakajima)

** Bass: T$UYO$HI (now in The BONEZ)

** Drums: ZAX (now in The BONEZ, in Hi-STANDARD since September 2025)

Ex members:

** Vocals: K (後藤慶/ケー/Kei Gotou; bandmember from 2005 to 2013; he frequently struggled with poor physical health and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, which he addressed openly through his lyrics. His death on December 30, 2012, due to acute heart failure was officially announced on January 10, 2013)

**Guitar: JIN (bandmember from 2004 to 2008; Currently the vocalist of High Speed Boyz. In addition to producing for GReeeeN, the band of his brother HIDE, he has also produced for Bareeeeeeeeeen, a collaborative project between GReeeeN and BACK-ON)

Biography:

The band was formed on September 11, 2004, using the rooftop of a house known as “Mitaka House” as their base. Vocalist K (Kei Gotou) had previously debuted in 2003 as the singer of the nu metal band GUN DOG.

After that band went on hiatus at the end of 2004, K traveled to the United States in 2005. During this period, he recruited four members and formed Pay money To my Pain.

From an early age, K had been writing lyrics as a way to cope with depression, anxiety, and persistent dark emotions. He later explained that his lyrics expressed his deepest pain, and that when listeners bought the band’s CDs, they were literally paying money to his pain. This idea became the origin of the band’s name.

The band began producing music entirely on their own before being noticed by the record label VAP. All songwriting and creative decisions were handled internally. Their studio recordings for CD releases were carried out at Radio Star Studio in California, USA.

In January 2006, K temporarily returned to Japan and the band performed live shows in Tokyo and Osaka. On December 6, 2006, Pay money To my Pain made their major debut with the single “Drop of INK” under VAP.

Several months later, the band traveled to California to record their first album. Their debut album, Another Day Comes, was released on September 12, 2007. The album included “Home,” which was used as an ending theme for the anime Buzzer Beater, and “Another Day Comes,” which served as the ending theme for Ultraseven X. The album was rooted in the nu metal genre, a style the band would subsequently move away from on their later releases.

On April 6, 2008, guitarist JIN left the band. The EP Writing in the diary was released on July 30, 2008. Later that year, on August 27, the band released their first digital-only single, “All Because of You.”

In 2009, the digital-only single “Bury” was released on January 7, followed by the second album after you wake up on March 18. “Bury” was used as the opening theme for the anime One Outs. Another song from the band, “The Answer Is Not in the TV,” was featured in Konami’s video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.

On June 9, 2010, Pay money To my Pain released the single Pictures, along with a live DVD of the same name, sold separately.

Their third album, Remember the name, was released on January 26, 2011.

On August 10, 2011, the band performed alongside lynch. at the charity event “Shikiyakou -Shikui-”, hosted by DEAD END. All proceeds were donated to the victims of the March 11, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

On January 8, 2012, the band performed a full-set live show titled “40” at Shibuya O-EAST. In June 2012, K was hospitalized due to declining mental health. Despite this, the band performed their live show “House of Chaos” that summer. That same year, they contributed a cover of Buck-Tick’s “Love Letter” to the tribute album Parade II – Respective Tracks of Buck-Tick –, released on July 4, 2012.

In October 2012, K was again hospitalized and entered rehabilitation. The band subsequently announced a suspension of activities. On October 24, 2012, their first best album Breakfast was released, but the previously announced tour was canceled due to K’s condition.

On December 30, 2012, K died of acute heart failure at his home in Yokohama. He was 31 years old. His death was officially announced on January 10, 2013.

On September 20, 2013, the band announced a new album titled gene, consisting of songs K had recorded before his death, along with tracks recorded with guest vocalists. The album was released on November 13, 2013. It included “Rain,” the theme song for the film Sekisekirenren, as well as “Innocent in a Silent Room” and a newly recorded version of “Sweetest Vengeance.”

Their final album "Gene" was released on November 13th 2013. It contains 5 songs with K on vocals.

The songs which he could not record anymore feature befriended musicians like Ken & Teru from Crossfaith, KYONO from WAGDUG FUTURISTIC UNITY/T.C.L, Masato from coldrain & Hazuki from lynch., JESSE from RIZE/The BONEZ and Taka from ONE OK ROCK.

In December 2013, Pay money To my Pain held their final concert, “From here to somewhere,” at Zepp Tokyo. On the same day, the band officially announced an indefinite hiatus.

After the band ceased activities, previously unreleased material continued to be shared. On December 29, 2014, an unreleased song titled “Room #103,” featuring K on vocals, was uploaded to the band’s official YouTube channel. Another unreleased song, “Relive,” was uploaded on December 29, 2015.

On September 11, 2016, the band announced a limited-edition box set titled 10 Years from Drop of Ink, covering their entire career. The box set included five CDs, two Blu-rays, a 12-inch vinyl record, and various memorabilia. It was released on December 6, 2016, exactly ten years after their major debut.

On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Pay money To my Pain would reunite for BLARE FEST. 2020, a festival hosted by coldrain. On February 2, 2020, the band performed on the festival’s second day, marking their first live appearance in six years and two months. Guest vocalists joined the band for several songs during the set.

On January 4th 2023 the EP "Orange Ave." by K was released.

On November 17, 2023, a documentary film titled SUNRISE TO SUNSET was released in Japan, paying tribute to the band. The film was directed by Masashi Motegi, a longtime associate of the band, and includes interviews with musicians close to P.T.P. as well as uncut footage from their performance at BLARE FEST. 2020.