May 07
Justin Nozuka - A Rising Star!
Justin Nozuka jumped out at me because I am a huge fan of the neo-soul acoustic style of Citizen Cope. Nozuka’s song ‘Mr. Therapy Man’ reminds me of some of the best elements of Citizen Cope’s music but manages to be totally original as well.Then I checked out his song, ‘After Tonight’ and realized that I was already a huge fan of Justin Nozuka! I had heard ‘After Tonight’ countless times on Sirus Radio and fell in love with it immediately. I was so excited to see that this great artist has been with Broadtexter for a while now and is quickly gaining fans in his mobile fan club.
Half Japanese, half American - Justin Nozuka was born in New York and grew up in Toronto. Raised by a single mother, Justin was the sixth of seven children, where all four of his brothers are artists in one form or another. As a teen, he spun Motown, folk, and hip-hop records as he fleshed out his music skills learning guitar with his Mexican friends at boarding school.
All you have to do is listen to a song like ‘After Tonight’ to hear the great influences in Justin’s music. What is amazing is how Justin manages to meld folk, soul, and hip-hop seamlessly into one song. It’s no wonder that during his short career, Justin has already snagged stage time with greats like John Cale, Crowded House and Ziggy Marley.
Even though Justin is a guitar aficionado versed in styles from blues to flamenco, it is really his voice that stands out to me as the secret to his success. Nozuka should be the poster child for singing and not ‘over-pushing’ your voice. He knows his voice very well and the areas in which it sounds best. The result of his songs is a vocal quality that is easy to listen to and makes the listener feel as though they are being washed over with sound.
I would highly suggest checking out Justin this summer as he is moving into bigger rooms and his career is continuing to grow. This summer he will be playing venues such as The Double Door in Chicago, The Birchmere in Virginia, The Magic Bag in Michigan, and The Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
Justin Nozuka - Links
May 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Wow. Pretty good music. Thanks for the tip!
May 8th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Yeah Justin!