Justin Nozuka

The maturity of Justin Nozuka’s music, a soulful mixture of R&B and pensive singer/songwriter folk that recalls both Nick Drake and Lauryn Hill, belies his tender years: Nozuka was only 18 when his debut album premiered. The son of the Japanese dad and American mom (celebrity Holly Sedgwick, who coincidentally is actually Kyra Sedgwick’s sister), Nozuka was created in NEW YORK in 1988, the 6th of seven kids. Nozuka’s old brothers were music artists — George Nozuka, 3 years Justin’s older, released his debut dance-pop recording, Believe, in 2006 — and following the family members moved from NEW YORK to Toronto, Ontario after his parents’ divorce, he started to explore music himself. Understanding how to play acoustic guitar from a classmate at boarding college, Nozuka began composing the songs that could constitute his debut recording when he was just 15. Playing gigs on Toronto’s energetic folk and vocalist/songwriter circuit while still in senior high school, Nozuka captivated the attention from the English indie label Outcaste Information (Joss Rock, KT Tunstall), which authorized the youngster for his 2006 debut recording, Holly. You I Blowing wind Land and Ocean followed this year 2010. Seeking to additional develop his audio, Nozuka constructed a home studio room and had taken his time composing and self-producing his extra, elegant third record Ulysees, that was released in early 2014.