Justin Nozuka
 |
Justin Nozuka | |
|---|---|
 Nozuka in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Justin Tokimitsu Nozuka |
| Born | September 29, 1988 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk, R&B |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | justinnozuka |
Justin Tokimitsu Nozuka (born September 29, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His debut album, Holly, was released in Europe, Canada, Japan and the United States. He has licensed the album to indie label Coalition Entertainment Records, distributed by Warner Music in Canada, Outcaste Records in the UK/EU distributed by EMI and Glassnote Records in the US distributed by Universal Music Group.
Biography
Justin was born one of seven children to Canadian mother Holly Sedgwick[1][2] and Japanese father Hiromitsu Nozuka. Sedgwick raised Nozuka and his six siblings as a single mother.[3] He is the brother of musician George Nozuka, musician Henry Nozuka, and actor Philip Nozuka. Other family members include musician Christian, and two sisters, Margaret and Sandra (Sandy). His mother's half-sister is actress Kyra Sedgwick[4][5] and his first cousin twice removed is Edie Sedgwick.
Nozuka began to write his own songs at the age of 12. The earliest of his songs on Holly, "Supposed to Grow Old" and "I'm in Peace," were written when he was 15.[6] While attending St. Andrews College, an international boarding school in Aurora, Ontario, Justin learned to play guitar from classmates.[citation needed] He then went on to the Etobicoke School of the Arts, where he graduated from in 2007. His musical influences stem from artists such as Lauryn Hill and Marvin Gaye.[7]
With help from a fellow Canadian artist, Damhnait Doyle, whom he met at a song writing workshop, Nozuka was introduced to Universal Records talent scout, Allan Reid. He recorded three tracks through Universal with Bill Bell as producer, leading Universal to request that Nozuka sign with their label. However, he decided to "record an album on (his) own, with (his) own freedom".[8]
In 2007, Nozuka released his debut album Holly. The album is named after his mother who helped and supported his chosen career in music. The album has eleven songs to it and includes a hidden track following the final listed song "If I Gave You My Life". Many of Justin's songs deal with mature themes such as the song "Save Him", which is a fictional account of a woman abused by her husband. Another track, "Down in a Cold Dirty Well", is about his perspective being stuck in a well, watching his life flash before his eyes. "Criminal" describes the story of a drunken man facing the consequences of throwing a bottle into a street "where children play with bare feet",[9] and suffers from the overwhelming guilt. In February 2008, Justin was nominated for a Juno award in the category of "New Artist of the Year", following the commercial and critical success of his debut album.
Since then, Nozuka has played at such venues as the Green room stage at the Irish music festival Oxegen and T in the Park in 2007. Nozuka's song "After Tonight" has also been featured in a commercial for Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant on VH1, as well as on mtvU's The Freshman. Nozuka has also traveled to Austin, Texas to take part in the SXSW Music Festival as well as being interviewed by many radio stations in the area.
In 2008, Nozuka toured with Marié Digby and Eric Hutchinson. From August 2008 through November 2008, Nozuka toured all around the United States with Gabe Dixon Band & Jay Nash as well as in parts of Europe. In the beginning of 2009, he toured the United States again, this time co-headlining with Missy Higgins and with special guest, Lenka. He also toured in France to heavily promote the Holly album for its re-release.
In the summer of 2009, Nozuka began working on his second studio album, while touring and playing live shows in Europe. The result was his second album titled You I Wind Land and Sea. The album was released in the US on April 13, 2010, and debuted at Number 118 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The album receive positive reviews, similar to his first album.
On February 18, 2010, Nozuka lent his vocals alongside 50 of Canada's best and brightest artists on a reworked version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag." The song was reworked in order to inspire help for Haiti after it was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Other singers involved included K'naan, Nelly Furtado, Kardinal Offishall, Avril Lavigne, Lights, Drake, Fefe Dobson, Esthero, Jacob Hoggard and Justin Bieber, among others. It was released on iTunes Friday March 12, 2010 for purchase with all proceeds going to designated charities: World Vision, Free the Children and War Child.
Nozuka collaborated with the musical group The Slakadeliqs on their single "Love Controls the Sun" in November 2011. The song is part of the group's debut album The Other Side of Tomorrow. The group released a music video for the song featuring Justin and Slakah the Beatchild riding their bicycles on a rural road and partying.[10]
Nozuka has performed the song "Gone" in his live shows but has yet to record it for an album. Wu-Tang Clan member RZA came across the song and decided to sample it. RZA, joined by Kobra Khan, James Black and Justin, released the song, also titled "Gone," in October 2011 as a tribute to former Wu-Tang Clan member the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. The group filmed a music video for the single featuring clips of Ol' Dirty Bastard. The single is available on online music platform iTunes.[11]
Nozuka has also had various acting roles, including an appearance on Degrassi: The Next Generation as Chuck Hosada, the fictional brother to recurring character Chester, played by Justin's real-life brother Philip Nozuka. Their brother George Nozuka also shared a small role in the same episode playing the third brother, Chad.
In April 2014, Nozuka released his third studio album, Ulysees.[12] After spending 2010 touring, Nozuka took a break and started self-producing the album himself, resulting in a four-year gap between albums. The album features a soothing, calm tone which is significantly different from his previous albums, and is backed by the singles "Right By You" and "Sweet Lover".
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat |
US Indie |
DU | FR | ||
| Holly |
|
– | 6 | 30 | 79 | 23 |
| You I Wind Land and Sea |
|
118 | 1 | 13 | 40 | 45 |
| Ulysees |
|
– | 49 | – | – | – |
| Run To Waters |
|
– | – | – | – | – |
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Heat | ||
| Blue Velvet Sea: The Sessions EP |
|
50 |
| Chestnut Spoke To Maple |
|
– |
| High Tide |
|
– |
| Low Tide |
|
– |
| Then, Now & Again |
|
– |
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||
Other releases
- iTunes Festival: London – Justin Nozuka (Live) EP (2007) (available in the U.K.)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CA | CA AC | ||||
| "After Tonight" | 2007 | –[A] | – | – | Holly | |
| "Mr. Therapy Man" | – | – | – | |||
| "Criminal" | – | – | – | |||
| "Be Back Soon" | 2008 | – | – | – | ||
| "Golden Train" | 2009 | – | – | – | ||
| "My Heart Is Yours" | 2010 | – | – | – | You I Wind Land and Sea | |
| "Heartless" | – | 93 | 14 | |||
| "Right By You" | 2014 | – | – | – | Ulysees | |
| "Sweet Lover" | – | – | – | |||
| "By Your Side" | 2015 | – | – | – | Chestnut Spoke to Maple | |
| "All I Need" | 2017 | – | – | – | Run to Waters | |
| "Warm Under The Light" | 2018 | – | – | – | ||
| "No One But You" (feat. Mahalia) | 2020 | – | – | – | Then, Now & Again | |
| "Summer Night o8" | 2021 | – | – | – | ||
| "Nova" | – | – | – | non-album single | – | – |
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Bad Fog of Loneliness" | 2007 | — | Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young |
| "At Long Last You"[13] | 2007 | Joe Sbrocchi | Fatlabs Studio |
| "At the Same Time" | 2010 | Shad | TSOL |
| "Love Controls The Sun" | 2011 | The Slakadeliqs | The Other Side of Tomorrow |
| "Keep Breathing" | |||
| "Come Back Home" | 2012 | Perfeck Strangers | Series Premiere |
| "Flood" | 2016 | River Tiber | Indigo |
| "I Won't Live Until I Die" | 2017 | Morgan Cameron Ross | — |
| "The Only Difference" | Beatchild, The Slakadeliqs | Heavy Rockin' Steady | |
| "The Only Difference" [Bakermat Rework] | 2019 | Beatchild, Bakermat | — |
| "Taurus" | River Tiber | ||
| "Blossom" | 2021 | Zacari | Sol |
Music videos
- Mr. Therapy Man (Holly, 2007)[14]
- Criminal (Holly, 2007 and 2009)[15]
- After Tonight (Holly, 2007)[16]
- Be Back Soon (Holly, 2008)[17]
- Golden Train (Holly, 2009)[18]
- My Heart is Yours (You I Wind Land and Sea, 2010)[19]
- Heartless (You I Wind Land and Sea, 2010)
- Gone (with RZA, Kobra Khan & James Black) (2011)[20]
- Love Controls The Sun (with The Slakadeliqs, 2011)
- Keep Breathing (with The Slakadeliqs, 2011)
- Right By You (Ulysees, 2014)
- Sweet Lover (Ulysees, 2014)
- By Your Side (Chestnut Spoke to Maple, 2015)
- All I Need (High Tide, 2017)
- Warm Under The Light (Low Tide, 2018)
- No One But You (ft. Mahalia) (2020)
- Summer Night O8 (2021)
- Nova (2021)
Notes
- ^ "After Tonight" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number seventeen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
References
- ^ "Justin Nozuka | New Music And Songs | MTV". MTV.
- ^ Famous uncle, Backstreet mentor inspire popster George Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [dead link]http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2008/05/051108_10.html
- ^ "Justin Nozuka | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics". MTV. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Famous uncle, Backstreet mentor inspire popster George". .canada.com. 2006-11-08. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Interview with FaceCulture[permanent dead link] Retrieved on April 1, 2008
- ^ Official Biography from justinnozuka.co.uk Archived 2007-07-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 15, 2007
- ^ Interview with TeenSpot.com Archived 2007-05-26 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 15, 2007
- ^ Official lyrics page Archived 2008-03-29 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 1, 2008
- ^ "The Slakadeliqs – Love Controls the Sun ft. Justin Nozuka (Download)". Archived from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- ^ http://www.channelapa.com/2011/10/gone-by-justin-nozuka-x-rza-x-kobra-khan-x-james-black.html
- ^ "Justin Nozuka on Apple Music". Apple Music.
- ^ At Long Last You Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine - Fatlabs Portfolio
- ^ "Justin Nozuka "Mr. Therapy Man"". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Justin Nozuka "Criminal"". YouTube. 2009-04-28. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Justin Nozuka "After Tonight"". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Be Back Soon". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-03-03.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Justin Nozuka - Golden Train". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-03-03.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-03-03.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ justinnozuka. "Gone - Justin Nozuka & RZA ft. Kobra Khan & James Black". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
External links
- Official website
- Official french website
- Justin Nozuka on Facebook
- Justin Nozuka on Youtube
- Justin Nozuka on Twitter
- Justion Nozuka IMDB
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1988 births
- Living people
- American expatriate musicians in Canada
- American male singers
- American singers of Asian descent
- American people of Canadian descent
- American people of English descent
- American musicians of Japanese descent
- American contemporary R&B singers
- Canadian male singers
- Canadian contemporary R&B singers
- Canadian musicians of Japanese descent
- People from Queens, New York
- St. Andrew's College (Aurora) alumni
- Sedgwick family
- Canadian soul singers
- Singers from New York City
- 21st-century American singers
- Glassnote Records artists