J-pop star Fujii Kaze was 'burned out' until he came to L.A. and found a musical breakthrough

"Fujii Kaze comes across a bit shy at first, but after he gets comfortable, his quirky sense of humor and high cheekbones evoke a slightly subdued Jack Sparrow. The relaxed tone in his voice matches his comfy clothing, punctuated by cool accessories - a chic pair of third-eye sunglasses and sandals. For the cover photo of his latest album, Kaze wears a long head covering draped over his bleached blond locks. The one he came in today was sewn by his mom."

"Last month, the 28-year-old Japanese singer-songwriter sold out his show at the Greek Theatre ahead of the launch of his long-awaited new album, the nine-track which was released Friday, his first full-length release since signing to Republic Records last year. He seems happy to return to a place where he feels a strong connection, having spent five months recording and touring in L.A. from late 2023 to the summer of 2024."

"First taking off in his home country, Kaze (he follows the traditional Japanese order of using family name first) rose to worldwide fame when "Shinunoga E-wa," a B-side release from his debut album, "Help Ever, Hurt Never," went viral on TikTok. It has since racked up more than 253 million views on YouTube and over 287 million Spotify streams. Last year, he became the first artist to launch NPR's inaugural Tiny Desk Concerts Japan, a performance that received over 21 million views."

Fujii Kaze projects initial shyness that gives way to playful humor and a distinctive visual style, including relaxed clothing and notable accessories. He wore a long head covering over bleached blond hair for a cover photo, with one head covering sewn by his mother. The 28-year-old sold out the Greek Theatre before releasing a nine-track album, his first full-length since signing to Republic Records. He spent five months recording and touring in Los Angeles between late 2023 and summer 2024 and found the city creatively inspiring during a period of burnout. He rose to global fame when a B-side, "Shinunoga E-wa," went viral on TikTok, accumulating hundreds of millions of streams and major live and broadcast audiences.

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