Justin Nozuka
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Justin Tokimitsu Nozuka (born September 29, 1988) is an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
singer, songwriter and actor. His debut album '' Holly'' has been released in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He has licensed the album to indie label Coalition Entertainment Records, distributed by
Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
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 Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
mother Holly Sedgwick and Japanese father Hiromitsu Nozuka. Sedgwick raised Nozuka and his six siblings as a single mother. He is the brother of musician George Nozuka,
musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
Henry Nozuka, and actor
Philip Nozuka Philip Nozuka (born 1987) is a Canadian-American actor. Life and career Nozuka was born in Queens, New York City, to a Japanese father, Hiromitsu Nozuka, and a Canadian mother, Holly Sedgwick. He is the brother of singers Justin Nozuka and Georg ...
. Other family members include musician Christian, and two sisters, Margaret and Sandra (Sandy). His mother's half-sister is actress Kyra Sedgwick 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. While attending St. Andrews College, an international boarding school in Aurora, Ontario, Justin learned to play guitar from classmates. 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 Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
. 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". 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", and suffers from the overwhelming guilt. In February 2008, Justin was nominated for a
Juno award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
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 Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
to take part in the
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
Music Festival as well as being interviewed by many radio stations in the area. In 2008, Nozuka toured with Marié Digby and
Eric Hutchinson Eric Hutchinson (born September 8, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his songs " Rock & Roll", "OK, It's Alright with Me", "Not There Yet", "Watching You Watch Him", and "Tell the World". Hutchinson was named an AOL "About t ...
. From August 2008 through November 2008, Nozuka toured all around the United States with
Gabe Dixon Band The Gabe Dixon Band was a three-piece band that was formed in the fall of 1998 at the University of Miami. The band played piano-driven rock and was named after Gabe Dixon, the lead vocalist and pianist of the band. After the band broke up in 201 ...
&
Jay Nash Jay Nash (born 21 December 1985) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career Nash began his career in South Australia, wher ...
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 Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and ''The Ol ...
and with special guest,
Lenka Lenka Kripac (born 19 March 1978) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress best known for her song " The Show", from her debut album, ''Lenka''. " The Show" has been used in numerous advertisements, most notably for Old Navy, as well as ...
. He also toured in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
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 Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...
'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 Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...
,
Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...
, Kardinal Offishall,
Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
,
Lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...
,
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
, Fefe Dobson,
Esthero Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself ...
,
Jacob Hoggard Jacob William Hoggard (born July 9, 1984) is a Canadian convicted sex offender and former singer-songwriter who was the lead singer for the pop-rock band Hedley. Before Hedley was formed, Hoggard competed on the second season of ''Canadian Ido ...
and
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, 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 The Slakadeliqs are a Canadian soul and R&B band.
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. Nozuka has performed the song "Gone" in his live shows but has yet to record it for an album.
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
member
RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...
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. 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 Philip Nozuka (born 1987) is a Canadian-American actor. Life and career Nozuka was born in Queens, New York City, to a Japanese father, Hiromitsu Nozuka, and a Canadian mother, Holly Sedgwick. He is the brother of singers Justin Nozuka and Georg ...
. 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''. 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


Extended plays


Other releases

*''iTunes Festival: London – Justin Nozuka (Live)'' EP (2007) (available in the U.K.)


Singles

*


Guest appearances


Music videos

*Mr. Therapy Man (''Holly'', 2007) *Criminal (''Holly'', 2007 and 2009) *After Tonight (''Holly'', 2007) *Be Back Soon (''Holly'', 2008) *Golden Train (''Holly'', 2009) *My Heart is Yours (''You I Wind Land and Sea'', 2010) *Heartless (''You I Wind Land and Sea'', 2010) *Gone (with RZA, Kobra Khan & James Black) (2011) *Love Controls The Sun (with
The Slakadeliqs The Slakadeliqs are a Canadian soul and R&B band.
, 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


References


External links


Official websiteOfficial french websiteJustin Nozuka on FacebookJustin Nozuka on YoutubeJustin Nozuka on TwitterJustion Nozuka IMDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nozuka, Justin 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