In the event you’re a Japanese or Asian pop-culture lover, you in all probability know Fujii Kaze. He’s a preferred singer-songwriter who has led the Japanese music scene within the 2020s. Kaze—“wind” in Japanese—launched his third album, Prema, fully in English. We reside in a world the place bilingualism is widespread, but it’s nonetheless a problem for somebody born and raised in Japan, the place about 90% of individuals are monolingual. Between his second and third albums, he signed with Republic Data, a subsidiary of Common Music Group, which doubtless contributed to his rising accessibility to worldwide listeners. Nevertheless, since this era additionally noticed rising acceptance of non-English artists mixing English into their native languages, it stays a deliberate alternative.
He says it was a long-held dream. When Kaze made his debut in 2020, he sang within the Okayama dialect blended with normal Japanese, giving his music a particular character. His signature songs “Nan-nan (What the Heck)” and “Shinunoga E-Wa (I’d Rather Die)” carry an ageless, androgynous high quality due to it. As a wonderful pianist, he doubtless understands intuitively how modifications in phrases and timbre subtly alter emotion. Multilingual individuals typically discover their personalities shift barely when switching languages—an evolution of self-awareness. Basically, how we communicate modifications relying on place or firm, however shifting languages appears like a deeper transformation. By the way, after I communicate English, I turn out to be a sharper-tongued, stronger model of myself.
The lyrics on Prema really feel less complicated and extra direct than these of HELP EVER HURT NEVER (2020) and LOVE ALL SERVE ALL (2022). They offer the impression of a extra refined vocabulary—and of an artist who is aware of precisely what he needs to say and methods to specific it. That confidence, mixed with a freshness typical of a newcomer, helped numerous listeners embrace his voice and title instantly. It felt inevitable.
It took him three and a half years to launch this third album. He admitted actually that he was “burned out” on artistic work. His debut was dazzling—his success story virtually legendary—and his world actions relentless. The brilliance of his profession blurred his define. We’ve seen artists like that earlier than. In Fujii Kaze’s case, writing lyrics in English and singing with a barely shifted emotional focus appeared to reignite his artistic drive. His lyrics have a particular high quality: even once they sound like love songs, the “you” typically seems to be himself, or the songs are steeped in reflections on life and demise. The idea of the “Higher Self” can be a message deeply embraced by his devoted followers.
Along with being a singer-songwriter and messenger, he grew to become a traveler throughout the making of Prema—which suggests “sacred love” in Sanskrit. He traveled extensively, collaborating with musicians and producers each in Japan and overseas. In Los Angeles, he labored with songwriter Shy Carter and producers Rob Bisel, Sir Nolan, and Greg Kurstin. Carter, identified for Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away” and songs for main nation artists, additionally supplied backing vocals on 5 tracks. Rob Bisel, who performed a key function in SZA’s SOS and the hit “Kill Bill,” joined the venture as properly. Sir Nolan introduced his minimalist pop and R&B sensibility, whereas Kurstin—a nine-time Grammy winner who’s labored with Adele—added a brand new stage of scale to the manufacturing.
For this album, Korean producer 250 was chosen as the primary producer. He’s identified for infusing nostalgic emotions into NewJeans’ songs, a top quality Fujii Kaze mentioned he admired. Kaze traveled to 250’s studio on Jeju Island, crafting music as if extracting the sounds resonating in his personal thoughts. Maybe as a result of it was created close to the ocean in each California and Jeju, the album feels extra open and ethereal than his earlier work. In fact, trusted prime Japanese musicians additionally lent their power and assist.
This work traverses not solely locations but in addition eras. Fujii Kaze deliberately drew from the Eighties music he grew up listening to. Some tracks make their influences clear. As an illustration, “I Need U Back” channels late-’80s New Jack Swing, whereas “You,” impressed by SWV, recollects early ’90s R&B. The only “Prema” lays a basis in ’90s hip-hop, and the “I Need U Back” music video evokes the UK’s New Romantic period. In the meantime, the one “Hachiko” blends home and disco. Canine lovers could discover it references the identical loyal canine, Hachikō, who impressed the movie Hachi: A Canine’s Story (2009).
Fujii Kaze was born in 1997 and is now 28 years outdated. By the point he grew to become conscious of his environment, the twenty first century had already begun. But he isn’t merely tracing tradition he by no means lived by way of. He absorbs visuals and sounds from the web, then reinterprets and reconstructs them. In the end, he provides his personal modern sensibility, creating songs that evoke nostalgia with out feeling dated—putting an ideal stability. It feels nearer to neo-soul in technique than in sound. The result’s Prema, a piece of pop music pursued with uncommon dedication. I’m deeply curious how English-speaking audiences will obtain it.
Writer: Minako Ikeshiro
Hearken to Fujii Kaze’s Prema now.
