Justin Nozuka

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Justin Nozuka


Img_capt = Justin Nozuka at Quincy's in Calgary, AB
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Justin Tokimitsu Nozuka
Born = birth date and age|df=yes|1988|09|29
New York, USA
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Folk, Acoustic Soul
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 2006–present
Label = [http://www.coalitionent.com Coalition Entertainment]
URL = [http://www.justinnozuka.com http://www.justinnozuka.com] ,
[http://www.justinnozuka.co.uk http://www.justinnozuka.co.uk]

Justin Nozuka (b. September 29, 1988) is a Canadian/American singer/songwriter. His debut album "Holly" has been released in Europe, Canada 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 Music in the US distributed by RED. He is the brother of R&B singer George, and actor Philip.

Biography

Justin Tokimitsu Nozuka was born on September 29, 1988 in New York to a Japanese father, Hiromitsu, and American mother, Holly Sedgwick (sister of actress Kyra Sedgwick) [ . [http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/blog/2008/05/29/justin_nozuka_emergi.html CBC Radio 2 Blog Article on Justin Nozuka, Emerging ] Retrieved on June 9, 2008] making him Kevin Bacon's nephew by marriage and a cousin of Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. His parents divorced at age 6 and at 8 he and his family moved to Toronto, Canada. He is the sixth of seven children.

Nozuka first performed to his family at the age of 10, to which his sister remarked on how his "voice is like Christina Aguilera's." [ [http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/justinnozukax10x04x07 Interview with Contact Music] Retrieved on July 15, 2007] . Nozuka began writing his own songs at age 12 and the earliest of his songs on "Holly", "Supposed to Grow Old" and "I'm in Peace," were written when he was 15 following an early relationship [ [http://faceculture.ad2stream.com/index.php?cnti_key=11734789 Interview with FaceCulture] Retrieved on April 1, 2008] . While attending St. Andrews College, an international boarding school in Aurora, Ontario, Justin learned to play guitar from Mexican classmates. From there, he went to the Etobicoke School of the Arts, where he cultivated his musical and theatrical skills. During his time at the Etobicoke School of the Arts, Nozuka appeared in two musicals including a leading role in Cats playing RumTumTugger. His musical influences stem from artists such as Lauryn Hill and Marvin Gaye. [ [http://www.justinnozuka.co.uk/biog.php Official Biography from justinnozuka.co.uk] Retrieved on July 15, 2007]

With help from a fellow Canadian artist, Damhnait Doyle, whom he met at a song writing workshop, Justin was introduced to Universal Records talent scout, Allan Reid. He recorded three tracks through Universal with Bill Bell as producer, and following this, Universal requested to sign Justin to their label, but he decided he wanted to "record an album on my own, with my own freedom" [ [http://www.teenspot.com/reviews/view.html?id=272 Interview with TeenSpot.com] Retrieved on July 15, 2007] . He has played at the Green room stage at the Irish music festival Oxegen and T in the Park in 2007. Just recently, he has been on tour across Canada with Hayley Sales.

Recently, Nozuka's song "After Tonight" has been featured in a commercial for "Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant" on VH1, and has also been featured on mtvU's The Freshman. Nozuka recently traveled to Austin, Texas to take part in the SXSW Music Festival as well as being interviewed by many radio stations in the area.

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 about a seemingly perfect couple who actually hide a deep and dark secret. Another track, "Down in a Cold Dirty Well", is about his perspective being stuck in a well, watching his life flash before his eyes. Another track is "Criminal" where Justin tells the story of an intoxicated young man who makes the mistake of shattering a glass bottle on the streets "where children play with bare feet" [ [http://www.justinnozuka.com/lyrics/ Official lyrics page] Retrieved on April 1, 2008] , and suffers from the overwhelming guilt. "Holly" is named after his mother who helped and supported his chosen career in music. She also funded the album when he decided not to sign with a major record label and become his own individual artist.

In February 2008, Nozuka was nominated for a Juno award in the category of "New Artist of the Year". Although honored to be nominated for a Juno, Justin feels that "its (not) too necessary as far as building a career in music." [ [http://watch.ctv.ca/etalk/music/extended---justin-nozuka/#clip41178 eTalk Canada Extended Video Interview] Retrieved April 1, 2008] .

In 2008, Justin Nozuka toured with Marie Digby and Eric Hutchinson.

He will be touring all around the United States with Gabe Dixon Band & Jay Nash from Aug 2008 thru Nov 2008, as well as in parts of Europe.

TV

Justin and his brother, George, had cameo appearances in a Season 4 episode of , entitled "Modern Love". They played Chuck and Chad Hosoda, respectively, along side with their brother Philip who had a recurring role as Chester Hosoda on the series.

Around the same time, Justin also starred as Tony in a small-budget, short-film titled "I Am..." directed by Alan So. The film provides an interesting first person view of modern high school life.

Discography

tudio Albums

*"Holly" (2007)

Other Releases

*"iTunes Festival: London - Justin Nozuka (live) - EP" (2007) Available in the U.K.

B-Sides

*Why
*Lullabye
*(Sitting On The) Dock Of The Bay (Cover)
*Ain't No Sunshine (Cover)
*Don't Listen To A Word You've Heard (Hidden Track)

Videos

*Mr. Therapy Man ("Holly", 2007)
*Criminal ("Holly", 2007)
*After Tonight ("Holly", 2007)
*Be Back Soon ("Holly", 2008)

Guest Contributions

*Bad Fog Of Loneliness, from the album "" (2007)

References

External links

* [http://www.justinnozuka.com/ Official website]
*MySpace | id = justinnozuka | name = Justin Nozuka
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-Nozuka/20400019744 Justin Nozuka on Facebook]
* [http://justinnozuka.elitefan.org/ Mr. Therapy Man, The JN fansite]
* [http://www.justinnozuka.fr/ French fansite]