Yuzu is a Japanese singer/songwriter who comes from a small town in Toyama prefecture, Japan. The style of music she signs is 'Urban Folk' as it combines both urban and traditional elements, from the types of instruments played to the subject matter of her songs.

 

In Japan, Yuzu has been honing her musical skills and vocal abilities at places that range from the streets, parks to intimate local music venues.

 

 

On April 2014 Yuzu met Akim Funk Buddha, who was on a trip to Japan as part of an NEA fellowship. Akim was immediately struck by her musical talent and unique vocal quality. During this time the two collaborated and Yuzu further developed her raw spontaneous musically and generated ideas for creative, genre-bending music. Akim casually suggested that she should come out to New York and to his surprise and that of her friends, she decided to drop everything and do exactly that and traveled to New York City to pursue her musical dream. It was on February, 2015.

 

 

The trip began to bear fruit immediately as working with Akim, Yuzu signed a deal with Life in Rhythm Media headed up by Bashiri Johnson, a producer and percussionist who has worked with international superstars including Madonna, Sting, Lionel Ritchie and was part of Michael Jackson's 'This is It' movie and tour. This has set the stage and now Yuzu, collaborating with Bashiri and Akim is in the process of cultivating a new sound that is bound to takes audiences by storm.

 

 

Now, Yuzu has come to New York for three times to share her voice and original music. So far she performed at legendary Blue Note, Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and some other venues in New York City.

 

Yuzu plays the keyboard, as well as a kind of new Japanese instrument called "the electric Koto". The original traditional Koto, is an ancient instrument that goes back thousands of years. The electric Koto creates a distinctive original Japanese sound and is tuned to synchronize with the western music scale.

 

 

At a time when listeners and audiences are looking for something new and different in a crowded musical field, Yuzu is certain to provide a sound that is quite unlike anything you have heard before.