藤井 風 (Fujii Kaze) 672
@GraceKazeAbout 藤井 風 (Fujii Kaze)
藤井 風 (Fujii Kaze) (born June 14, 1997) is a rising Japanese singer-songwriter, tipped by many as “the biggest talent in Japan to emerge since 宇多田ヒカル (Hikaru Utada).”
Originally from Satosho, Okayama, Kaze spent his early days learning Piano and listening to all kinds of music from jazz, classical, pop, to enka. At the age of 12, Kaze started uploading various cover videos to his YouTube channel. During high school, he took a break from uploading covers to focus on his musical studies, and eventually returned to YouTube upon his graduation from school. In early 2019, he moved to Tokyo to pursue his musical career.
Fujii Kaze’s debut single, “何なんw (Nan-Nan),” was digitally released on November 18, 2019, though his official debut date is considered to be January 24, 2020, which is the day the music video of “Nan-Nan” was released according to Fujii Kaze.
In early 2020, Kaze was named as one of Spotify’s ‘Early Noise 2020’ Artists. He also became the first Japanese artist to feature on YouTube’s Artist On The Rise. As music continues to evolve in sound and subject, Fujii Kaze strives to make his mark on the Japanese music industry and pop culture in general with his soulful vocals, profound lyrics, mesmerizing piano, and beautiful chord progression, which set him apart from others.
Fujii Kaze’s debut album, HELP EVER HURT NEVER was released on May 20, 2020 and reached #1 on the Billboard Japan HOT ALBUMS.
In April 2021, “きらり (Kirari)” was released and used in a TV Ad for Honda Vezel (HR-V). The song led to an explosion of his popularity internationally, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Japan Downloaded Songs. Kaze was also named one of the most exciting musicians around the world by popular American men’s magazine GQ
Fujii Kaze’s second album LOVE ALL SERVE ALL released on March 23rd 2022 reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Album chart and got numerous prestigious awards.
In July 2022, the song “死ぬのがいいわ (Shinunoga E-Wa)” from HELP EVER HURT NEVER went viral through TikTok in Thailand, despite the song being originally released in 2020.
Subsequently, the song reached #4 on Spotify’s Global Viral chart. , and had made an appearance in the daily viral charts in all 73 countries where charts are published, peaking at #1 in 23 of them. Moreover, the song peaked at #57 on Spotify’s Global Song chart, #118th on the US Billboard Global 200 chart, and spent 12 weeks on YouTube’s Global Top Songs chart, peaking at #33. In May 2023, the song became the most-viewed Japanese song on Genius, with over 3M accumulated combined views, making it the most successful song by Kaze to that.
In 2023, Kaze releases multiple songs in collaboration with international artists: remixed version of JVKE’s song The Golden Hour, Workin' Hard with DJ Dahi, and Hana with A.G.Cook. Fujii also made his US debut tour in 2024 for shows in Las Angeles and New York, following his 2023 Asia tour.
Kaze’s music has been described by critics as “fresh yet familiar”, with clear influences stemming from the western music he grew up with. His vocals are praised as “reminiscent of Japan’s kayōkyoku pop standards,” leading to a borderless, positive, and uplifting musical experience.
