L.A. was just the boost he needed

J-pop star Fujii Kaze found a creative spark in the City of Angels. The result? 'Prema.'

- CHRISTINE TERRISSE

FUJII KAZE released his latest album, "Prema," last week.

Fujii Kaze comes across a bit shy at first, but after he gets comfortable, his quirky sense of humor and high cheekbones evoke a slightly subdued Jack Sparrow.

The relaxed tone in his voice matches his comfy clothing, punctuated by cool accessories a chic pair of third-eye sunglasses and sandals. For the cover photo of his latest album, Kaze wears a long head covering draped over his bleached blond locks. The one he came in today was sewn by his mom.

Last month, the 28-year-old Japanese singer-song-writer sold out his show at the Greek Theatre ahead of the launch of his long-awaited new album, the nine-track "Prema," which was released Friday, his first full-length release since signing to Republic Records last year.

He seems happy to return to a place where he feels a strong connection, having spent five months recording and touring in L.A. from late 2023 to the summer of 2024. He also spent some time in the city about three years ago during a creative lull.

"Lyrically and musically, I did everything I could do," he specifies. "I was kind of burned out at the time. And that's when they took me to Los Angeles. I don't know why, but this place was so inspiring." First taking off in his home country, Kaze (he follows the traditional Japanese order of using his family name first) rose to worldwide fame when "Shinunoga E-wa," a B-side release from his debut album, "Help Ever, Hurt Never," went viral on TikTok.

It has since racked up more than 253 million views on YouTube and over 287 million Spotify streams.

Last year, he became the first artist to launch NPR's inaugural Tiny Desk Concerts Japan, a performance that received over 21 million views. His solo headlining show at Nissan Stadium last year drew over 100,000 people over two days.