Nozuka was born one of seven children to Canadian mother Holly Sedgwick and Japanese father Hiromitsu Nozuka. Sedgwick raised Nozuka and his six siblings as a single mother. He is the brother of musician
George Nozuka and actor
Philip Nozuka. His mother's half-sister is actress
Kyra Sedgwick and his first cousin twice removed is
Edie Sedgwick. Nozuka began to write songs at the age of twelve. The earliest of his compositions from
Holly, "Supposed to Grow Old" and "I'm in Peace", were written when he was fifteen. His musical influences stem from artists such as
Lauryn Hill and
Marvin Gaye, among others. With help from fellow Canadian artist
Damhnait Doyle, whom he met at a songwriting workshop, Nozuka was introduced to
Universal Records talent scout Allan Reid. He recorded three tracks through Universal with Bill Bell as producer, leading Universal to offer him a contract. However, he decided to "record an album on (his) own, with (his) own freedom". In 2007, Nozuka released his debut album,
Holly, named after his mother, who supported his chosen career in music. The album has eleven songs and includes the hidden track "If I Gave You My Life". Many of the songs deal with mature themes, such as "Save Him", which is a fictional account of a woman abused by her husband. Another track, "Down in a Cold Dirty Well", is about his perspective being stuck in a well, watching his life flash before his eyes. "Criminal" describes the story of a drunken man facing the consequences of throwing a bottle into a street "where children play with bare feet" and suffers overwhelming guilt. In February 2008, Nozuka was nominated for a
Juno award in the New Artist of the Year category, following the commercial and critical success of
Holly. In 2009, Nozuka began working on his second studio album while touring and playing live shows in Europe. The record, titled
You I Wind Land and Sea, was released in the US on April 13, 2010, and debuted at Number 118 on the
Billboard 200 Albums Chart. In November 2011, Nozuka collaborated with
the Slakadeliqs on their single "Love Controls the Sun", from their debut album,
The Other Side of Tomorrow. Nozuka has performed the song "Gone" in his live shows but has yet to include it on an album.
Wu-Tang Clan member
RZA came across the track and decided to sample it. Joined by Kobra Khan, James Black, and Nozuka, they released the song, also titled "Gone," in October 2011 as a tribute to former Wu-Tang Clan member
Ol' Dirty Bastard. Nozuka has also had various acting roles, including an appearance on
Degrassi: The Next Generation as Chuck Hosada, the fictional brother to recurring character Chester, played by Nozuka's real-life brother Philip. George Nozuka also appeared in the same episode, playing the third brother, Chad. In April 2014, Nozuka released his third studio album,
Ulysees. After spending 2010 touring, he took a break to produce the record himself, resulting in a four-year gap between releases. The album is backed by the singles "Right by You" and "Sweet Lover". In 2018, Nozuka issued his fourth album,
Run to Waters, and in June 2023, he followed it with
Daydreams & Endless Nights. His sixth,
Chlorine, came out in September 2024. He toured Canada and the United States to support the album. In 2025, Nozuka issued a trio of
lo-fi EPs titled
一,
二, and
三 , which are the
Japanese Kanji characters for one, two, and three, respectively.
二 includes a cover of the 1939 ballad "
Somewhere Over the Rainbow", sung with his brother George. In 2026, Nozuka embarked on a series of "unplugged" shows across Canada and the United States. ==Discography==