Justin Nozuka

"I just want to be myself, you know?" says Justin Nozuka. The briefest of nervous laughter, and a wry grin, say what he can't say for himself: There is such a thing as too much introspection, even for a guy who's made his mark by being candid and reflective. That irony is informed by the old soul behind 21-year-old Nozuka's fresh-faced countenance, and the duality is striking. New York-born, Canadian bred Nozuka is young enough to have interview jitters, but sufficiently wise to recognize when he stands to sound, well, full of it. So he's ever vigilant, lest his character fall out of tune with who he wants to be: "I don't wanna create [an inflated image of myself]."

Yeah, 'cause that's someone else's job. Nozuka's charge is to craft songs that make his listeners feel like they were up all night together and shared sleep-deprived confessions. The first collection of these, Holly (Coalition/Glassnote Records), is named for Nozuka's highly supportive mother, and came out when Nozuka was just 19. He penned the first songs, "Supposed to Grow Old" and "I'm in Peace," when he was fifteen, and wrote the rest between age 16 and 17, but the press marveled at his mature sound and vision, calling Nozuka "as soulful and wise as blues greats four times his age." His follow-up, You I Wind Land And Sea, will cement and further define that reputation-even as Nozuka endeavors to stay grounded amid copious praise of Holly and his performances on tour and television (VH1's You Oughta Know, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America NOW, mtvU Woodie Awards).