Interview: 5 Questions With Toronto’s Justin Nozuka (JUNO nominee, BadBadNotGood)

Posted on January 25, 2021 by

Justin has a bit of clout in Canadian music historically – he’s Toronto-based, but his previous material drew praise internationally finding him performing a couple of times on Jimmy Kimmel, as well as Good Morning America and The Late Show in the US. He’s scored a couple of JUNO Award nominations previously too and pulled together a fairly sizeable and devoted audience with over 100M global streams to date.

1. What made you want to pursue a life in music?

I had the dream to pursue music since I was about 12. I think a big part was following my older brother. He was super passionate about doing something with music. 

2. Can you tell us what you’re working on right now that most excites you?

Currently working on my upcoming project. It’s really exciting, it feels like there’s a momentum with the process and the pieces are fitting together nicely. 

3. Who are your biggest influences?

Probably Lauryn Hill, Brian McKnight, Boyz 2 Men are among some of my top all-time musical influences. But there are so many artists that I’ve been influenced by – Ben Harper, Paul Simon, Sigur Ross, Radiohead, the list goes on and on. 

4. What was your favourite live concert and why?

Seeing Stevie Wonder was unreal. He held the entire stadium and gave everyone such warmth and love. I had shivers the entire time and just felt embraced by him somehow. It just felt real and holistic. 

5. What would you like to say to your old/new fans?

Thank you for listening to and supporting my music. To my fans that have been there from day 1. You guys know the journey. I appreciate so much that we’ve gone through it together. I really feel we’re walking into a new horizon here, and can’t wait to share it with you.