Meet ✦Kenji✦ | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with ✦Kenji✦ and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ✦Kenji✦, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a kid I was a 4.0 student that wanted nothing more than to get into college. I was convinced that was the only way to really make it in the world. Over time I started realizing that I was completely mentally and emotionally drained trying to pursue these tasks that genuinely didn’t interest me in the slightest. At nights I would come home and make music in my basement on my laptop. I guess I just had the confidence and rebelliousness to go with my gut after a while. My mom always used to tell me that I needed to pick something that I love doing for the rest of my life, so I moved to LA from Grand Rapids, michigan, and here I am.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I grew up regarding music as a physical place, like a different world so I could “escape” from the real world. I began by making beats and producing for other artists, so a lot of my favorite aspects of my music lie within the instrumentation, which I typically do myself. My headspace when making music is almost like a distraction from whatever is going on in my life at the time. So while I worked to improve my music, I focused a lot on trying to make songs sound like they take place in a different world. I figure everybody needs somewhere to get away from their thoughts, and I want to make a place for them to go. I was influenced a lot by the Emo rap genre growing up, and originally made my breakthrough in that market, because a lot of them were helping people and spreading a positive message (in my 16 year old eyes) but since then I’ve been experimenting with a lot of genres, from hyperpop to folk.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a huge group of people that supported me throughout this journey. the musicians I’m currently living with out here, Buppy, Xedrin, Jordan Everett, Dxcklin, Eleanor Kingston, Peech, Nevi, and so many others. They’ve been my support system out here, and the group pushes each other a lot to evolve. I was lucky enough to have both parents be understanding about me wanting this for my life and support my dream (after a bit of convincing)

I’m thankful I’m even out here.

Website: https://Aziruth.com/welcome

Instagram: https://instagram.com/uhhkenji

Twitter: https://x.com/uhhkenji

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Uhhkenji

Image Credits
Matthew Crawford, Zac Richards