“Those Who Stay True to Themselves Eventually Win— From Stepping Away to Reaching #6 in the UK”
The energy at my recent live shows has clearly changed.
More people come. The attention is sharper. The way the audience listens — more focused, more present.
And yet, I have to admit:
I still don’t feel it.
The recognition from abroad, the chart numbers… they feel distant, like something happening behind a screen.
Still, one thing I now know to be true:
“Those who stay true to themselves eventually win.”
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I couldn’t follow the “wave”
Years ago, I was part of a music scene that was very much in the spotlight.
It was a time when I could have followed the trends, made compromises, played the part.
But something deep inside quietly refused.
There was a voice I couldn’t ignore —
“This isn’t your path.”
To others, things looked “successful.”
But my soul didn’t agree.
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Leaving the flow — and entering silence
When I stepped away, things became quiet.
No more big stages.
I drove my own gear. Played to just a few people in the room.
But in that silence, I started hearing something new:
A sound that wasn’t for trends or fame —
A sound rooted in memory, in spirit, in vibration.
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And then Fukushima began to resonate around the world
In 2025, I released an album called Fukushima.
It was the most honest work I’ve ever made —
a sound prayer for the land, for transformation, for remembrance.
And slowly, quietly,
it began to spread.
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🌍 Chart Results (as of June 2025)
• 🇬🇧 #6 on the UK iTunes Jazz Album Chart
• 🇺🇸 #7 on the US iTunes Jazz Album Chart
• 🇹🇭 #1 on the Thailand iTunes Jazz Album Chart
• 🌐 #1 Weekly Jazz Sales on Juno Records
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What these mean to me
• #1 on Juno Records: A respected vinyl shop trusted by selectors, DJs, and collectors — a signal that real ears are listening.
• Top 10 in the UK & US: In the world’s largest and most competitive markets, spiritual jazz found a place.
• #1 in Thailand: Proof that music from the heart can connect across culture and language.
These aren’t flukes.
They are the outcome of almost two decades of walking a path few people saw —
but I knew was mine.
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“Winning” doesn’t mean beating others
I never set out to compete.
This journey was never about rising above anyone else.
It was about listening.
Staying close to what I knew to be true.
That’s why this moment isn’t about chart positions.
It’s about not betraying myself.
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The feeling will come later — in the body
I think the real feeling will arrive a little later.
Maybe when I step onto a European stage for the first time.
Or when I meet listeners across the world in person.
That’s when it’ll finally sink in.
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In closing
To stay true to yourself — it’s often lonely. It’s rarely fast.
But at the end of that path is something only you can create.
And when it finds its way to others,
You’ll know.
“Those who stay true to themselves eventually win.”
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#FujiRock2025
