Yuzima

Raised on the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Marvin Gaye in the Gun Hill Projects in the Bronx, NYC singer-songwriter YUZIMA veered left to create dynamic wide range indie rock tinged with pop, folk, electro and industrial. YUZIMA's sound was described by Dan Lucas of Under the Radar as "industrial Achtung Baby-esque rock and soulful vocals". With big themes from empowerment to love and conflict, YUZIMA uses his music as a bullhorn to shout out his ideas to the world.

Already making waves as a DIY artist, YUZIMA released his debut album Its Wonderful in 2010. Playing all of the instruments, writing all of the songs and mixing the record himself, the cds he printed became a hit with a small influential group of New Yorkers. But this isn't new to the ascending artist. He already released two EP's Yuzima the EP and The Cosmonaut which he also recorded and mixed. They received fabulous reviews from the likes of Treblezine music blog. While all three releases got complements from a diverse group of celebrities including Carson Kressley, Julian Casablancas: who shouted YUZIMA out for his unique look, former AOL executive and New York socialite Tatiana Platt featured him on her tastemaker website Fame Game, while hip music blog Faronheit has been faithfully blogging mp3's from his releases - they have featured 10 songs so far. Those same songs were featured on The Hype Machine while with the assistance of art director Jim Fairfax, YUZIMA created self-styled downtown pop art music videos to accompany the songs.

YUZIMA was born in New York City to a musician father, from Trinidad who played steel drums, and an American, nomadic schoolteacher, mother (YUZIMA's mother moved back and forth to Egypt, Kenya, Israel). At a young age, after a tumultuous split he and his mother moved from the crack infested Gun Hill Projects in the Bronx to a small New England town where YUZIMA, who at the time also rapped, learned to fit in by performing with the local alternative bands. He eventually added U2, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana to his list of influences; that at the time included Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Boogie Down Productions. YUZIMA also started recording at this time with a local DJ, trudging miles through deep snow banks to get to a friends bedroom that masqueraded as a recording studio. These sessions culminated in old lost tapes; those lost tapes; YUZIMA says, prepared him for his life in music.

After school, YUZIMA saved up for a bus ticket and moved back to New York City. First singing with several bands, including the genre bending hip hop punk outfit Catapult Revolt, then inevitably going solo. After releasing his two ep's and his debut ?It's Wonderful? to an enthusiastic response, playing a bunch of shows in the New York area including the legendary CBGB's, and while working on the follow up to It's Wonderful, The Glasnost ep for 2011; YUZIMA found the time to create Yuzima's Church of Rock and Roll. The Church is a blog and a forum for YUZIMA's music and thoughts on pop culture.

Stating that he didn't want to release another EP right away, in summer of 2012, YUZIMA completed and released his grandest work, what he has labeled his 20 minute long "Rock Opera Dedicated to Sound" Sound Opera Project One. YUZIMA said he was inspired by the great be-bop free/jazz/avant-rock works Love Supreme - John Coltrane and Bitches Brew - Miles Davis. Some might say this was an odd point of inspiration for an indie rock opera but UK indie punk blog Louder than War put it best by saying YUZIMA is an "Unlikely champion for European Industrial Rock" and his "Music may be rooted in the New York projects but shows an ambition beyond that""For although his roots often break through on Sound Opera ? Project One, for the most part they are obfuscated by the Steely mechanized influence of Achtung Baby-era U2".

Shortly before the release of Sound Opera - Project One YUZIMA also completed Glasnost (2011). The digital only ep was inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall, U2's legendary album Actung Baby and the spirit of change of 1989 ?1991, in contrast to the spirit of change of 2011. For the recordings, YUZIMA turned to a mix of organic guitar rock and pop mixed with elements of industrial experimentation, along with tribal harmonies. These influences, YUZIMA say's, were brought on by a spiritual connection he feels toward Achtung Baby and other "political pop" albums like Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation.

And now after the amazing critic and fan response to Sound Opera Project One, Yuzima has just complete a new EP called Powerful, Which matches those 'industrial Achtung Baby-esque Sounds and soulful vocals' with social commentary, particularly on pop culture and politics and even religion. Yuzima has also finished a collaboration which critically acclaimed French Poet Nicolas Grenier and is currently working with much blogged about rising artist Michael Jukeson. Powerful will be out October 16th.