Naia Izumi Releases Album “A Residency In The Los Angeles Area”

NAIA IZUMI
GUITARIST / SOUL SINGER

RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM
A RESIDENCY IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA
AVAILABLE NOW VIA SONY MUSIC MASTERWORKS

(JULY 30 – NEW YORK, NY) Guitarist, soul singer, and producer NAIA IZUMI – today releases his major label debut album A RESIDENCY IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA available now on Sony Music Masterworks. Making its debut alongside today’s album release is a new video for “Good at Being Lonely.”

“Good At Being Lonely” serves as the album’s centerpiece. Naia’s lush guitars bleed into a hypnotic refrain, “You’ll see I’m good at being lonely.” “I’m looking back at a lot of my life,” says Naia of the track. “I’ve always been someone who thinks for myself. I don’t just take people’s word for things or popular opinions. I want to know something by looking at it from all the different perspectives and then finding the truth somewhere in the middle. That can leave you really lonely sometimes though, but I’ve gotten good at it.”

“I make music I’m not hearing,” says Naia, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 16. Developing a fascination with the guitar at an early age, Naia’s imitable sound is the result of both a lifelong study and single-minded dedication, the musician playing for hours on end and losing himself in the instrument.

“That was my purpose as a kid. I tried to get better and better, so I could make what I was hearing in my head. I’m just the average dude who’s just trying to do the best he can. I’m learning to control what I want to say with the vibe, the music, and the words. If it connects to you in some way, I’m a happy person.”

After dropping out of high school to join the Job Corps and spending five years as an electrician, Naia decided to pursue his dream full force. Taking to busking, he played hundreds of gigs and would often carry his equipment for miles just so he could perform. Naia eventually landed in Los Angeles, busking all day to get by and independently releasing his music.

Along the way, he collaborated on A Residency in the Los Angeles Area with producer Tony Berg [Peter Gabriel, Phoebe Bridgers] at Sound City Studios, performing vocals, guitar, bass, drums, Japanese Koto, mandolin, cittern, and more on the record. From the simmering funk beat of “Honesty” to the searing solo performance on “Natural Disaster,” the smoky wah of “Six Inch Stilettos,” and the lushly hypnotic melodies on “Good At Being Lonely,” the album showcases Naia’s artistry on every level. A subtle homage to his adopted home base, A Residency in the Los Angeles Area represents the union of practice and magic, technique and spirit, intense thought and unrestrained emotion.

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