Kenji Ozawa

Biography

Kenji Ozawa (小沢 健二, Ozawa Kenji) is a Japanese musician, designer and writer. Ozawa was a member of the pop duo Flipper's Guitar, and is among the earliest practitioners of the Shibuya-kei musical genre. He graduated from the University of Tokyo. His uncle, Seiji Ozawa, was a noted conductor.

Personal history

Ozawa was born on 14 April 1968, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. His father Toshio Ozawa is a professor (German Literature) and his mother Makiko Ozawa is a clinical psychologist.
Ozawa's first claim to fame was as a member of the pop duo Flipper's Guitar. After the disband of the group, he debuted as a solo musician in 1993.
"Konya wa Boogie Back" (BOOGIE BACK), Ozawa's 3rd single released in 1994, which was a collaboration with Japanese Hip-Hop group Scha Dara Parr became a smash hit. The album "LIFE" was highly evaluated; it was voted No. 1 Album of 1990's J-pop/rock albums in a "Music Magazine".
After releasing several works, Ozawa stopped his activity as a musician in Japan after 1998. He released "Eclectic" in 2002, and "Ecology of Everyday Life" which was an instrumental album in 2006, and also started writing "USAGI!" a nursery-story-style writing about the social environment, but never showed up in front of the audiences as a pop musician.
In 2010, Ozawa suddenly announced a concert tour "Hihumiyo" and restarted his public activity in Japan, and held several events and concerts. Also he married American photographer Elizabeth Coll, later giving birth to two sons Rion and Amanu.
In 2017, "Ryuudoutai ni Tsuite (On Fluid)" was released as a CD. It has been 19 years since the last single was released. Album "So kakkoii Uchuu (So kakkoii Pluriverse)" was released in 2019.

Written works

DOOWUTCHYALiKE (1994–1997)
USAGI! (2005–2017)
Kigyo teki na shakai, Therapy teki na shakai (2007)
Mahouteki Monologue Daihon (2016)
Haru Sora Niji no sho (2017)
Ice Cream ga Tokete Shimau Maeni (Kazuku no Halloween no tameno rensaku) as Ozawa Kenji to Nichibei Kyoufu Gakkai (2017) / Picture Book
Toudai Kyuuhyakubankoudou Kougi Kyoukasho (2023) / Text book

Video program

Tokyo, Music & Us 2017–2018 (Apple Music)

Concert / tour

Hibiya Yagai Ongakudo Free Concert (1993)
DISCO TO GO (1994)
THE LIFE SHOW (1994)
VILLAGE (1995)
Revue'96 (1996)
"lover" (1996)
Hihumiyo (2010)
Tokyo no Machi ga Kanaderu (2012)
Mahouteki (2016)
Haru no Kuuki ni Niji wo Kake (2018)
Tobase wangan 2 nights, guitar bass drums de So kakkoii Uchuu e (2019)
So kakkoii Uchuu Shows (2022)
Toudai Kyuuhyakubankoudou Kougi (2023)
Bugi Baku Baby [with Scha Dara Parr] (2024)
Monochromatique (2024)