2002

Background

He was born on May 7, 2002, in Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His full name is Suzuma Nomura. He is 175 cm tall and has blood type AB.

During his childhood, he was often hospitalized due to pneumonia because of his weak health. He lost his father when he was two years old, but he grew up in an environment where he was exposed to South American folk music, thanks to his mother, who was part of a group called Arcoiris (which means “rainbow” in Spanish). The group had a strong influence on his early years. Arcoiris was formed in 1999 in Yamaguchi Prefecture by Sumire, the leader, who had been stationed in Bolivia for two years as part of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JICA). The group performed at local events and at folk music festivals in Hiroshima and Kyushu until 2017. However, due to members’ pregnancies and work commitments, the group is currently on hiatus.

2007

The encounter with SISAY

At the age of five, he was deeply moved when he saw a performance by SISAY, a South American group from Ecuador, at a department store in Hiroshima. This encounter inspired him to develop a liking for Ecuadorian-style folk music, among other Latin American folk genres, particularly those from Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. He began to naturally absorb folk music by mimicking their performances in a game he called “SISAY play.” At the time, he was also fascinated by the traditional hairstyles of Ecuadorian men and always wore a straw hat with yarn braids attached.

2011

Start playing the Violin

Because Ecuadorian music makes frequent use of the violin, he had a strong admiration for the instrument from a young age. At that time, the elementary school he attended had the only orchestra in Western Japan, and he joined it when he was in third grade (9 years old). However, the instrument assigned to him by the teacher was either the trumpet or the double bass, not the violin he had hoped for. He told the teacher that the finger positions for the mandolin and violin were the same (since he had been playing the mandolin in Arcoiris at the time) and promised to practice hard and improve. After much effort, he finally made his debut on the violin.

The violin, often referred to as the “star of the orchestra,” has three positions, and the school orchestra was divided by grade into “First (6th grade),” “Second (5th grade),” and “Third (4th grade).” Suzuma, who had an intense love for the violin, was especially dedicated to practicing and, in an exceptional move, jumped directly from Second to First violin in fifth grade. In sixth grade, he served as concertmaster—the leader of the orchestra—for a full year.

2016

The time of CAMPESINOS

Around 2016, when it became increasingly difficult to perform with Arcoiris due to work and childbirth, he began focusing more on performing as part of a duet called Campesinos (meaning “country people” in Spanish) with one of the members, Nosa. The duet was formed in 2014, and the name was derived from the fact that both of them were from rural areas in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Since there were only two members, they used pre-recorded karaoke tracks (which, at the time, were MIDI files created by Nosa) to fill in the missing instruments. This “live performance + synced tracks” style later became his signature in his solo work.

Inspired by many South American musicians who performed free live shows in commercial venues, Campesinos expanded their activities through in-store performances in Yamaguchi and Hiroshima. Since their duo was relatively unknown and lacked performance experience at the time, they were often turned down when requesting live performances. However, Suzuma, still a high school student, persistently made phone calls to shopping malls in various areas to secure gigs.

In September 2019, he began his solo career. The following year, he went on a tour in Yamaguchi with his first solo album, Collage. In April 2021, he composed the theme song “Inspiration” for KRY (Yamaguchi Broadcasting)’s radio program Doyo-DA!.

2021

Going to New York

In his second year of high school, Suzuma suddenly decided one day, “I’m going to New York,” and made the decision to go to the United States. He had originally planned to attend a tuning specialist school in Tokyo after graduation but abruptly changed his plans. At the time, both his homeroom teacher and his friends thought he was joking. In a later interview, Suzuma said, “I don’t even know why I wanted to go to New York.” His mother, who had studied in France, was supportive of his decision to go to the U.S.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, he went to the U.S. in 2021 as planned. With no acquaintances and very little English, he spent the first month feeling lonely and anxious, crying every day. Additionally, he hadn’t bought a return ticket, so his stay was indefinite. He initially lived in a language school dormitory, which was a room in the New Yorker Hotel on 34th Street and 8th Avenue. However, the rent was exorbitant (about ¥340,000 per month, based on the exchange rate at the time), and he had to move out after just one month. He then moved to a house in New Jersey owned by a Japanese person, where a room had just become available.

Following the advice of the owner, Suzuma started street performances just one month after arriving in the U.S. He performed with the violin he had brought from Japan and a palm-sized Bluetooth speaker borrowed from the owner. He performed at various locations, including Bryant Park (42nd Street), Little Island, and Grove Street in New Jersey. One month, he earned $6,000 just from tips. He also performed at events, weddings, and an online event for the United Nations, steadily growing as an artist.

In March 2023, he released his seventh album and returned to Japan for a brief stay, during which he held a Japan tour, Suzuma Nomura JAPAN TOUR 2023 “42nd Street.”

2023

The moment when dreams come true

In June 2023, Suzuma performed as a member of SISAY at “INTI RAYMI CHICAGO 2023” in Chicago, Illinois. Although he was initially scheduled to perform as a guest musician for only a few songs, due to entry issues with the members coming from Japan, he was unexpectedly called to perform as a main member. It had been 16 years since he first met them at the age of 5, and he finally fulfilled his long-awaited dream of performing with SISAY.

In July, he traveled to Ecuador, the country he had always admired, and participated in the Inti Raymi festival there.

Present

A musician who brings out the essence "Kanadebito"

In October 2023, Suzuma returned to Japan and, in 2024, formed the folkloric duo “KICHWAS” with Jaime Gramal, a member of SISAY. They are currently touring across the country.

With the themes of “Make It A Better Place” and “Providing the essence to the world through music and contributing to global peace,” their activities have gained momentum. To support these efforts, they established “COOOL HORSE LLC,” which aims to expand its business not only in music management but also into food production and health ventures, all based on the three pillars of “music, food, and health.”

As a musician, Suzuma has developed a new style that combines his roots in folkloric music with elements of pop, R&B, and jazz. He is not only a folkloric musician but also works as a “True Kanadebito” (A Musician who plays the Essence).

2004

A childhood filed with folklore

At the age of two, he began attending Arcoiris practice sessions with his mother, and by the age of three, he had his first stage performance. At that time, he played the Bombo, a drum made from llama or goat hair.