Kazuma Nishimura 西村和真

Kazuma Nishimura was born in Okawa city in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan and　currently makes his home in nearby Fukuoka city. He began singing around　age 10 in the styles of Nat King Cole and Pat Boone, and in middle school he　won the Chikugo Area Junior High School Singing Competition. Kazuma also　played trombone in the school brass band, and listening to Burt Bacharach　around this time inspired him to begin writing his own music. At age 20, Kazuma drew a crowd of 900 to his solo concert at Fukuoka　Shonen Bunka Hall. He went on to develop a taste for AOR and R&B music,　being influenced in particular by Gino Vannelli and Stevie Wonder. Throughout college, Kazuma remained devoted to music, even as he juggled　responsibilities in his family's real estate and restaurant businesses. Further musical recognition came in the form of awards at the 1980 Yamaha　Popular Song Contest and the 1984 KBC Live Performance Contest held at　Fukuoka International Center. He also started producing music for TV and radio commercials in 1987, and in 1988 wrote the theme song and was in　charge of all music for the "Asia Pacific Child Conference in Fukuoka"event. He also appeared as a guest music act for the Yamaha Popular Song　Contest. In 2003 Kazuma won the Grand Prix prize in the vocal division of the Asakusa Jazz Contest in Tokyo. Currently, Kazuma continues to perform at various venues, write songs for　himself and other musicians, and work on developing the next generation of artists as a vocal teacher at Fukuoka School of Music.