Kazuya Kitamura

“Can I live for something - for someone — beyond myself?”

During the pandemic, living alone in Europe in my mid-twenties, I felt hollow inside.
I had absorbed Western individualism - making every choice based on the most self-centered of questions: Do I like this? Do I want this? I was free, in theory. And yet, somehow, I was exhausted.
That was when I came across an interview with Yukio Mishima.
Yukio Mishima (1925-1970).
One of the defining voices of modern Japanese literature - an intellect who was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize. And yet, equally, a man who sculpted his body, devoted himself to P.-hido and the
Emperor, and at the V of 45, ended his life

by his own hand. Perhaps the most contradictory Japanese man who ever lived.
In the interview, Mishima says this:
“To live only for oneself is to hollow out one’s own soul.”
I froze in front of the screen.

Looking back, the emptiness I felt was never mine alone. As the world digitized, our connections multiplied - and yet loneliness only deepened. That contradiction is not personal. It is structural. A thirst built into modern society itself.

Perhaps what Mishima feared was precisely this future.
He did not ask “What do I want to live for?”
He asked “Can I live for something - for someone — beyond myself?”

I’ve been writing a few simple, similar songs for my friends, family, and the people I’ve met along the way.

As the world goes through a time of change, I’ve realized that many people around me are facing emotionally difficult moments—
especially feelings of loneliness and hopelessness.

The only thing I can do is show that I care,
and write songs that might help someone find their way again.
just like so many beautiful songs have done for me.

I believe that kind, soft, and gentle sounds
can offer a moment to breathe,
and remind us that we’re not alone.
that someone else has felt the same, and made it through.

The title of this song, “Ue o Muite Arukō” (“Walk with Your Head Held High”), comes from a song originally performed by Kyu Sakamoto in the early 1960s, which also became a major hit in the United States.

The reason I chose this title is because it carries a message of moving forward with hope, even in the difficult postwar era.
a reflection of human beauty and true strength.
It’s a message I deeply resonate with, and one I wanted to carry into this piece.

I wrote these songs especially for my friends and family in Japan,
so they are in my native language.

I’m also surrounded by kids in my daily life,
and I hope that one day, when they face difficulties,
these songs might help them rediscover
beauty and meaning in life.

I’ve also recorded this song with one amazing producer who has great soul with law condition with piano while I was in Los Angels.
We will see how it goes but I am very grateful for those people always supporting my journey

lyrics↓

“Ue o Muite Arukō” (“Walk with Your Head Held High”),

Some days, I just can’t be kind
There are nights I can’t tell anyone about
Alone with a quiet sadness
My heart worn out, tears just fall

No matter how hard I try
I keep going in circles
Before I know it, there’s no one around
Just me, all alone
In the dark again, the tears fall

Even when it hurts right now
When it feels like I’ve lost everything
And I’m about to let it all go
Every winter night
Will one day turn into morning

So if I greet another dawn here
There must be meaning in that
I’ll lift my face and live
I’ll keep my head up as I walk

Nobody knows what’s my profession,still I am who I am.

My name is Kazuya Kitamura.
This is my new contact card and sticker design.
I am quite happy about it.

I have WhatsApp as well.
Please don’t send me any strange memes or call me with your language.

Set design and lighting for .cz

Beautiful music night by .mp3