Tiny Desk Japan makes its debut with Kaze Fujii

So, Tiny Desk Japan is now a thing. And Kaze Fujii was the first artist to [turns and looks into the camera] grace the Tiny Desk Japan with its first ever performance.

With Tiny Desk Japan airing on NHK’s streaming service, I wondered if it would ever see the light of day on YouTube in full. Because, Japan. But the full performance eventually did make its way to YouTube and on the official NPR channel with all of the other Tiny Desks. Although watch this disappear within 10 months.

The Tiny Desk version of “Kirari”? Better than the original.

This was great. But we already knew that it would be. Kaze is a great live performer. He is able to hold his own when on a stage that’s all spectacle. But he’s really in his element when he’s in intimate settings. Small shows is how he built a name for himself and landed a record deal. One of the cool things about Kaze’s performances is that you get a real sense of his character. He’s super present, fearless and unafraid to just be himself. Most wouldn’t sit and talk woo-woo shit about God in the middle of a set, but Kaze gon’ do it every time, because he wants to and it means something to him, and I really dig that. He does not give a fuck.

Kaze hasn’t done a lot of intimate gigs with a band before. It’s usually either just him and a piano or it’s a full-blown affair with the lights, pyro, screens and dancers. So this was a nice middle ground and a format we don’t see often from him. Or any artists from that matter. These days it’s usually televised performances on a late night show, a festival performance or big ol’ tour. I guess this is the appeal of Tiny Desk. It puts artists in a unique setting that they wouldn’t usually be in.

Kaze’s Tiny Desk has 4.5 million views at time of writing, which is incredible. So few Tiny Desks manage to hit 1 million, let alone 4.5. The artists who managed to overshoot 4.5 are established and known global acts, such as Sam Smith, Justin Timberlake, Young Thug (I’m as surprised as you are), Ed Sheeran, Usher, Adele and Dua Lipa. So, Kaze’s 4.5 million is an amazing feat. It really goes to show just how popular Kaze is and the reach that a Tiny Desk can have. So few gigs and performances from Japanese acts are put up on YouTube, so Tiny Desk Japan could be a real game changer.

Tiny Desk Japan is a great new addition to the world of online small scale performances to sit alongside established ones in Japan such as The First Take and Blackboard. Especially at a time in music where there are so many acts who tend not to do the TV show circuit, whether it’s because they’re of a generation who embraces the online or they just aren’t able to get on TV because there is a barrier to access. So I really hope the Tiny Desk Japan team commit to this and that artists try to get in on it too. Because there’s a list of acts I would really like to see in a Tiny Desk format.