Written by Shelby Schulz | January 14, 2026

Kazha is a rock band based in Memphis but hails from Tokyo, Japan. Its members include Kazuha Oda (bass and vocals), Hideki Matsushige (guitar) and Masaya Yanami (drums). They have an extensive history of touring in the U.S. and are often featured guests at conventions. Kazha recently performed at a convention being held at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos. Not only does their music rock, but it leaves listeners feeling rejuvenated by the uplifting messages expressed in the lyrics.

Before Kazha’s performance, Nopality Magazine had the opportunity to speak with bassist and lead vocalist Kazuha Oda:

(Note: Responses have been edited for clarity).

Q: Could you introduce yourself to our readers who may be unfamiliar with your band?

Kazuha: We are originally from Japan, but we’ve been travelling through the US right now. Our music is somewhere between rock and metal but we consider our genre to be hard rock.

Q: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Kazuha: I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and other artists from Japan. I mostly listened to singers because of my parents. I went to high school in the U.S. because of my dad’s job and there I was introduced to bands like Green Day, Metallica, and Smashing Pumpkins. Those bands inspired me to become a rock singer. I studied classical and pop music but there are so many genres that I enjoy listening to. Some of our guitarist’s favorite bands are Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi and Alice in Chains so I’ve listened to those bands as well because of him.

Q: Did each of you study music in school?

Kazuha: I am the only one who studied music in school, the others are self-taught. I think both of them have been playing their instruments for at least 20 years. I started playing piano when I was four or five and also began singing at a very young age.

Q: What is your process for writing music?

Kazuha: Every song is made in a different way. Sometimes I just sit at the piano and come up with a chorus then put a melody and lyrics to it. Sometimes our guitarist writes some riffs which gives me ideas. We put most of our time into the melody and lyrics so usually the background music comes afterwards.

Q: What influences the lyrical content of your music, and are there any common themes you typically write about?

Kazuha: Our music is mostly about life experiences. Some of the lyrics come from my own feelings but some are inspired by hearing about other people’s experiences. Our songs convey feelings of sadness, happiness, regret, anger, and depression. Some are sad but I feel most are uplifting.

Q: Of the songs you've written, do you have a favorite and why?

Kazuha: Yes, my bandmates and I agree that our favorite is “Stay”. It’s a rock ballad about love, and we feel we’ve put a lot of time and meaning into it. Our goal is that when people listen to our music, they feel uplifted. We want to make people’s lives a little better with our music. While “Stay” is a sad song, it is about self-love and encourages our listeners to love themselves.

Q: I noticed the majority of songs on your latest album are acoustic versions of your previously recorded work. What inspired you to create an acoustic album?

Kazuha: I decided to work on the album during COVID. I was looking for something to do while at home, so I did a lot of live streaming to keep in touch with our fans. At some point, I decided to perform a couple of songs during a live stream and just sang while playing piano. But then everyone kept asking if we were going to release those versions of the songs, so I thought why not?

Q: What was it like when you first started touring internationally?

Kazuha: It all kind of started when we were in Los Angeles. We were just visiting as tourists but while there we ended up recording our first demos. At the time we had Myspace so we posted some of our demos there and got a lot of good feedback. People started to ask us to perform at conventions so we decided to get a visa and come back for a tour. It happened very naturally. Since then we’ve toured Korea, Europe, and Canada as well.

Q: What inspired you to choose Memphis as your home base?

Kazuha: While we were in Los Angeles, we met a business owner who knew a lot about Memphis and told us that it’s considered one of the birthplaces of rock and roll. So we decided to go to Memphis for a couple of weeks to visit the city and fell in love. Since Memphis is also closer to the center of the U.S. we chose it to be our base. Our visas are typically good for three years, and we just renew them whenever we need to. They also chose us to be musical ambassadors for an organization called Export Memphis. The organization funds our tours, and we help spread the word about Memphis in other places.

Q: What is your favorite place you've performed at, and where haven't you performed that you'd like to?

Kazuha: Phoenix, Arizona. We’ve been performing there since 2011. It’s one of my favorite cities because a lot of our fans are there. Our fans feel like family because they’ve seen us every year since then and it’s like we’ve grown older with them. We have been to more than 40 states in the U.S. and we’d like to perform in states we haven’t yet such as Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon.

Q: What led you to performing as part of conventions during your U.S. tour? Do you have a preference between playing conventions vs. standalone shows?

Kazuha: After visiting Los Angeles and getting offers to play conventions, we had our first convention appearance at NDK in Denver. After that, we kept getting offers from more conventions, probably because we are a Japanese band that’s actually in the U.S. so it’s easier for them than bringing someone in from overseas. Also, I’m very much an anime nerd and grew up watching anime in Japan. One of my dreams was actually to become a voice actress and I’ve done some narrative jobs on the side of being a singer. I love the con scene and feel very lucky to be able to perform at them. Up until maybe two years ago we were exclusively performing at cons but we have an agent in Florida who is helping us book shows outside of conventions. We love doing cons but we are a rock band and we want to play places that rock bands play like clubs and bars. This is good because we can share a stage with other local bands and we love doing that too. So we don’t really have a preference.

Q: What is your favorite anime?

Kazuha: It’s hard to pick but one of my ultimate favorites is Naruto. I am also finally finishing One Piece, I’ve been watching it with our guitarist on the road.

Q: Do you have any new music releases planned in the near future?

Kazuha: Yes. We’ve been working on new songs for a new album and are hoping to release it soon. Right now we’ve been on the road a lot so we’re trying to figure out when to record in the studio.

Q: Down the road in 5 years, what would you like to accomplish as a band?

Kazuha: Of course, we will keep doing what we’ve been doing, but I am a member of the Recording Academy for the Grammys so when we release the next album I’d like to be a nominee.

Q: Are there any specific ways in which you feel your music has evolved throughout your time as a band?

Kazuha: Yes. Our music is definitely getting heavier, although we’re still not a metal band. Even though we evolve as a band, we try to keep our style pretty similar for our old fans since sometimes listeners get discouraged when a band changes their style too much.

Q: Is there anything you wish you had done differently or anything you wish you knew when starting out as a band?

Kazuha: I wouldn’t change anything but I wish I had tried the bass earlier. We used to be a 4 piece band but our bassist had to leave. We were looking for a new bassist and auditioned some people but just couldn’t find one we wanted. So I thought well, I have never tried a string instrument, maybe I can do it. If I had started earlier then I would be even better by now.

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Kazuha: Try everything as much as you can. I think it’s really important to know what you’re capable of and sometimes if you try another instrument, you might find out you’re really good at it. Piano was my first instrument so I thought I was going to become a pianist but then I discovered singing was more of my thing.

Kazha performed twice over the course of the three-day convention - their Sunday performance closed out the convention. Throughout the set, Oda encouraged everyone to enjoy the music by dancing and being as loud as they wanted. She also took the time to share with the audience the meaning behind some of the songs. She explained “Another Day” was written for her grandmother and suggested everyone take the time to visit those they love. She then dedicated “Break Into Pieces” to anyone in the crowd who might be dealing with depression or anxiety.

To close out the show, Oda reminded the audience, “We’re all here for the same reason. We never know when the next time is that we’ll see each other, so please come and say hi.” Kazha is a band that very much cares about their fans and writes music that is not only meaningful to its members but also to those who listen.

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