LUZ

Japanese singer-songwriter Hana Kogure returns with LUZ, her fourth full-length album -- a quietly luminous work that blends original songs, Portuguese influences, and intimate acoustic textures into a deeply personal musical landscape.

Scheduled for release on June 28, 2026 via Office Sambinha / Rice Records, LUZ ("light" in Portuguese) reflects the emotional atmosphere that runs throughout the album: gentle yet unwavering light found within memory, travel, longing, and everyday life.

Across ten carefully crafted tracks, Hana moves freely between Japanese songwriting and Lusophone musical traditions. The album includes reinterpretations of Portuguese repertoire such as "Júlia Florista" and "Tudo isto é fado," alongside original compositions including "Hatsukoi" and "Monochrome no Yume no Naka de." "Kimi no Ie Made" features original Japanese lyrics set to a traditional fado melody, further deepening the album's dialogue between Japanese and Portuguese musical cultures.

Rather than approaching Portuguese music as homage alone, Hana naturally folds those influences into her own understated and highly personal songwriting style.

Musically, LUZ is built around a warm and organic ensemble sound. Piano, recorder, tuba, strings, percussion, cello, contrabass, and Portuguese guitar appear throughout the album in subtle and carefully balanced arrangements by pianist and producer Masayo Nagata.

A particularly important role is played by the Portuguese guitar performances of Kazufumi Tsukimoto, whose playing gently connects the album's Japanese and Portuguese sensibilities. Violinist and violist Yuriko Mukoujima brings warmth and emotional depth to the ensemble, while recorder and tuba player Takero Sekijima contributes distinctive textures that give several tracks an almost cinematic atmosphere.

At the center of everything is Hana Kogure's voice itself: delicate, conversational and emotionally direct. She sings not through dramatic gestures, but through intimacy and closeness, drawing listeners into quiet emotional landscapes that linger long after the music ends.

Over the years, Hana Kogure has steadily developed a unique position within Japan's independent music scene, attracting listeners from folk, chanson, fado, world music and experimental acoustic traditions alike. LUZ may be her most refined and fully realized work to date -- an album that speaks softly, yet resonates deeply.