Circle the Earth's Kazuki Tokaji Reveals His Musical Journey

LOS ANGELES, Calif.– Growing up in Japan, Kazuki Tokaji had a passion for music after getting his first guitar at age 7.

Today, Tokaji is the guitarist with Circle the Earth, an alternative rock band that has released its newest single, “At the Helm of Despair,” now available on iTunes, Spotify and elsewhere.

“I’m very excited about this new single,” Tokaji said. “It was a collaboration between keyboardist Derek Sherinian of Sons of Apollo, and Kitsune drummer Sebastian Konnnackel and I. It’s a progressive metal song with a real edge.”

The band's new single explores feelings of loss and the uncertainty of overcoming grief. Featuring Tokaji’s signature hard-driving guitar stylings that blend rhythm and blues and punk rock that he nurtured while growing up in Osaka, Japan.

“I always wanted to play guitar in the U.S. since when I was little child. But when I was high school student, I started saving money and thinking about move to US more seriously,” he said. “The hardest thing was speaking English. I had studied English for 10 years, but almost never spoke it while living in Japan. But I managed to learn quickly once I was here.”

Tokaji discovered his love for music and rock and roll at an early age, but his fascination for science led him to major in science and technology where he hoped would serve him well after college. But as he continued his studies, the pull of music was too great and he began performing in bands even while in college.

After he graduated, Tokaji joined several bands which in turn toured Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, before striking out on his own as a solo artist and recording and performing throughout Japan, even joining the metal band Agra on stage during one tour.

But once he arrived in the U.S., he performed with several bands in the studio, before joining Circle the Earth where he found common ground with his fellow rockers.

“It was like I’ve known these guys for years right from the start,” Tokaji said. “We have a great connection and we feed off each other’s energy and creativity.”

Besides Tokaji on guitar, the band is made up of Khadia Handon on lead vocals, Sandy Chao Wang, Keyboards; Lauren Richards, Harmony Vocals; Whitney Claire Kaufman, harmony vocals; Michael McBay, bass; and Sandro Feliciano on drums.

“Kazuki Tokaji is a super talented guitar virtuoso who is equally as strong performing live onstage as in the recording studio,” said bassist McBay. “He is an extremely reliable, highly energetic, social media savvy professional who absolutely has the drive, focus and determination needed to succeed in this highly competitive music industry. As a long time manager and sponsor of bands and musicians in L.A. for over 30 years I am very proud to work with this gifted and deserving virtuoso guitarist”

With a string of hit singles and sold out shows the band built a solid following over the last few years and is poised to return to the stage once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

“The biggest challenge was recording songs with the band members, but without meeting,” he said. “We always jam and record together. So I’m looking forward to reuniting with the band on stage and in the studio.”

To learn more, Tokaji is on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.