If you are looking for music that is new, light and airy, search no further than Kashbocks. 

Kazu Naito, known as Kashbocks, has always loved music and started creating his own songs in high school. Before mixing his own tracks, Naito said he used free beats he found on YouTube and record himself singing over them. 

“It was horrible, but it was the first time I did something where I enjoyed the process of doing it,” Naito said. After being prompted by his mother to make his own backing tracks, Naito began using GarageBand and eventually playing the guitar. 

Naito’s style is very indie and soft, but he personally described his work as “picnic,” as it has a light, breezy feel to it. He uses a mix of acoustic chords, natural and electronic sounds, which all come together as a very early morning vibe. His music is the kind that would fit right in at a local café or bakery. 

Naito hopes that when people listen to his music they feel the same way he does when he first finds the melody. Naito wants to share that feeling of finding something new with his audience. 

One of Naito’s favorite lyrics is from his most recent release “The Castle,” going “You know life’s been treating me fairly/ Since I realized the simple things that’s always been in front of me/ Like the birds that are singing/ And the smiles from people we see.”

As a marketing major, Naito knows that social media plays an important role in getting his music out to a bigger audience. “I know it’s my job to promote. Music is just 10% of it; 90% is marketing and delivery,” Naito said. He is mostly active on Instagram and TikTok but found more success with Reels than TikToks. 

“Instagram is really underrated,” Naito said. When he has shared his videos across both platforms, Naito received more interactions on Instagram. He tries to put out “genuine videos” to promote his music as opposed to playing into trends for views. “It shows who you are,” Naito said. 

Social media does take a toll mentally, especially on creators. Naito talked about how he has put a lot into videos to watch them not do well, which is frustrating. “I want to get to a point with my music where I don’t need to use social media,” Naito said, “but nowadays it is literally essential.” 

In the meantime, Naito is still working on “evolving” his own sound while finishing out his last year of college at Virginia Tech. In the long term he wants to perform at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, “but until then, we grind,” Naito joked. 

After graduation, Naito will be pursuing music full time, and is very excited to see what his sound becomes in a year. “There is no ceiling,” Naito said. Kashbocks is available to listen to on most streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music.  

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