Kikashima
Based in Philadelphia and fresh off the NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour, Kikashima is the band and performing name of Mexican-Japanese singer/songwriter, Carissa Matsushima. Including Parker St Charles on bass and Max Azarmehr on drums, Kikashima forms a powerful trio that delivers heart-wrenching, down-to-earth songs that move body and soul. St. Charles’ and Azarmehr’s calculated instrumentals frame Matsushima’s gorgeous vocals, which range from whisper to wail, all coming together to represent beauty, grief, and the risk of feeling everything. Dropping hints of funk, soul, and folk, Kikashima’s music is equal parts legacy and rebellion— a project that honors and refuses Matsushima’s own mixed heritage.