Goze

 Gozé is an independent music and creative project founded by Swedish-Japanese artist, composer, producer and designer Sebastian Fritze. 

Rooted in music and storytelling, Gozé takes its name from the goze, blind women musicians who traveled throughout Japan sharing stories through song. 

After departing his former indie rock band Grizfolk, Gozé returned to where it all started: hip-hop. Originally started as an artist project in 2012, Gozé became a space to explore a more personal and genre-fluid approach to music. A full-length album through Varick St./Def Jam followed, built around collaboration and featuring a new generation of emerging artists. 

Gozé is currently finishing a collaborative album with Taj Austin, one-fourth of acclaimed Los Angeles hip-hop group Coast Contra, known for their explosive performances, intricate lyricism and viral freestyles. The record continues Gozé's approach of bringing different voices and influences together while keeping production and storytelling at its center. 

Alongside the music, Gozé has developed an equally distinct identity in fashion. Drawing from Gozé's Japanese and Scandinavian roots, the clothing is thoughtful, tactile and deeply rooted in the human hand, with many pieces produced in small runs in Los Angeles using handwork, embroidery and traditional techniques. The brand has quietly found its way onto artists and cultural figures including Taika Waititi, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sophia Bush and many more. 

Today, Gozé lives equally in both worlds. Music and fashion aren't treated as separate projects, but as two expressions of the same creative language, each informing and expanding the other.