Sonedo is a scene-builder. The Japanese-Scottish producer, pianist, and bandleader is pioneering a vital new UK sound that threads jazz improvisation with rap and grime. 

His music is collaborative and elastic—a blend of live instrumentation interwoven with MCs and vocalists. Equally at home in a jazz setting or in the club, he has earned support from Jamz Supernova and Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music for his work with Rebecca Vasmant. He has also received the Peter Whittingham Jazz Development Award and headlined his debut show at Lancaster Jazz Festival, cementing his place as one of the most compelling new voices bridging Scotland’s jazz and rap communities. 

Sonedo grew up surrounded by a large Japanese family, first finding his voice at the piano in his cousin’s house at the age of seven. Now based in Glasgow and completing his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he is emerging as a distinctive new presence in UK jazz. 

A lifelong fan of A Tribe Called Quest, J. Cole, and particularly Kendrick Lamar, his sound also draws from jazz innovators such as Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, alongside the modern UK movement led by Alfa Mist, Yussef Dayes, Venna, and Glasgow’s own corto.alto. 

As long-standing musical director and bandleader for BEMZ (winner of the BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year Award), Sonedo has become an indispensable bridge between the Scottish jazz and rap scenes. He has overseen expansive live sets at venues including SWG3 and festivals such as Kelburn Garden Party. 

His production work reflects the same cross-genre fluency. His collaborative projects span house and jungle-inflected drum & bass, and he has brought his hybrid live approach into electronic spaces, performing at Edinburgh’s FLY Open Air, where he played keys alongside DJs. 

A rapidly rising talent, Sonedo continues to expand a signature sound that is, at its core, collaborative, culturally fluid, and firmly rooted in both jazz tradition and contemporary UK club culture.