For about a month starting in early October last year, a pop-up shop for MARTIN, known as the world's most famous acoustic guitar manufacturer, was held Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 8th floor = Isetan Men's Residence. Acoustic live performances by artists associated with Martin were held every weekend during the period, and singer-songwriter Hiroya Ozaki also made an appearance. He entertained the lucky audience members who were selected by lottery. We were given some precious time before the live performance to hear him talk about his feelings towards Martin and his thoughts on music.

Having the great singer Yutaka Ozaki as his father, it was perhaps inevitable that he would be drawn to music. His first encounter with the guitar was with a Martin.

"My father's former producer gave me a portable model called the 'Backpacker.' That was my first encounter with the guitar, and my first encounter with Martin. It was around the time I started playing guitar. I lived in America until I was 15, and a friend who lived in the room next door in the same dorm invited me to practice together. Rock was my entry point, but the guitar I picked up was an acoustic. I thought it would be cool if I could cover hard rock on an acoustic guitar, so I covered bands like AC/DC on acoustic guitar."

The song "Glory Days," which was recently released, is originally based on EDM, but at the live performance that day, it was performed with his beloved Martin acoustic guitar. It had a warmer feel to it, and you could feel a different energy from the original.

"Martin is definitely a brand I aspire to own. Anyone involved in music would want to own one at least once. In fact, many famous artists wear them. Just owning one gives you courage; it has that kind of power."

"Having been involved in music for a long time, I've come to realize that the acoustic guitar is like my own 'voice.' The first chord, the first single note I play when I casually pick up the guitar—I think that sound reflects how I'm feeling at that moment. It's as if the guitar is speaking for my current feelings. It's a habit, a routine, and from there I start searching for chords. For example, this morning when I woke up, a certain bassline came to mind. So I picked up the guitar and played the chords. In terms of songwriting, that's the first stage of turning 0 into 1. It's the moment when what I imagined in my head takes shape as sound."

Since my first guitar was a Martin, I have a very strong attachment to it. The more I played it, the more I came to think, "I can't go back to any other acoustic guitar."

"The feel is different from other guitars. The comfort of holding the neck is incredible. 'Ease of holding' directly translates to 'ease of playing.' Even with a gentle touch, the sound attacks incredibly well. The sound is clear and punchy. The harmonics resonate beautifully. People often say that once you hold a Martin, you can't go back to anything else, and I think it all comes down to this perfect fit."

The gentle touch is something only a long-established company with 184 years of history can achieve. However, the reason it has been supported by many artists for so long is that it has always supported artists by incorporating the latest technology.

"The guitar I brought today is one I've been using for about six years now. It's equipped with something called an Aura pickup, which was new at the time. It simulates the sound picked up by the microphone and mixes it with the guitar sound. The guitar sounds best when it's picked up by a microphone, and this system converts it to a sound that's as close to that as possible. It's been incredibly helpful during live performances. The form itself has been refined over a long history and I think it's perfected. But the fact that they've incorporated this kind of technology is proof that they're really attentive to the player. I strongly feel that they've taken the players' opinions into account. I think it's a testament to the guitar builder's sense and the accumulated history."