What made Shinunoga E-wa hit so hard, even across languages, are the lyrics and the unique atmosphere the song creates.
Today, we’re breaking down Kaze’s writing process behind the song, from the meaning of the lyrics to the inspirations that took a country boy to the global stage.
- The Breakout
- The Western Influence Behind Shinunoga E-wa
- A Supermarket Run and Loving Yourself
- The Meaning of “Shinunoga E-wa”
- A Song That Traveled Beyond Japan
The Breakout
In 2022, a whole two years after Shinunoga E-wa (I’d Rather Die) was released, singer Fujii Kaze woke up to his song exploding overnight on TikTok.
A user from Thailand made an edit to Kaze’s song to a Jujutsu Kaisen clip, and suddenly, the world discovered Fujii Kaze.
One of the many Gojo edits to this song.
The Western Influence Behind Shinunoga E-wa
Some say Kaze has left his “Japanese aesthetics” behind with the release of his newest album Prema in 2025, but Kaze was always drawing inspiration from western music.
If I asked you what song by a US artist inspired Shinunoga E-wa, could you think of anything that sounds similar?
Hint… It was a popular song in 2019
One more hint. It’s got an addicting trap beat, and the singer claims to be 100% that b*tch.
If you guessed Truth Hurts by Lizzo, you are correct!
The piano and the trap beat of Lizzo’s song inspired the beat and melody of Kaze’s song.
A Supermarket Run and Loving Yourself
On the way home from a Donki run shortly after moving to Tokyo, the lyrics for the song suddenly appeared in Kaze’s head.
“Anata to kono mama osaraba suru yori, shinunoga e-wa (I’d rather die than say farewell to you)”
The “anata” or “you” in the song isn’t a romantic partner.
It is the you inside of you, our deeper self. Kaze is saying that if we ever have to deceive ourselves or lose the love we have for our self, it would be better to not exist in the first place.
When asked about the higher self Kaze was singing about, he said:
“I see my ideal form within myself, and while I want to get closer to it, sometimes I just can’t. I guess I’m seeking salvation from that, or rather, struggling…that kind of feeling often gets bottled up inside.”
The Meaning of “Shinunoga E-wa”
At first glance, Shinunoga E-wa translates to “I’d Rather Die,” but the emotional nuance of the title does not fully carry over into English. There is another layer hidden in the original Japanese phrasing.
Fujii Kaze grew up in a small rural town, where the local dialect influences everyday language. While “shinunoga” is standard Japanese, the “e-wa” ending adds a playful and more expressive tone.
The wa functions similarly to yo in standard Japanese (click to read more about Kansai ben). It does not change the meaning of the sentence, but it adds emphasis and emotion. In this context, e-wa is playful way of saying ii wa, changing the “ii” to the English letter “E”, since the pronunciation is the same.
Even the title reflects Kaze’s playful, but deep, writing style.
A Song That Traveled Beyond Japan
Kaze has said he is especially grateful to his international fans, as Shinunoga E-wa was one of his personal favorite songs but initially received little attention in Japan compared to other tracks on the album.
It is one of the rare Japanese songs to gain global popularity without being tied to an anime or game, and its international success came long before it was popular in Japan.
Kaze has also shared that Shinunoga E-wa is one of the few songs he has written that he can comfortably listen to in its recorded form.
Forever thankful for Kaze writing this song. It is still an absolute banger. I hope you had fun learning about his inspirations… I know I am several years late to this – but I wasn’t able to find much info about Kaze’s inspirations in English so here we are! 🙂
Until next time! ❤
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