Luvis
TMN EXCLUSIVE
A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THROUGH SOUND AND LOVE
Interview with Luvis. SXSW 2025. By Dylan Gutierrez and Pablo Herrera (TMN).
Luvis is a singer-songwriter, track maker, and guitarist from Uji, Kyoto, now based in Tokyo. Deeply influenced by jazz, soul, alternative rock, folk, and the natural world, his music is an organic blend of emotion and sound. The name “luvis” comes from the phrase “luv is”—a lifelong exploration of what love truly means. That exploration runs through all his work, including his latest EP Blue Inside You. Its title track, “Higher,” gained international recognition through performances at SXSW and NPR’s World Cafe, was featured on EIGHT-JAM’s “Best 10 Songs of the Year Chosen by Professionals,” and even climbed to #8 on Spotify’s Viral Chart.
When we sat down with Luvis at Mohawk Austin, he shared that he was amazed by the reaction from the American audience. The energy at his shows brought something out in him—he felt the love from the crowd and wanted to return it in kind. He’s a performer who feeds off presence, who sees music as a bridge, and who isn't afraid to leap into the crowd when the moment calls for it.
The roots of his musical path go deep. His artistic journey began with a profound personal loss—his grandfather passed away from cancer when Luvis was young. One of the final messages his grandfather left behind was a declaration of love to his wife, Luvis’s grandmother. That moment made a lasting impact. It sparked his passion for music as a means to explore and convey love in all its forms—grief, beauty, devotion, mystery.
Love, he says, is a grand, nearly ungraspable theme. It’s spiritual, even prehistoric—a concept passed down through generations. In his view, he’s just one part of that continuum, a vessel passing this essence forward through sound. Life, to him, is entertainment in the deepest, most soulful sense—an unfolding narrative where love plays the lead.
“Love is a very grand theme, and it’s something I’ve always tried to explore through my music. My journey started with a message from my grandfather, and it’s led me to understand love as something that transcends generations.”
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Writing about something so vast isn’t always easy. Sometimes it's hard to find the right words for a feeling that predates language. But his goal isn’t necessarily to define love—it’s to open space for others to ask their own questions. Through his songs, he hopes listeners begin to reflect on what love means to them.
He’s quick to acknowledge that life, like love, is full of light and shadow. He believes it's important to experience both, and that embracing the whole spectrum helps you understand and interpret the world with greater flexibility. Getting lost, he says, is part of the process. It’s not a failure—it’s a necessity. “Be lost,” he encourages, “and don’t see it as a negative thing. That winding path is the journey.”
“It’s important to get lost sometimes—it’s part of the journey. Being lost isn’t negative; it’s a necessity in life, and through that, we learn and grow”
Performing in the U.S. was something he never imagined. The experience surprised him, pushed him, and gave him a new level of connection with the crowd. Compared to the previous year, he felt more freedom, more flow, more electricity in the exchange between stage and audience.
When asked what advice he’d give to young creatives, Luvis emphasizes the importance of discovering your original passion—that inner force that drives you. “Be original,” he says. “Find what makes you, you. Just be yourself.”
Luvis during the interview at Mohawk Austin with TMN Dylan Gutierrez and his Japanese translator. Photo by Pablo Herrera (TMN).
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