Like a lot of musicians, Daiki Tsuneta wants to expand listeners’ minds.

“Most of the top artists in Japan ... the sounds are the same,” the 28-year-old tells The Japan Times. “I just want to share more variety.”

Usually, this is idealistic talk. Tsuneta, though, has made the fantasy work. He’s the mastermind behind King Gnu, a rock quartet that went from Fuji Rock Festival’s Rookie A Go-Go Stage in 2017 to NHK’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen” at the end of 2019 thanks to one of the year’s biggest surprise hits, “Hakujitsu.” This January, the band released its third full-length album, “Ceremony,” which served as something of a coronation.