Kenshi Yonezu’s new single “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing” is featured because the theme of Last Fantasy XVI, the newest installment within the vastly well-liked online game collection. The J-pop hitmaker says the franchise has held a particular place in his coronary heart since childhood and that it has enormously influenced him as an artist.
In writing the music for the brand new recreation, Yonezu and recreation producer Naoki Yoshida held in-depth discussions to create a music that might deeply resonate with the story when heard within the context of the gameplay.
Music author Tomonori Shiba caught up with the multi-hyphenate, who shared the method of the music’s manufacturing, his love for the Last Fantasy recreation franchise, how he feels concerning the enlargement of his attain exterior of his house nation and extra on this interview for Billboard Japan.
What was your first thought whenever you had been tapped to write down the theme for Last Fantasy XVI?
Kenshi Yonezu: I by no means thought I’d be capable to work on the theme music for a recreation collection that I’ve been taking part in since I used to be a child. I really feel like I’ve been saying this so much currently, nevertheless it was merely an honor. It actually felt like a novel alternative.
What did the producers of the sport focus on with you off the bat?
First, Mr. Yoshida spoke tremendous passionately concerning the define of the story and his ideas that went into it. After that, I acquired a text-based script for the whole recreation and transient character descriptions. I used to be requested to create the music to be performed throughout a selected scene within the recreation, so I feel they had been prepared to let me do what I needed with that to a sure extent, to create music primarily based on what I felt.
Did you talk with Mr. Yoshida when you had been producing the music?
Sure, we did. Very often. He’d come by repeatedly and present me visuals of how far the sport growth has been continuing or how the battle system seems to be like in the meanwhile. I may see how passionate he was about what he does. He spoke with nice enthusiasm about what he was engaged on and what the sport was like, whereas additionally taking satisfaction in what he was doing. In fact it’s solely pure, however I may sense that they took this mission very significantly, and felt that I couldn’t take it on half-heartedly.
You’ve all the time talked about Last Fantasy as certainly one of your favourite video games. How did you first come throughout it?
My household received a PlayStation after I was in first grade, and whereas I don’t keep in mind what recreation I received first, I seen in the future that we had a replica of Last Fantasy VII. I don’t know if somebody had purchased it or if it’d been given to us, however there it was so I made a decision to present it a strive. That’s how I began taking part in it.
What was that have like for you?
Now that I feel again on it, it seems like this work had so much to do with my present tastes and preferences. The story is severe and the cityscape has a steampunk really feel to it, and I nonetheless get excited after I see issues like that. Wanting again, I feel it had an amazing affect on the event of my character.
How would you say that these influences from the collection seem in your personal works as a musician and artist?
I’ve beloved fantasy since I used to be a child. I’ve been into it since I used to be in kindergarten or elementary faculty. Fantasy is a straightforward phrase to explain the idea, which is about issues that might by no means actually exist in our on a regular basis lives, being there like they had been commonplace. I spent my childhood craving for such imaginary areas. Wanting again now, I feel it’s been one of many primary pillars shaping my life.
From there I received into drawing and making music, and even now that I do these issues professionally, a number of the music I make and footage I draw nonetheless come from that fantastical, imaginary standpoint. I all the time actually favored taking part in alone, so I spent my childhood studying books and taking part in video games at house, having enjoyable letting my creativeness run free and conjuring up fantastical issues in my thoughts, moderately than getting pleasure from speaking with others. That continues to today and I feel I discovered so much from it.
It’s referred to as fantasy, however there’s fairly a bit that mirrors actuality. Actuality is all the time mirrored in fantasy and the 2 are inseparable, like the 2 sides of a coin. So I feel there’s actually a sort of true nature of actuality that may solely be acquired by way of fantasy, by way of a fantastical story. Fantasy is crammed with a form of actuality that may solely be expressed in that method.
What was the start line of the concept for the music?
I assumed so much about what a theme music for a recreation is all about. In spite of everything, in comparison with motion pictures, anime and TV drama collection, a online game takes for much longer to get by way of, as in dozens of hours. Plus, you grow to be the participant by way of the controller, immersing your self within the recreation and experiencing the world for your self. So I feel your attachment to that world is way deeper than different media. Once I was requested to write down the music for this mission, I felt it shouldn’t be one thing that evokes a sort of squalid on a regular basis life.
So when you’re the one writing the music, the unique idea was to write down one thing that wouldn’t drag gamers again to actuality after they heard it within the recreation.
Proper. I’ve been requested to write down many theme songs prior to now and have labored with numerous tales, however I feel I positioned extra emphasis on the sport itself than ever earlier than for this one. Since I make pop music, I’ve to create music that’s applicable for every story whereas additionally reaching individuals who aren’t concerned in that story, who’re unfamiliar with it. Each time I work on a theme music, I all the time attempt to discover the precise steadiness between the 2, however this time the steadiness is kind of off and the music leans closely towards the sport.
How did that change the best way you wrote the music?
It turned extra of a selfless dedication. I had every kind of distracting ideas going by way of my thoughts after I was writing it. Stuff like, “Possibly I ought to do sure issues to make it simpler for individuals who haven’t performed the sport to know” or “Possibly if I added sure sounds, it could make it higher as a pop music.” Such distracting ideas would swirl round and I attempted to pay attention to disposing of them this time. So it was selfless in that sense. I merely made music for the sake of the story. I actually went in that path greater than ever earlier than for this music.
So the idea of this music was totally different out of your earlier experiences writing themes for anime and drama collection.
The theme music for a drama collection on TV is performed in each episode, and the scenes and conditions the place the music is heard will probably be totally different. Meaning the music must be summary in some methods. The duty is to seek out the place the foundation of all 10 episodes of the collection lies. For instance, I’d attempt to provide you with three essential parts of the story and work although numerous incidental particulars to get to what stays on the finish. Then I embellish that in my very own method. For a music like this one that might be performed at a selected scene in a online game, I didn’t assume such an method can be applicable.
The way in which the music is written, whenever you hear it after taking part in the sport, you understand what it’s about and results in a greater understanding.
I imply, it’s not an excessive amount of to say that I wrote it only for that function. While you end taking part in the sport and listen to the music, the items all match collectively for the primary time. That’s the best way it needed to be executed. Contemplating the quite a few video video games I’ve performed in my life, I felt that if I did it every other method, I wouldn’t be honest to who I’m. I suppose on a sure stage it’s not honest as a bit of pop music, however on this case, I had a sense it was the precise factor to do.
Might you share what resonated with you after you completed taking part in Last Fantasy XVI?
FF16 is a really severe recreation, and as you determine your self with the tough actuality of the protagonist by way of the controller, your need for them to be glad grows and grows. The protagonist is born below oppressive circumstances and is compelled to struggle grinding battles all the best way from there. When you concentrate on how unlucky that’s, you start to really feel strongly about wanting them to seek out redemption. I considered such issues after I wrote the music. However I additionally needed to embrace the scars he left behind within the music. I felt it wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t, so I attempted to write down a music that might give a sense of redemption whereas additionally encompassing a sort of grudge that can by no means fully go away.
I’d wish to ask you concerning the worldwide enlargement of your attain. Final yr you launched “Kick Again,” the opener for the anime Chainsaw Man, and the monitor gained recognition in lots of international locations and areas exterior of Japan, amongst individuals who converse many various languages. How do you’re feeling about that?
I’m grateful. As somebody who makes well-liked music, I need many individuals to hearken to what I put out. In that sense, I’m grateful to Chainsaw Man for giving me the chance to write down that music.
And “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing” is featured in Last Fantasy, a collection with ardent followers of all ages not solely in Japan but in addition in lots of different international locations and areas, additionally amongst individuals who converse numerous languages. What are your ideas on that?
The music is in Japanese and I’m undecided how individuals will really feel about this Japanese music. I really feel nervous about how individuals interpret it, and proper now I’m simply hoping that the sport hasn’t been ruined due to the music’s inclusion in it.
I feel feelings expressed in music transcend borders and languages, and sort of think about you need that to be the case, too.
Sure. The music is mainly in Japanese, so what’s being sung received’t come throughout (to audio system of different languages). However I’ve skilled moments the place I’m moved by one thing although I’m far faraway from its which means linguistically. I’ve actually had experiences the place I’m strongly drawn to a voice or the music from international international locations, in international languages I’m not accustomed to. I hope this music will probably be taken in that method.
One final query. Except for Last Fantasy XVI, are there every other video video games that you simply’re into or interested in?
I’ve been taking part in Minesweeper on a regular basis currently. I’ve talked about it so much at my live shows, and I’ve been feeling firsthand how addictive it’s due to its simplicity.
—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared in Billboard Japan
