Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

this is good year for announcments. 2016 is going ti be great.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

It's looking more and more likely that she could make one last theme song for KH. I'm hoping so. I'm okay if she never makes another, but she has to for KH3. It wouldn't feel complete without her in the opening CGI scene.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Oh I hope she'll do a theme for KH3.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Dreams maybe do come true.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Considering her single-to-album ratio in the past, if the album is due out in Spring, then we should be getting it's first single anytime now :D!

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

utada need to finish this where it all start and complete the circle for kingdom hearts :)

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

;~; utadaaaaaa <3

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I'm happy that she is finally returning. Hope she makes songs as great as Beautiful World

As for KH3, if she comes back great. But Im fine with a new singer as well

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

It wouldn't feel right if the last of the numbered titles didn't kick off with a pop song, would it?

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

It's been far too long :'). Hopefully her time off was well insightful and joyful, it sure seems to be judging from those wedding photos. While she's gorgeous and weddings are typically a happy moment, she looks beyond herself. +1 child WOO!

And of course a new song would be a dream come true for the final installment!

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I'm all for a new song, but part of me hopes maybe they can negotiate for her to do Final Distance in English so that way KH3DHD can hve a second opening with that song because that was a huge opportunity missed right there.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

It's official.

KINGDOM HEARTS III


2017. Utada. Nomura. Walt Disney. Are back!

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

when you walk away, you won't hear me say ooh. ooh ooh baby, don't go.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

[FONT=Arial]Donna toki datte[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Zutto futari de[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Donna toki datte[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Soba ni iru nara[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Kimi to iu [you] hikari ga[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Watashi wo mitsukeru[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Mayonaka ni

(Japanese lyrics FTW :D)
[/FONT]

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Oh man, 2016 is going to be an rather exciting year. Good to see Utada returning!

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

This is very exciting. I can't wait to see if she's going to be involved in the music of KH3.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I hope she returns for KH III.

Just wondering, how much of her songs from previous albums have been featured in other things?

Like, half of the songs? Or just a few?

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

This gets me super excited. Would love a new piece from her for KH3.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I'm curious how long Disney or Square plan on waiting before deciding on the theme for KH3.

Utada could come back next year, but the company could have made a decision in regards to a possible new singer already

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I don't think there is much to base anything on beyond Nomura's heartfelt (read: beggy) message to her. That alone says he wanted her to come back. With a portion of her western fans existing because Kingdom Hearts, it would be weird to bite the hand that fed her, so to speak.

Of course it comes down to what Disney will do, but as it has been said in every Utada thread, there has been a lot of time and distance from everything that happened almost ten years ago. Disney might be more open to paying her more and Utada might be open to being paid whatever they offer.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Correct me if I remember wrong but wasn't there another issue besides the payment (or lack thereof) from Disney?

Wasn't there also the thing that Utada disliked having to make English lyrics for songs she felt were originally made for Japanese ones?
Wasn't she rather dissatisfied with the English versions of Hikari and Passion?

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

She didn't like the English versions because they lost the meaning of the Japanese ones.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I don't think it was as much distaste for the final outcome of the songs as it was the process. Since they were written in Japanese and the English version more or less an after thought, I could assume it could be very painful to stay in beat with new lyrics that hold the integrity of the song. She's vouched to play versions of these songs live in English for Japanese audiences so she might appreciate them a bit more than before =p.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

If all else fails I'll sing the song for Kh3

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

In regards to your "bite the hand" comment

I don't see how turning down Disney or Square would come at the cost of her career in regards to the west. She isn't just defined by KH. She is also well known for doing the two themes for the Evangelion films for example

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I wouldn't call them an afterthought. Sanctuary was written before Passion, but Utada said that her integrity to the songs, well it gets hard. She's proud of Sanctuary and Simple and Clean, but she had to change the songs. The melodies weren't suited for the english language. She's not happy with reworking them - her dad was the one who said they didn't pay enough.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I'm not saying it would come at the cost of her career. I'm saying that Kingdom Hearts was her breakout into the west. Before then she was only famous in Japan. Why would she miss out on an opportunity to have one more go at Kingdom Hearts and please the fans that followed her here in the west because of the series?

She is well known for being one of the best artists in Japan, not for the songs she's performed for dramas, films, and anime and instead because of her unique voice and style, but in the west the first thing people will say when her name is mentioned is "She did Simple and Clean for Kingdom Hearts!"

Her music done for the Rebuild of Evangelion films are great but not defining parts of her career...except maybe Sakura Nagashi to a degree since it was her first song in years after her hiatus. Simple & Clean? Passion? Those are two defining moments out of many, but seem to leave the most impact.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

YES! I would absolutely love to see/hear on the main theme for KH3. Simple and Clean and Sanctuary(Passion) were well executed.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I really want her to create a theme song for KH3. It doesn't even need to be translated into two different languages. Having her touch on the theme for KH3 would be phenomenal.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Utada's music really is special. I'm fervently holding out for some involvement in KH's future. 8}

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Ah, so my memory wasn't completely off in that regard, as she did not "dislike" the english versions per se but was nonetheless unhappy to have to rework the songs to have an English version.



I'd guess that would depend on how much she really cares for a small amount of people who reduce her to only one thing, that being "she made once a song for Kingdom Hearts".
From what I've observed both musicians and actors often are not too keen to be reduced to just one part of their overall work, i.e. Christopher Lee was much more than "just" Dracula or Saruman from the Lord of the Rings, the Beatles had many more songs than just "Hey Jude" or "Let it be" etc.
Both money and time would of course also be a factor and Disney is not really known for being generous.

That being said though, I personally would be certainly pleased if she would decide to have another go with KH, but it would certainly also not be the end of the world or a huge bummer if she decides not to.

To me, the music of the KH series as a whole is defined and given the most impact by Yoko Shimomura anyways, and not Utada.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

That isn't exactly what I meant, either. The many (and it is many) fans of Utada in the west that became fans because of Kingdom Hearts don't see her that way, and many did start following her career closely after S&C.

I'm saying that it is the one thing your average person will say when her name is mentioned. It won't be "Oh she's that amazing Japanese singer/songwriter known for her big hits like "First Love" "Automatic" "Final Distance" "Be My Last"." People aren't even going to mention her English albums. It is almost always "Simple & Clean".

From what I've observed both musicians and actors often are not too keen to be reduced to just one part of their overall work, i.e. Christopher Lee was much more than "just" Dracula or Saruman from the Lord of the Rings, the Beatles had many more songs than just "Hey Jude" or "Let it be" etc.

They aren't, but did Christopher Lee ever ignore his LOTR fans despite his dislike of being remembered primarily for it? If he was truly upset with the situation, I doubt he'd have returned for the Hobbit. He had a great respect for LOTR especially since he knew Tolkien and believed the novel franchise was one of the best literary contributions of all time.

Did the Beatles ever stop performing "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" because they hated the fact that their fans knew them primarily for these songs?

I can even use Leonard Nimoy as an example of this. He hated being known as Spock. He wrote a book about how he was not Spock. Then later on he accepted it. It was the reason fans loved him, it was why they followed his career, it was the motivation for him to expand his horizons as a photographer, poet, musician (lol), and director, and in the end he loved being Spock.

So why would Utada ignore her fans? The ones who became loyal because of her work for Kingdom Hearts? Why ignore the MASSIVE buzz about hoping she'd return for KH3 whenever her name is brought up in the news in relation to new music?

It'd be one thing if we knew she wouldn't be asked and that there wasn't that many people clamoring for her return (Nomura himself included). Nomura didn't draw that art and write that message for nothing to come of it. The fact is that there are thousands of people clamoring for her to return for KH3.

If at the end of all things her and Disney could not come to an agreement, then that's fine, but her large western following wasn't born from nothing.

Both money and time would of course also be a factor and Disney is not really known for being generous.

I don't think Universal will let Disney get away with lowballing Utada, and Disney has been a bit more easy to work with these days

To me, the music of the KH series as a whole is defined and given the most impact by Yoko Shimomura anyways, and not Utada.

I don't think anybody actually associates the series as a whole to Utada. To look at it like that is looking at this entire situation wrong.

It's about the sum of all of the parts. Every game has had Utada's songs in it, regardless of being the same songs from KH1 and KH2. To suddenly not have it for KH3 would be a weird missing piece of what has been established as a recognizable part of the series.

It'd be like if suddenly Shimomura cut out "Dearly Beloved" as the main theme and made a completely new one. It's a part of the whole of the series.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I think fans could survive with a new singer and theme song if Utada doesn't return. Its not like fans would suddenly drop the series if this was the case

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

They could, but I'm saying it would still be a part that would be missing to people. Like my example of if Dearly Beloved was replaced with a new theme. It would not be the same. People wouldn't boycott the game but there would very much be a distinctive "something" missing from the series. This is what I mean by the "sum of all of the parts".

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

Well, for me this is good news since I had completely given up hope that she would make a song for KH3. I know it's still anything but confirmed but at least there's a chance now. A new song is a must for a big game like this, but I hope they'll use the instrumental version of Hikari somewhere. Like during the ending scenes. I'll probably cry for a week.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I think it's an entirely different scenario for the new saga but Utada is so integral to KH that it would feel wrong and very strange to have someone else for this saga's finale.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

The series could survive the loss of many things (and I'd say it already has), but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect the experience. She's worth the money they'd pay her.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

If that's indeed the case props to those as they then truly appreciate Utada herself as a performer.

Of course that song may be an identification symbol, no doubt, but to derive from that a sort of obligation/foregone conclusion that KH 3 would/has to get a new work from her does sound more like wishful thinking.


When looking at the whole package of Lee's career he was way too much of a professional to let himself get truly upset and had actually several roles he was famous for. You're right with LotR, as he actually had much fun with his involvement in the franchise, he even continued to voice Saruman in many LoTR video games. For the Hobbit I recall that Peter Jackson himself actually made sure to set filming schedules as such that Lee would be most comfortable for his parts, actually allowing his scenes to be shot in Britain so Lee didn't have to travel to New Zealand in his advanced age.

Not that I'm aware of, the only thing I do recall is that the Beatles eventually refused to give anymore live concerts at all, and that had to do mostly with obnoxious fans.

Nimoy did indeed a whole U-turn, yep, although I can't say I blame his initial attitude to the issue because it can be really harmful to one's career if one is reduced to just one or two roles they played, regardless how successful they were.
I'd say that correct answer would not be that he wasn't Spock, but that he wasn't only Spock.

I'm far from insinuating that Utada would go and say deliberately "screw you" in ignorance, but I get the vibe that exactly this "massive buzz" being made is blowing the whole situation out of proportion. Call it another case of overhyping and fostering overblown expectations if you want, something especially the KH fandom is by now infamous for.

I'd say that has something to do with marketing purposes, as stating from the get-go that they won't even consider to ask her to return would again be bad PR for both Disney and SE.


I'll give them that they loosened up quite a bit since the 90s and early 2000s, yet Disney remains to be a rather difficult employer it seems.
Just recently I read in a German newspaper that many actors/stars, including Harrison Ford, are not really that satisfied with how Disney handles the new Star Wars films, especially when it comes to literally dictating them how to conduct interviews.

It certainly comes over as this in some instances though considering the hype made around Utada when all she did was was provide one song (two when counting KH 2) out of hundreds for the work.

Yea, and people went and complained loudly about that at almost every corner, lol, sometimes openly dissing Utada for not making a new song for every newly released KH game like a bunch of entitled brats.

I'd argue that the real wham episode would be if Shimomura would be replaced as main composer for the series as a whole, as that would affect more than 90% of the series music.
But then again, Final Fantasy also survived the departure of Nobuo Uematsu, however hard that was at the beginning.



This is probably the main gist of what I'm meaning to say as well.
If Utada decides to give it another run, fine, but if she doesn't it doesn't mean the end of the world nor would there be any reason to hate her for it.

Re: Utada Hikaru may resume activities in Spring 2016

I agree with Spockanort. Utada has gotten many fans thanks to Kingdom Hearts, and it'd be a shame if she wouldn't appear in the final game of this Saga. I'm okay with having a new singer. But please do that in the next saga.

Staff of Utada's website have made a new blog post clarifying that Sports Hochi's claim of a Spring 2016 album release are false, and that while production on the album continues, no official release dates have been set.

Staff Diary (JP) | Hikki's WEBSITE

I find this kind of funny since this isn't the first time news hinting at Utada's return were proven false on way or another

At least the album is in production. It wouldn't hurt from her to just give Nomura just one song and from there lift off.

They really need to get her for KH3. I don't care if they don't have her for KH4 and so on. But She needs to make a song for KH3 since its the final chapter for xehanort.

Meh, as long as its coming. Plus the longer out it is the better chance of a KH3 song ^-^. Though it could always be a single =)

Ah, true kingdom hearts nature. The album is most probably being worked on and no release in sight~

Are you suggesting that working with Square Enix is contagious and spreads "delayeritis"? ;P

Wasn't there also the thing that Utada disliked having to make English lyrics for songs she felt were originally made for Japanese ones? Wasn't she rather dissatisfied with the English versions of Hikari and Passion?

I really want her to create a theme song for KH3. It doesn't even need to be translated into two different languages. Having her touch on the theme for KH3 would be phenomenal.

I don't understand why english lyrics are important to begin with, was it Disney that wanted the previous themes to be translated? Other themes from Square like 'Ballad Moving Towards Hope' from Bravely Default are in japanese and is a gorgeous ending theme that stands out on its own. I mean the majority that play J-RPG's usually are influenced by other japanese mediums anyway not to mention that this is the 3rd installment. If people have got this far already then I don't see a problem.

Though i see three reasons why it will continue to stay in english. One; consistency. Two; to appeal to the western audience that still haven't picked up the series and three; this isn't a pure J-RPG by square, it was the western mix that made this magical in the first place. Disney will make sure.

All the signs seem to be pointing in the right direction. Even if all these omens don't come to light, I'm eagerly waiting to see what she produces.

You know it in your heart to be true Seph.

What if it spreads to consumers?! Explains my procrastination over the years...

I hope that the new theme is more melancholic and nostalgic than the past two songs combined. I want to be hit in the feels hard when I first hear it.

CONFIRMED! She's returning in April!

Utada Hikaru Is Returning in April with a Theme Song for NHK Drama

when you walk away

to your sanctuary

please oh baby

OG TOND

She's back, our singing angel has come down from Heaven to give her divine voice to us mortals?

why is there a question mark? why the creppy in how you said it? very compelling, gonna need an utada soundtrack for my range of emotions

Sorry was kinda in shock.

lol don't be sorry i was fuckin around myself

can't wait to see what she comes out with.

I feel like a minority in thinking the DDD was the best because of how well they blended the orchestral music with the animation flawlessly. It felt more true to KH than the other intros.

I thought Simple and Clean was pretty okay and fitting, the slower non-techno version moreso. Couldn't stand the Sanctuary song TBH, too moany and angsty.
But if her next song is more similar to Simple and Clean then I'll look forward to it.

i agree with the first paragraph completely, slight disagreement with the second due to pure nostalgia.

My thoughts right to the letter.

i have passion for my sanctuary. my thoughts for hikari are simple and clean as well.

I know that we should probably be expecting a new pop song as per tradition, but I can't help but wish that we could get another orchestrated song instead. It should be a brand-new song, of course, but you gotta admit that orchestrated Hikari not only sounded brilliant, but was able to perfectly embody a Disney-like feeling while staying completely unique. I'd like the new song to be like that.

Plus, that way, we won't have problems with making up English lyrics or whatever else that bothered Utada Hikaru back then. =w=

She's coming back :'). Somebody pinch me it's too good of news for one night!

(obviously knew she was coming back eventually, just fangirling)

I hope she still keeps it simple and clean because loves my passion at my sanctuary.

I'm happy she's returning but I'm not celebrating just yet. She could still decline doing KH3's theme

she could, but she's kept a good relationship with nomura so she may accept a request out of respect.

It was the best. Honestly if they can't get Utada to come back for a new theme they should just get Shimomura to compose a new orchestral intro song, imo.

I would be totally okay with that actually.

Really, tho. Why not. That'd still be "Kingdom Hearts" enough and I think having someone else sing an intro song just...wouldn't be the same as Utada.
But I'd be fine with a Shimomura-orchestral.

I think she's in the right time for a theme song. I wouldn't take that far off.

^^^^^^^^^^^^yo this right here

DDD's music was spectacular, as if shimomura is getting better and better with each game. half my hype for 2.8 is to hear those beautiful reorchestrated tracks.

Reorchestrate what? KH3D definitely isn't going to have its music touched. It's similar to BBS where they used real instruments with synthetic ones so they won't do anything but touch them up. We'll probably get new renditions of songs and new songs in BBS 0.2 and Back Cover, but don't expect anything to be reorchestrated.

whoops haha. i used the wrong word. i meant to listen to it on the big screen instead of confined to those awful little speakers but thanks for correcting me

I don't agree with it being "moany and angsty," but it does sound like it was recorded in one take. Passion was definitely produced much better (why u no add those beautiful backing vocals in Sanctuary, Utada!?). Even "my heart's a battleground" sounded far superior in Passion.

I just wonder, if she does indeed return for KH3, will we get legitimate English/Japanese versions of the same song, or will we get two different songs with the same melody, like we did with the other two(four) tracks...

On another note, let's all rock out to the track which she used the melody for Simple and Clean's chorus!

[YOUTUBE]5XvQdK-39-E[/YOUTUBE]

I'd be fine with different songs on the same beat. Dunno, as long as it sounds nice, I wouldn't mind...

I'm also okay with not getting a new Utada song, but a Shimomura one.

Though it would be splendid to get both. :x

shimomura produced and sung by hikaru? yes please