Yoko Shimomura Talks About Composing for KH

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Published on March 3, 2010 @ 02:06 pm

Written by .:[Kazuma]:.

Hello, everyone!

Today we've come across an interview with the composer of Kingdom Hearts' music, Yoko Shimomura, thanks to ReBirth Wings, and translated into English thanks to HEARTSTATION. In the interview, Shimomura talks about her career, from her musical roots to working on our favourite series, Kingdom Hearts. Here is a look at the interview:

I began learning the piano at a very young age, and I also went to a musical college for junior college, so I definitely wanted to have a job that was related to music.

But, I didn’t want to be a piano teacher or something like that. I wanted to do something a little different.

By some chance, Capcom was among the university’s job offers at that time. I’d worked in a casual position at an event in which Capcom was on display the previous year, so at the time I felt a kind of affinity to it, like ‘I’ll get in for sure…’

I was in charge of many different pieces at Capcom, but Street Fighter II was the most popular. I tried to match the imagery with the background while writing music for each stage, and I wrote themes for each character with their nationality in mind. I also produced sound effects and the like.

But, I thought I’d better try and impress people with different things, and one day, the person who was helping me with the arranged music for Street Fighter II said to me, ‘the way this melody bounces is wrong, isn’t it?’ But, since it had already been submitted, I replied, ‘it fits’, and I was surprised with his answer of ‘not at all!’ (laughs)

It was a big hit, and I was over the moon to see children playing Street Fighter II overseas.

I had originally joined the industry wanting to write RPG music, but when Capcom also dabbled in that industry with ‘Breath of Fire’, they only put me in charge of one piece of music. And so, I left Capcom and took Square’s company entrance test.

With Square, I worked on many collaborations such as those for ‘Live A Live’ and ‘Super Mario RPG’, but the most famous was ‘Kingdom Hearts’.

In Kingdom Hearts, there are pieces of music that were Disney originals, but there was still the pressure of writing new versions without wrecking the feel of that world.

On the other hand, Kingdom Hearts had a heavy story, with themes of dark and light. Mr. Nomura told me, ‘I’d like pieces in the style of Verdi’s Requiem.’ And so, I wrote ‘Destati’, but at the time I wondered whether I hadn’t made a mistake, it being Disney and all.

But, when I wrote the theme for Hollow Bastion in the latter half, it felt like suddenly the Disney worlds and the serious music were connected in one thread. I can’t really explain it in words, but inside me, there was a moment when I became very satisfied with it.

I myself don’t really understand what it is that fans often call the ‘Shimomura style’.

When I first started the job, I thought that individuality was important, and I gave myself a complex not knowing what my own individual style was.

Now, when people speak of a ‘Shimomura style’, I wonder if perhaps my individuality is coming out after all, and I’m very happy.

I still can’t pick a definitive ‘me’ piece, though.

The songs I write are like my babies, and I love each and every baby; I can’t single out one. It feels like… they’ve all left my nest, but I’d like for them to still think of me from time to time!

I also enjoy working on things other than games, and I’d like to do it again, but I think game music is my base. The music changing when you press a button, the music changing when the boss changes form… that sort of fun, interactive-feeling music can only be found in games.

When I think about it, I guess I really do love games.

(From KH, the track I have the most profound memories of is) the title music, Dearly Beloved. Fundamentally, it only uses four chords, but as the series grew it was lengthened, and the number of sounds increased. I think music is a very deep thing.

Added bonus, extract from Q&A

Who is a game music composer that you admire?

Mr. Kouji Kondou. He’s very kind, and writes great music; he has a good character, too. He makes me want to work hard too (laughs)

What game music do you admire?

’Flying in the Sky’, from Dragon Warrior III. I think if I ever wrote something like this, I could die happily. That’s the impact it has.

Which instrument do you like for tone quality?

The oboe, which I wanted to play but couldn’t.

How long does it take to write a piece?

Well, Balrog’s theme took 20 minutes. Each track is different, but it has taken up to three months before.

How many pieces have you written?

There’s about 1000 of mine on iTunes at the moment. But the ones I wrote in my Capcom stage aren’t included in that.

A word to those setting out to become a game music composer?

Please make sure to treasure things other than music, too. Pieces can be born from many kinds of stimulation, and so I read many books, and travel overseas.

You can discuss this item of news here.

Source: ReBirth Wings, HEARTSTATION, forum member 24Terras