We talked with the famous soundtrack composer during the Fun and Serious 2019 festival held in Bilbao, Pioneer Award.
Although behind the windows of the room enabled for interviews at the BEC in Bilbao it kept raining, for Yōko Shimomura it was a great day.
A life dedicated to music is what Yōko Shimomura represents, one of the great emblems of the last decades in the composition of soundtracks for video games. Born in Hyogo Prefecture a month of October 1967 and graduated from Osaka College of Music, her beginnings in Capcom were the place where she signed her first professional contract; Then there was a long stage in Square and a race where compositions for Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Super Mario RPG, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Kingdom Hearts or, more recently, Xenoblade Chronicles and Final Fantasy XIV remain.
We had the opportunity to chat with this pianist, but not only a pianist, as she tells us in a meeting at the Fun and Serious 2019 festival recently held in Bilbao. A few minutes of smiles, of reflections, of knowing not so much his work but how one of the most reputable profiles of the sector works, a person with clear things and character to accept or reject what does not agree with his line of thinking.
His time in the Basque city has resulted in a VIT Talk conference and recognition as a Pioneer Award this year in the contest.
Yoko Shimomura and Hiroyuki Nakayama during the Square Enix Presents: E3 2014 | Square enix
FreeGameTips: After so many years, what is the most difficult, the most challenging, when composing a song for a video game?
Yōko Shimomura: Perhaps the most difficult is the most necessary. That is to say, to know the videogame sector well, to adapt my music to the world, to the universe of that videogame and to offer through that music what the client asks me, in this case.
What is your work methodology when composing?
The truth is that it has never been a uniform process; It has always been a rather natural procedure. Actually, on most occasions, when I receive a request to compose, the first thing I do is look at what kind of music the client wants and try to internalize the world in which he wants to be inspired to adapt that music. Also, in most cases I try to collect the largest amount of files, information and data related to what the client asks for, in short, to channel that data and adjust to what I am asked to compose his music.
I do not have as a reference to a specific artist (…) I try to be myself with my music.
When an order arrives, what are the conditions to accept the request?
What is inside each game is not the most important thing for me to accept or not, but there are some orders that I cannot accept in any way, such as those whose theme is a lot of violence or extreme violence. Discarded Also those who have socially or morally unacceptable content for me; that is, some with excessive violence or who have a high sexual component or content. I can't accept these games. Normally, in most games I can adapt and adapt my music to what the client asks me, but not always.
KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra -World of Tres-, 2019
What is your favorite musical instrument? How many instruments can you play?
Although it seems incredible, I don't have a favorite concrete instrument, I like many; but, for my musical training, if I had to take one it would be for that reason the piano. And with respect to the rest of the instruments, I don't play all at the same level or in the same way, but… apart from the piano, I can play (and play) other instruments such as the guitar, the flute, the classical drum and the trumpet.
Do you have any references? What artists are an inspiration to you?
The truth is that I do not have as a reference to a specific artist, because if I had one I would put myself behind that artist and, the truth, I have none as an objective when composing, but I try to be myself with my music .
What makes Kingdom Hearts music special about the music we can hear in other video game series?
Perhaps the biggest difference is, above all, the fact that you have to know the world of Disney very well, know what is in it and integrate what Kingdom Hearts has. That atypical combination is what differentiates the composition of music for this franchise from others.
What is the delivery of Kingdom Hearts in which you liked to work?
The truth is that, for me, all are important; I couldn't keep one, really.
In which video game franchise would you like to have the opportunity to work in the future?
I do not normally have any specific desire; that is to say, I don't usually say “I would like to work in the videogames of this company”, it is simply something that I don't usually have in mind because, due to the daily process of my high workload, I don't have time to think about it. I don't think about my future plans; It is not my way of working. Therefore, I cannot point to a specific video game franchise in which I would like to compose.
Yōko Shimomura, at Fun and Serious 2019, Bilbao | Meristation
