This Nobuo Uematsu Interview is Wonderful

To me, Nobuo Uematsu is the soul of Final Fantasy, his soundtracks add depth to the story, and have in some cases become larger than the story themselves, when people think of Final Fantasy VII they can hear the melody of Aerith's Theme, when they think of Final Fantasy VIII maybe Liberi Fatali comes to mind. He is undoubtedly one of the most recognised figures at Square Enix, and is adored by his fans worldwide.

Uematsu recently opened up to the Red Bull Music Academy about his life growing up in Shikoku, his musical influences (prepare to be surprised), Final Fantasy, and even the supernatural in a beautiful interview with Nick Dwyer. Here are just a few snippets, you can check out the full interview by following the source link below.

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-On his first experience with the supernatural-

The first time I witnessed something supernatural was in elementary school... there was a strange old man next to me, or a strange girl standing at the doorway.... That kind of thing happened to me a lot when was little. The scariest time was when I was sleeping once and was dragged around the room by my legs.

-On musical heroes-
At the start of the ’70s... the popular bands were Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and other progressive rock outfits. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Elton John, The Carpenters, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder were some others. I think they all influenced me to a similar extent.

-On using orchestral sound in Final Fantasy VIII-

The first time I was able to have the kind of orchestral music I wanted actually play in the game was from about Final Fantasy VIII. For the opening and ending, I actually got an orchestra and choir involved, and was able to record them live. So, it was from around that time.


-On performing his music live-

When my music is performed at Distant Worlds and such, there are times when I feel it’s great and tear up. But there are a lot of fans sitting around me, so I wipe my tears so nobody catches me.

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[source]

I thought it was really interesting how he said he prefers doing the love themes and relaxing stuff rather than the battle themes. I always assumed it was the other way around, considering how much he seems to like putting 'rock/metal' elements in things; particularly in his more recent work for Mistwalker, the Advent Children arrangement of One Winged Angel and so on.

But yeah. Love this guy. His music is why I'm a game designer now (I wanted to be a composer but lacked the talent!). Definitely miss him in FF.