Interview by AOL Games.

The Final Fantasy Composer Talks Music & More Nobou Uematsu was kind enough to answer a few questions for AOL Games about his Final Fantasy compositions and his Dear Friends concert series put on by Jason Michael Paul Productions.

Q: What first inspired you to move forward with a concert solely on the music of Final Fantasy, and to launch it in the U.S. market?
A: I had always wanted to have my works performed in a concert setting, thought what truly inspired me to begin the concert was the voice of my fans. As for America, the Dear Friends concert was originally only planned to be held once in Los Angeles. However, the overwhelming response to the performance convinced us to expand the tour, as well as organize the More Friends concert held last May.

Q: When composing do you let the character designs (such as Cloud, Tifa, Yuna, etc) influence your work?
A: I always take into consideration all aspects of a character(personality, design, etc.) when writing a piece that centers around him or her.

Q: What gives you more chills, the sales of FF music or the cheers from the crowd when 'Aerith's Theme' is announced?
A: Of course both make me very happy. 'Aerith's Theme' is popular not only in America, but all around the world. Every time I hear the cheers that accompany the piece, it reminds me that there are no borders when it comes to music. Being moved by a certain song is not something that is not restricted to a certain race or nationality.

Q: How do you feel about 'free' music such as radio stations (like AOL Radio) or even MP3 downloads, as a means to get an artist music on the market, or in the case of various Japanese artist, to get their music into a new market? Is this a good tool to be utilized?
A: I think it is a wonderful method of spreading sound across the world.

Q: With the success of Dear Friends do you plan to expand the concert series, or add music outside of Final Fantasy?
A: I think that it is time that I move on from the Dear Friends concerts and start thinking about what my next step will be. I hope to bring something new and exciting to my fans in the very near future.

Q: The arrangements you have created pull on the heart strings of fans of the game series. Which song holds the most meaning for you?
A: While some of my works have gained much attention and are loved by listeners all over the world, there are still others that have had less exposure, and remain quite unknown. However, every piece I compose is like one of my children. I could never love one more than I love all the others.

Q: Having experienced the concert myself I find myself telling everyone I know about it, that they have to go. What plans do you have on expanding Dear Friends on geographically, can we see it in every state soon?
A: Personally, I would love to hold concerts for fans all over America, Europe, and Asia. However, these events require a large amount of time, money, and manpower. And unfortunately, I cannot accomplish all that by myself. I plan to keep working closely with Square Enix in order to bring my music to the four corners of the globe.