Gaming Age ("G"): What kind of reaction has the United States given the “Dear Friends” tour so far?
Mr. Uematsu ("U"): So tomorrow is the first day of the tour, so we have to wait for the reaction to come. However, the reaction to the last concert in LA was such a great response, an unbelievable response.
G: Why choose Chicago?
U: [laughs] Perhaps it's probably because it's a major city.
G: How many more stops can we expect?
U: It's yet to be determined. However, I'd like to do as much as the people want.
G: Were you involved in choosing the Chicgoland Pops Orchestra?
U: I didn't make any particular request, in terms of what orchestra to use. However, Mr. Arnie Roth [the conductor for the performance] had the high recommendation for the pops orchestra, and that's why.
G: What goes through your head before a performance starts?
U: Well, I would like for the American audience to enjoy the concert as much as the Japanese audience do in Japan.
G: How do you feel before a performance begins?
U: I'm half psyched/excited, half a little bit concerned about what the reaction's going to be.
G: Which of the orchestrated compositions is your favorite?
U: Liberi Fatali, the first one on the set list.
G: Is there a particular reason why?
U: It's my first experiment to combine choral and orchestra for my music, and that's why I have a strong feel to it.
G: Last year's Dear Friends concert mostly featured selections from recent Final Fantasy games. Was there a reason for that?
U: I selected thinking that maybe America will know the recent series when compared to the older series. Do you know the older Final Fantasy series? Seriously?
G: Yeah, I do.
U: But you're so young, but you really know?
G: Well it's part of my job to keep up on that stuff, and I'm a big fan, personally.
U: When you talk about the Final Fantasy series, the series started selling better after 7, and that was the base idea for the center of the set list for the LA concert.
G: Can we expect a similar set list for the Chicago and future concerts?
U: That's probably what's going to happen for the future tour shows. However, I know that American people will enjoy the early series; I might think about it.
G: Outside of the Final Fantasy series, what are you working on right now?
U: I'm working on Final Fantasy Advent Children and also Final Fanasy XII, [as well as] the theme music for a kick boxing fighter, the theme song for the fighter. [laughs] I'm working on that.
G: How did that come about?
U: This particular one came from the fighter side. However, I had a friend, a professional wrestler, and I had worked with him before.
G: Are you becoming more interested in making contributions outside of the video game?
U: I'm working on a TV show, a song for everybody, for NSJ. It's like a public TV station, run by the government. So, I’m working on that. I have so many. [laughs] I just initiated the project where I write music for somebody else to write the lyrics and also for the orchestra to perform. I've just initiated the project. That leads the project into creating an independent label outside of game music.
G: Do you have any involvement in Hironobu Sakaguchi’s studio, Mistwalker?
U: [laughs] I'm involved, deeply. I'm supposed to create music for his studio.
G: How much progress have you made at this point?.
U: I have already begun writing. I haven't finished them, just throwing ideas around.
G: How does this new set of hardware change how you approach music development?
U: [Uematsu describes the rumors he’s heard about the upcoming hardware] It’s a game machine where you can record live directly into the machine instead of digitizing it. I can live record the music, that’s the difference. It’s going to be a challenge for me. It’s something that I’m excited to do.
G: Do you still keep in touch with Yoshitaka Amano?
U: Not as often as I used to, since he spends his time overseas now. The last time we met was the end of last year or the beginning of this year; we had a magazine interview.
G: Are there any plans to collaborate in the future?
U: That would be interesting if we could work together, his creative work and also my music. That would be an interesting idea. But before that, Sakaguichi-san might come up with something sooner
G: What is your opinion of Koichi Sugiyama, the composer of Dragon Quest?
U: He was such an idol for me; he is a much older person, so I still become nervous when I talk to him and meet him.
G: What composition do you think represents the Final Fantasy series as a whole?
U: That would be the song “Final Fantasy” because that’s used for most of the Final Fantasy series at the end of the game. By the way, that will be performed tomorrow.
G: How do you see your involvement in the Final Fantasy series changing in the future?
U: I have the realm of the Final Fantasy that I’m very aware. The Final Fantasy series is more like a step for me, each project I’m doing something different, experimenting with something different. There’s always a challenge. As long as there is a demand, I’d like to be involved.
G: How would you say your musical style has changed in the Final Fantasy series, from the past to the present?
U: My style has changed depending on the realm of each game, and also, my style has to change to match the machine’s capabilities. In the beginning, Nintendo was only able to produce three simple sounds. When the technology advances, it becomes capable of producing more sound. It’s not like I wanted to change, but the environment kind of forced me to change my style.
G: Have you ever been approached to compose for an American-made video game? If not, would you be interested?
U: If somebody approaches me, I will consider it. However, I feel I’m getting old and I have to carefully select what I do, especially because there are a lot of different games. There are a lot of violent games, such as a game where you shoot people, and I feel strongly against it, especially when I think about kids playing it. I want to give the very positive. I have to be careful what kind of music and what kind of project I get involved in.
G: Will the Black Mages perform over in the US?
U: It has never happened, so please, if you really want, please let me know.
G: That would be great!
U: Every member of the band wants to come, they want to do that. Do you think a lot of crowd will come?
G: I think somewhere in Los Angeles or San Francisco you’d easily be able to find enough people. There’s definitely a big following to hear that.
U: How much would you pay? [laughs]
G: I’ll have to think about that one. [laughs]
U: I would love to try it if the opportunity comes.
G: In a previous interview at the last “Dear Friends” concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, you mentioned your musical pieces had not improved over the years. Can you expand on why you thought that?
U: I have no intention of improving my music, the technical aspect of it. What I’m trying to do is put my emotion into the music, so my intention is not to improve my music in terms of the technical. In terms of knowledge and techniques and skills, I don’t think it has improved much since I was 20 years old. I still don’t like looking at the [music] scores. [laughs]
G: Has your ability to put emotion into the music improved over the years?
U: When I was younger, I had to prove myself, so as a result, my music had a tendency to become a little more complicated. However, now, my music is becoming a lot simpler, and that will convey my emotion the best. My music has changed from the complicated to the simpler. Last night, we went out to a blues club in downtown Chicago, and I was very inspired by the music that they were playing. It was very simple, a three chord music. I thought I saw the truth of the music in their performance.
G: Do you see your music becoming “simpler”, as you put it, as you become older?
U: I was only half joking when I said I was getting older. [laughs] I am required to make very complicated music, it’s my job. However, if I have an opportunity, I would like to try to only use a piano solo and a vocal, and I think that’ll be fantastic music.
G: What kind of approach are you taking to Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy: Advent Children?
U: So, as far Final Fantasy XII, I am right now working on it. While I am in Chicago, I am constantly on the phone, trying to create the music. For that, I am only involved in the music part of the game. For Advent Children, actually, the Black Mages are offering the music for the project, so it’s more like a Black Mages album.
G: What games are you playing lately, what music are you listening to?
U: I haven’t had the opportunity to find time to play any games lately. I listen to anything. I listen to all kinds of different music. The one that I recently liked was Gwen Stefani from No Doubt. It’s really good.
G: How often do you get a chance to actually sit down and play the Final Fantasy games and listen to your music within it?
U: I’m given a direction which part to use my music, I’m very involved in the project, but I never listen to my music.
G: Why is it you never listen to your own music?
U: I’m not sure if I can enjoy listening to my music. It’s hard to listen to my own music; I always think “it’s my music.” I can listen to, for example, Eric Clapton’s music, but I cannot really switch my mind when it’s my music. It’s my music. I cannot really enjoy in the same way that I enjoy other people’s music.
G: Do you find anything limited in your creative expression when it comes to making game music?
U: There’s always limitations to any project. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game or other business, there’s always a limitation to the project. I believe the only people who have no limitation to what they do are probably the artist. This is a job that I’m doing, so there’s always a limitation. However, I don’t feel that I’m very limited in what I can do, and I always enjoy within the limit I am given.
G: Do you enjoy having a description of the scene or setting when composing music, or would you rather the process be more open ended?
U: It’s definitely easier if I know what the setting is about and what the scene is about.
G: Thank you for your time.
U: Thank you.
G: I look forward to the concert tomorrow, and hopefully a Black Mages concert sometime soon
U: Hopefully you can create some kind of buzz. [laughs]
