Nobuo Uematsu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nobuo Uematsu
植松 伸夫
Uematsu in 2011
Born	(1959-03-21) March 21, 1959 (age 66) Kōchi, Kōchi, Japan
Alma mater	Kanagawa University
Occupation	Composer keyboardist
Years active	1986–present
Employer	Square (1986–2004)
Musical career
Genres	Video game music symphonic rock progressive rock
Instruments	Piano electronic keyboard
Labels	Dog Ear Records

Nobuo Uematsu (植松 伸夫, Uematsu Nobuo, born March 21, 1959) is a famous Japanese composer and keyboard player. He is best known for creating the music for many games in the popular Final Fantasy video game series. He taught himself how to play the piano when he was twelve years old. A big influence on his music career was the singer-songwriter Elton John.

Uematsu started working at a company called Square in 1986. There, he met Hironobu Sakaguchi, who created Final Fantasy. They worked together on many games, especially the Final Fantasy series. After almost 20 years, Uematsu left Square in 2004. He then started his own music company called Dog Ear Records. Since then, he has worked as a freelancer, creating music for other games. This includes games from Square Enix and Sakaguchi's studio, Mistwalker.

Many albums of Uematsu's game music have been released. His music has been played in various Final Fantasy concerts around the world. He has worked with famous conductors like Arnie Roth. Uematsu was also the keyboard player in a band called The Black Mages in the 2000s. They played rock versions of his Final Fantasy songs. Later, he formed a new band called the Earthbound Papas in 2011. Uematsu's music is very popular and has been featured in Britain's Classic FM Hall of Fame. The station even called him the Beethoven of game music.

Biography

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Nobuo Uematsu was born on March 21, 1959, in Kōchi, Japan. He learned to play the piano by himself when he was twelve years old. He never took formal piano lessons. He also has an older sister who played the piano. After finishing college, Uematsu played keyboard in several bands. He also wrote music for TV commercials.

While working at a music rental shop in Tokyo, someone from Square asked him to make music for their games. Uematsu agreed, but he thought it would just be a side job. He didn't expect it to become his full-time career. He saw it as a way to earn extra money.

Working at Square (1986–2004)

Uematsu joined Square in 1986. His first work was for a game called Cruise Chaser Blassty. Soon after, he met game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi asked him to create music for his games, and Uematsu said yes. For the next year, he made music for several games that were not very well known.

In 1987, Uematsu and Sakaguchi worked together on Final Fantasy. This game became very popular and launched Uematsu's career in video game music. He went on to compose music for over 30 games. Most of these were in the famous Final Fantasy series. He also scored the first game in the SaGa series, The Final Fantasy Legend, in 1989. For Final Fantasy Legend II, he worked with Kenji Ito.

In 1994, Uematsu helped finish the music for Chrono Trigger. This happened after the original composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, became ill. In 1996, Uematsu also worked on the music for Front Mission: Gun Hazard. He created all the music for Dynami Tracer that same year. He also made music for three games in the Hanjuku Hero series.

Outside of games, he composed the main song for the 2000 animated movie Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. He also worked on the 2001 anime Final Fantasy: Unlimited. He released his own solo album in 1994 called Phantasmagoria.

By 2001, Uematsu felt he needed help with the music for Final Fantasy X. So, he asked composers Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano to join him. This was the first time Uematsu didn't compose an entire main Final Fantasy soundtrack by himself. For Final Fantasy XI in 2002, he worked with Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka. Uematsu only wrote eleven songs for that game.

In 2002, his Square colleagues Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito asked Uematsu to form a rock band. The band would play rock versions of Uematsu's music. He was too busy at first, but after playing with them live, he decided to join. Another Square employee named Mr. Matsushita chose the name The Black Mages for the band. In 2003, more members joined. The Black Mages released three albums and played many concerts.

Working as a Freelancer (2004–Present)

Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004. He then started his own company, Smile Please. In 2006, he founded his music company and record label, Dog Ear Records. He left Square Enix because their office moved to a new location he didn't like. He also felt it was time to take more control of his career. However, he still creates music for Square Enix as a freelancer.

In 2005, Uematsu and some members of The Black Mages created music for the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Uematsu composed only the main song for Final Fantasy XII (2006). He was offered the full job but Hitoshi Sakimoto became the main composer instead. Uematsu was also going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII (2010). But he was assigned to compose the entire score for Final Fantasy XIV, so he gave the Final Fantasy XIII job to Hamauzu.

Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's game studio, Mistwalker. He has composed music for their games like Blue Dragon (2006), Lost Odyssey (2007), Away: Shuffle Dungeon (2008), The Last Story (2011), and Terra Battle (2014). He also wrote music for a game that was never released called Cry On. Uematsu created the main theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008. In 2009, he composed all the music for the anime Guin Saga. This was his first time scoring an entire animated series. Uematsu has also contributed music and stories to e-books.

Uematsu has appeared many times in the top 20 of the annual Classic FM Hall of Fame. In 2012, "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII was voted number 16. This was the first time a video game song appeared on the chart. In 2013, Final Fantasy music reached number three on the Classic FM Hall of Fame. Uematsu's music continued to be popular, appearing at number seven in 2014, number nine in 2015, and number 17 in 2016.

In September 2018, Uematsu announced he would take a break to recover from being very tired from work. He had been hospitalized. He composed the main theme, "Hollow," for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake. Hironobu Sakaguchi said that Uematsu's work on 2021's Fantasian might be his last big game score due to his health. However, Uematsu later clarified that he is not fully retiring from video game music. He explained that he would no longer take on full game soundtracks because they take too much time. But he is still open to composing individual songs, like theme songs.

Concerts

Uematsu at a Distant Worlds concert in 2009

Nobuo Uematsu's video game music has been played in many concerts. Many Final Fantasy concerts have been held around the world. Outside of Japan, his Final Fantasy music was first performed live in 2003. This was at the Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany. More Symphonic Game Music Concerts featuring Final Fantasy music took place in 2004, 2006, and 2007. The 2004 concert included the first-ever live performance of Those Who Fight from Final Fantasy VII. Japanese pianist Seiji Honda played this song with the orchestra. Another new performance was "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI, played by an orchestra, choir, and pipe organ. The 2007 concert featured "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI, sung by Japanese opera singer Izumi Masuda.

A series of successful concerts were held in Japan, including the Final Fantasy concert series called Tour de Japon. The first concert in the United States, Dear Friends – Music from Final Fantasy, happened on May 10, 2004. It was held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale performed. Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra director Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducted the concert. Because it was so popular, a concert series for North America followed. On May 16, 2005, another concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy was performed in Los Angeles. Arnie Roth conducted this concert.

Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was also featured in the concert Voices – Music from Final Fantasy. This concert took place on February 18, 2006, in Japan. Famous singers like Emiko Shiratori and Rikki performed. Arnie Roth conducted the concert, which focused on songs from the Final Fantasy series. Uematsu and other composers attended the first performance of Play! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago in May 2006. Uematsu composed the opening music for this concert.

Uematsu's first orchestral work written for a concert hall, Merregnon: Heart of Ice, was first performed on February 29, 2024. It was played in Ludwigshafen, Germany, by the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.

Works

Musical Style and Inspirations

What Kind of Music Does Uematsu Make?

Nobuo Uematsu's music style is very varied. It ranges from grand classical orchestra pieces to heavy metal songs. He also creates new-age and fast-paced techno-electronica music. For example, in the game Lost Odyssey, the music includes classical orchestra, modern jazz, and techno tracks. Uematsu has said he loves Celtic and Irish music. Some of his songs include elements from these styles.

Uematsu's Final Fantasy music can be upbeat, dark, angry, or sad. For instance, the music in Final Fantasy VIII is often dark and gloomy. But the music for Final Fantasy IX is more cheerful and lighthearted. His Final Fantasy music is known for showing the true feelings of a scene. A great example is "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII. Uematsu once said that his sadder songs have a special Japanese feel to them. He has been called an "Innovator" by Time magazine. He is also known as the "John Williams of the video game world." People credit him with making more people appreciate video game music.

Who Inspired Uematsu?

Many of Uematsu's musical inspirations come from the United Kingdom and the United States. He says Elton John is his biggest musical influence. He wanted to be like him when he was younger. Other major inspirations include the Beatles, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Simon & Garfunkel, and progressive rock bands. In classical music, he looks up to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Uematsu has mentioned that 1970s bands like Pink Floyd and King Crimson influenced his Final Fantasy songs.

The words for the song "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII came from old poems. These poems were also used by Carl Orff for his famous music piece Carmina Burana. Uematsu has also greatly influenced video game music and even music outside of games. For example, "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII was played at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. It was used during the women's synchronized swimming event. From the same game, "Eyes on Me", sung by Chinese pop singer Faye Wong, sold a record 400,000 copies. It was the first video game song to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2000. Uematsu has said he gets more ideas from walking his dog than from listening to other music.

Personal Life

Uematsu lives in Tokyo with his wife, Reiko. They met when they were in college. They also have a summer cabin in Yamanakako, Yamanashi. In his free time, he enjoys watching professional wrestling, drinking beer, and riding his bicycle. Uematsu once said that he originally wanted to become a professional wrestler when he was younger.

See also

In Spanish: Nobuo Uematsu para niños