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
Musical career
Genres	Video game music symphonic rock progressive rock
Instruments	Piano electronic keyboard
Labels	Dog Ear Records

Nobuo Uematsu (born March 21, 1959) is a famous Japanese composer and keyboard player. He is most well-known for creating the music for the popular Final Fantasy video game series by Square Enix.

Uematsu taught himself how to play music. He started playing the piano when he was twelve years old. A big inspiration for him was the English singer-songwriter Elton John. Uematsu joined 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 twenty years with Square, Uematsu left in 2004. He started his own music company and record label, Dog Ear Records. Since then, he has worked as a freelancer, composing music for other games. This includes games from Square Enix and Sakaguchi's studio, Mistwalker.

Many of Uematsu's game songs have been released on soundtracks and special albums. His music has also been played in various Final Fantasy concerts around the world. He used to play the keyboard in a band called The Black Mages in the 2000s. They played hard rock versions of his Final Fantasy songs. In 2011, he formed a new band called the Earthbound Papas. Uematsu has been called the "Beethoven of game music" by Britain's Classic FM Hall of Fame.

Biography

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Nobuo Uematsu was born in Kōchi, Kōchi, Japan. He learned to play the piano by himself when he was twelve. He never took formal piano lessons. He also has an older sister who played the piano.

After finishing college at Kanagawa University, where he studied English, Uematsu played keyboard in several amateur bands. He also composed music for TV commercials. While working at a music rental shop in Tokyo, someone from Square asked him if he wanted to create music for their games. He agreed, but at first, he thought it would just be a side job to earn some 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, who asked him to compose music for his games. Uematsu said yes.

For the next year, he made music for several games that were not very famous, like King's Knight and Rad Racer. 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, especially for the Final Fantasy series.

He also worked on other game series. For example, he scored the first SaGa game, The Final Fantasy Legend, in 1989. In 1994, he helped finish the music for Chrono Trigger. In 1996, he co-composed the music for Front Mission: Gun Hazard.

Outside of games, he composed the main song for the 2000 animated movie Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. He also helped compose the 2001 anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited.

Around 2001, Uematsu started to feel less inspired. He asked other composers, Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano, to help with the music for Final Fantasy X. This was the first time he didn't compose an entire main Final Fantasy soundtrack by himself. For Final Fantasy XI (2002), he composed only eleven songs, with most of the music done by Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka.

In 2002, his friends from Square, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito, asked him to form a rock band. The band would play rock versions of Uematsu's Final Fantasy songs. At first, he was too busy, but after playing with them once, he decided to join. The band was named The Black Mages. They released three albums and played many concerts.

Working as a Freelancer (2004–Present)

Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004. He started his own company, Smile Please, and later founded the music company Dog Ear Records in 2006. He explained that he wanted to take more control of his life. However, he still works as a freelancer for Square Enix.

In 2005, Uematsu and some members of The Black Mages created music for the movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. He composed the main theme for Final Fantasy XII (2006). He was also going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII (2010), but he gave that job to Hamauzu because he was busy composing all the music for Final Fantasy XIV.

Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's studio, Mistwalker. He has composed music for their games like Blue Dragon (2006), Lost Odyssey (2007), and The Last Story (2011). He also created the main theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008. In 2009, he composed all the music for the anime series Guin Saga, which was his first full score for an animated show.

Uematsu's music has been recognized many times. His song "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII was voted into the top 20 of the annual Classic FM Hall of Fame in 2012. This was the first time a video game song appeared on that chart. In 2013, Final Fantasy music reached third place on the Classic FM Hall of Fame.

In September 2018, Uematsu announced he would take a break to recover from work fatigue. He composed the main theme "Hollow" for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake. In 2024, Uematsu said that his work on 2021's Fantasian might be his last big game score due to health reasons. However, he later clarified that he is not fully retiring from video game music. He will still compose individual songs, like theme songs, but will not take on full game soundtracks because they take too much time.

Concerts

Uematsu at a Distant Worlds concert in 2009

Nobuo Uematsu's video game music has been played in many concerts around the world. There have also been many Final Fantasy concerts.

Outside of Japan, his Final Fantasy music was first played live at the 2003 Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany. Other concerts in this series also featured Final Fantasy music in 2004, 2006, and 2007. The 2004 concert included the first-ever live performance of "Those Who Fight" from Final Fantasy VII.

In Japan, a successful series of Final Fantasy concerts called Tour de Japon was held. The first concert in the United States, Dear Friends – Music from Final Fantasy, took place on May 10, 2004. It was held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. Because it was so popular, more concerts were held across North America.

On May 16, 2005, a follow-up concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy was performed in Los Angeles. Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was also featured in the concert Voices – Music from Final Fantasy on February 18, 2006, in Japan. Uematsu and other composers attended the world premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago in May 2006. He even composed the opening music for that concert.

Works

Musical Style and Inspirations

Uematsu's music style is very varied. It ranges from grand classical pieces and heavy metal to calm new-age and fast techno-electronica. For example, in the game Lost Odyssey, the music includes classical orchestra songs, modern jazz, and techno tracks.

Uematsu loves Celtic and Irish music, and you can hear parts of these styles in his work. His Final Fantasy songs can be happy, dark, angry, or sad. For instance, the music in Final Fantasy VIII is dark, while the soundtrack for Final Fantasy IX is more cheerful. His Final Fantasy music is known for showing the true feelings of a scene, like "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII.

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

Uematsu has greatly influenced video game music and even music outside of games. For example, "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII was played during the women's synchronized swimming event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. From the same game, "Eyes on Me", sung by Chinese pop singer Faye Wong, sold a record 400,000 copies. It was the first song from a video game to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2000. Uematsu once 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 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 has said that when he was younger, he dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler.

See also

In Spanish: Nobuo Uematsu para niños