is a Japanese singer and

lyre The lyre () is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke ...

performer. She is most well-known for her compositions on the soundtracks of

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...

films.

Career

Kimura was born in

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

and attended Kobe College. She studied the piano at

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

. After returning to Japan, she began performing as a vocalist with lyre accompaniment in 1988. Taking inspiration from the films of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely ...

, Kimura recorded the song "Always With Me". Miyazaki favored the song, and planned to use it in his project "''Rin the Chimney Painter''", which was ultimately canceled. It was eventually used as the closing theme of ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distribu ...

'' (2001). She reflected on ''Spirited Away'' receiving the

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

in 2003, saying "the view of the world Miyazaki animation impressed on people's hearts transcends culture and lifestyle." Kimura wrote the song "Promise of the World", which was rearranged and featured as the closing theme of another of Miyazaki's films, '' Howl's Moving Castle'' (2004).

Accolades

"Always With Me" placed 43rd on the 2001 annual singles chart in Japan, with an estimated 404,000 CD sales. Along with

Joe Hisaishi , known professionally as , is a Japanese composer, musical director, conductor and pianist, known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981. He is also known for his piano scores. Hisaishi's music has been known to explore ...

, Kimura was awarded the Music Award at the 56th

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

for their work on the soundtrack of ''Spirited Away''. She was also presented a Special Award from the Association at the 25th

Japan Academy Film Prize The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

s. In 2005, Kimura was presented with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music along with Joe Hisaishi for their work on ''Howl's Moving Castle''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kimura, Youmi California State University, Fresno alumni Living people Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese singer-songwriters Singers from Osaka Prefecture Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers