is a Japanese

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

and music producer best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime series, television series, live-action

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s, video games, and advertisements. She was born in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

, Japan. She has written scores for '' Cowboy Bebop'' and its live-action adaptation, '' Darker than Black'', '' Macross Plus'', '' Turn A Gundam'', '' The Vision of Escaflowne'', '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'', '' Wolf's Rain'', '' Kids on the Slope,'' '' Genesis of Aquarion'' and '' Terror in Resonance'', and has worked with the directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shinichirō Watanabe and Shōji Kawamori. Kanno has also composed music for pop artists Maaya Sakamoto and Kyōko Koizumi. She is also a keyboardist, and is the frontwoman for the Seatbelts, who perform many of Kanno's compositions and soundtracks
Meow on the Bridge
is her private office.

Biography

Early life

Yoko Kanno was born March 18, 1963, in

. Her earliest experiences with music came from attending church with her parents. She studied keyboard from a young age on both the piano in her home and the organ at her kindergarten. In elementary school, she began participating in composition contests, but in high school, Kanno began to take more of an interest in literature than in music. Kanno attended Waseda University, where she majored in literature, but she transcribed music for various student groups at Waseda in her free time. During this time, Kanno—whose parents had only allowed her to listen to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

—was introduced to rhythm by a friend who played drums in a school band. She spoke of this experience in an interview with Akihiro Tomita: While with this band, she studied the composition and style of popular music. While at Waseda, the Japanese video game company

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

asked Kanno to compose the soundtrack to '' Nobunaga's Ambition''. The game turned out to be a hit, and Kanno's music career was launched.

Professional life

Yoko Kanno's soundtrack themes include "

Kiseki no Umi is the fourth single released by singer Maaya Sakamoto. It was released on April 22, 1998. "''Kiseki no Umi''" was used as the opening theme for '' Lodoss Tou Senki: Eiyuu Kishi Den''. Although it debuted at number 43 in the Oricon , establ ...

" ('' Lodoss War''), "Voices" ('' Macross Plus''), "

Tank! The '' Cowboy Bebop'' anime series was accompanied by a number of soundtrack albums composed by Yoko Kanno and Seatbelts, a diverse band Kanno formed to create the music for the series, with a principal focus in jazz. The soundtrack was released in ...

" ('' Cowboy Bebop''), "

Yakusoku wa Iranai is the first single by singer Maaya Sakamoto. Released on April 24, 1996, it was her debut single under composer Yoko Kanno. The song and "Tomodachi" appear in her debut anime, ''The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime ...

" (''

Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's a ...

''), " Gravity" ('' Wolf's Rain''), "

Inner Universe ''Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow's manga ''Ghost in the Shell''. It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with original chara ...

" ('' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'') and '' Stand Alone Complex O.S.T''. In regards to making the ''Stand Alone Complex'' soundtrack she said: Having composed in various genres, including blues, classical, jazz, techno, and J-pop, she was once asked if she favored a particular genre: Since she works in the animation industry, she only receives instructions and storyboards from directors which helps her with composing. However, it is uncertain if all of her works are to be included in the finished project. She once said that this is a way she likes to work, for she does not have to deal with rules during composing. In reference to this, she once stated: She was the lead member of the project band called Seatbelts, which regrouped in the year of 2004 to compose the soundtrack of the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

''Cowboy Bebop'' video game, released in Japan in 2005. She has composed for

games released during the late 1980s to early 1990s and for ''

Napple Tale , more commonly called simply ''Napple Tale'', is a 2.5D platform game for the Sega Dreamcast, released on October 19, 2000 in Japan. It is notable for cultivating a "feminine sensibility" in its design by employing primarily women for its creat ...

'', a Dreamcast game. Due to her close involvement in the ''Cowboy Bebop'' anime, the game released by Bandai also features her work. Apart from anime and games, Kanno also composes for live-action films and television

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

. Some popular brands she has composed for are Canon, DoCoMo, Fuji Xerox,

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...

, Microsoft,

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

, Toyota,

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world and ...

, Avon, and MasterCard to name a few. Contributions to films started in the 1990s but only since 2002 has there been a trend towards the medium. Most of the latter were shown in international film festivals. Ax10macross31

She attended

Otakon Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. It stands for Otaku Convention. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to ...

and Anime Expo in 1999, as well as Anime Expo New York in 2002. In 2010, she made a surprise appearance at Anime Expo. Yoko Kanno performed her solo ''PianoMe'' concert at Otakon 2013. She composed a three-movement suite, entitled "Ray of Water," for the ascension of Emperor Naruhito. It was performed for him and

Empress Masako is as the Queen consort, consort of Emperor of Japan, Emperor Naruhito, who 2019 Japanese imperial transition, ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. Masako, who was educated at Harvard and Oxford, had a prior career as a diplomat. E ...

at the enthronement celebration on November 9, 2019. Yoshikazu Okada wrote the lyrics for the vocal portion, which was performed at the celebration by the idol group, Arashi.

Connection to Gabriela Robin

On many of Kanno's tracks, a woman named "Gabriela Robin" was credited as a lyricist and vocalist, but whenever these songs were performed in concert, either Maaya Sakamoto or Origa would perform them instead. In a 2009 written interview, Robin proclaimed that she would perform for the first time live at Kanno's 2009 Tanabata Sonic concert, but at the end of the concert, which featured Kanno directing the Warsaw Philharmonic, Kanno turned to the audience and sang "Moon", a song previously attributed to Robin from the '' Turn A Gundam'' soundtrack, revealing that "Gabriela Robin" was simply a pseudonym Kanno used to write songs mixing English and Japanese freely. In a later interview, Kanno said she had picked the name because the first orchestral recording she had heard was the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and at the time Yitzhak Rabin served as Israel's Prime Minister.

Personal life

In addition to Japanese, she speaks a little English and some French, but claims that her English is "poor" and she needs translation help to converse in French. In regards to spirituality and religion, she said: Besides music, Kanno also enjoys photography and writing. She has written a number of journals for Newtype magazine of which photos for illustrations are done by Kanno herself as well, and a selection of photos taken by Kanno of her protégé and former production partner Maaya Sakamoto were featured in the special event program for Sakamoto's 2010 thirtieth birthday concert at

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. In 2011, Kanno expressed her support and wishes to the victims of the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

, composing a song titled "Kimi de Ite, Buji de Ite". Later, she composed NHK's official support song on the occasion of the first anniversary of the earthquake entitled " Hana wa Saku" ("Flowers Will Bloom") featuring lyrics by Sendai film director

Shunji Iwai is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...

. The song features notable natives from the affected areas of Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate.

Discography

Solo studio albums

Works

Anime

Video games

Movies

Television dramas

Works for associated acts

Works for pop albums

(Artists ordered by year of first collaboration)

Publicly commissioned works

Commercial music

Companies that have commissioned Kanno for commercial music. * AEON * AGF Maxim * Ajinomoto *

Asahi Glass Co. , formerly Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.'(旭硝子株式会社), is a Japanese global glass manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. It is the largest glass company in the world and one of the core Mitsubishi companies. The company is listed on t ...

* Avon * Cafe Noevir *

Citizen Watch Co. is an electronics company primarily known for its watches and is the core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Citizen brand watches, it is the parent of American watch company Bulova, an ...

* Canon *

Cosmo Oil is a Japanese petrochemical company. It is Japan's third-biggest refiner by sales after JX Holdings and Idemitsu Kosan. History Cosmo traces its corporate roots to Maruzen Petroleum (丸善石油株式会社), a company established in 1931, alt ...

Daikin is a Japanese multinational air conditioning manufacturing company headquartered in Osaka. It has operations in Japan, China, Australia, the United States, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Daikin is th ...

* Daio Paper * Daiwa House * FamilyMart * Fancl * Fuji Xerox *

Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation, established in 1935 and headquartered in Tokyo. Fujitsu is the world's sixth-largest IT services provider by annual revenue, and the la ...

* Google * Glico * Gravity * Half Century More * Haus Ten Bausch * Hisamitsu *

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

* House * IBM * Japan Medical Association *

Japan Railways The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as the or simply JR, consists of seven for-profit stock companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. Mo ...

Japan Telecom SoftBank Telecom Corporation ( ja, ソフトバンクテレコム会社), previously as Japan Telecom Co. Ltd. ( ja, 日本テレコム株式会社, links=no,Nippon Terekomu Kabushiki-gaisha) was a Japanese telephone company of the SoftBank gro ...

* J-Phone * Kanebo * KDDI *

Kirin Beverage Kirin may refer to: Mythology and fiction * Qilin or Kirin, a mythical creature known in various East Asian cultures ** Ki-rin (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a type of monster in ''D&D'' ** Kirin, a type of monster in '' Monster Hunter'' ** Kirin, a ...

* Kincho *

Kubota Kubota machine is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, p ...

* MasterCard International * Meiji * Microsoft * Mister Donut * Mitsubishi Heavy Industries * Mitsui Home *

Morinaga Morinaga (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ai Morinaga, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese voice actress *Masaki Morinaga, Japanese long jumper *, Japanese singer *Milk Morinaga, Japanese manga artist * Sō ...

* Nagatanien * National Ionity Nanocare * Nikon *

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

* NTT DoCoMo * Ono Pharmaceutical *

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. (), abbreviated OPC, is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Osaka and Naruto, Japan. The company was established August 10, 1964. History OPC's parent company Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. joined the Tokyo Stock Exchange through an in ...

Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

* Platinum Guild International * Pola * Seiko Epson * Sekisui House * Seven Eleven *

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 199 ...

* Shimura *

* Sony *

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

* Taiyo Life Insurance * Takano Yori Beauty Clinic * Tepco * Tirol Choco * Tokyo Gas * Tokyo Metro * Tombow Pencil * Toyota * Try Group * UFJ Bank * Vodafone * Yukiguni Maitake

Hired vocalists

* Aceilux *

Afra Saint Afra (died 304) was martyred during the Diocletian persecution. Along with Saint Ulrich, she is a patron saint of Augsburg. Her feast day is August 7. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess, Venus, by her mother, Hilaria. Throu ...

* Aimer * Aki Okui * AKINO * Akino Arai * Anna Tsuchiya * Aoi Teshima *

Arnór Dan Arnarson Arnór Dan Arnarson (often credited as Arnór Dan) is an Icelandic musician best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Agent Fresco, as well as for his collaborations with Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds. He was s ...

* Artur Stefanowicz * Ben del Maestro * Carla Vallet * Chinatsu Yamamoto * Chiyono Yoshino * Chris Mosdell * Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria * Crystal Kay *

Donna Burke Donna Burke is an Australian voice actress, singer, narrator and businesswoman. She is also known for her vocal work on songs produced for video game series such as ''Metal Gear'' and ''Final Fantasy''. Biography Burke graduated from Edith Cow ...

* Egil Olsen * Emily Bindiger * Emily Curtis * Etsuko Yakushimaru * Feather and Down * Franco Sansalone *

Hajime Chitose is a Japanese singer from Amami Ōshima. She sings in the shima-uta style particular to that region, with distinctive falsetto effects. History Early life Chitose Hajime began learning shamisen under her mother's encouragement from a young ...

* Hanna Berglind * Hassan Bohmide * Heartsdales * Hitomi Mieno *

Ilaria Graziano Ilaria Graziano (also known as ILA or Nanà; born in Naples, Italy) is an Italian singer. She gained popularity with the release of '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' and the subsequent original soundtracks, composed by Yoko Kanno. G ...

* Jadwiga Rappe' * James Wendt * Joyce * Kaoru Nishino * Kei Kobayashi * Kyoko Endo * Kyoko Katsunuma * Kyōko Koizumi *

Makino Yui is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer, and pianist. She is best known for her work in the anime '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' where she voices Sakura and some of the theme songs for the ''Aria'' anime series. She is associated with A ...

* Mari Iijima * Maryanne Murray * May'n * Maaya Sakamoto * Mai Yamane * Masaaki Endoh * Masayoshi Furukawa * Megumi Nakajima *

Mem Nahadr Mem Nahadr ( ), also known as M. Nahadr and simply "M", is an American performance artist and multi-octave vocalist having access to the whistle register and best known for the performance of the song "Butterfly", composed by Yoko Kanno and ...

* Miki Imai * Motohiro Hata * Origa *

Pierre Bensusan Pierre Bensusan (born 30 October 1957) is a French-Algerian acoustic guitarist. As Sephardic Jews, his family came from Spain, Spanish Morocco, and French Algeria. His music has been characterized as Celtic music, Celtic, folk music, folk, world ...

* POP ETC *

Raiché Coutev Sisters The Raiché Coutev Sisters were a small female vocal choir that performed exclusively for the soundtracks of Yoko Kanno. The group was formed by vocalists Gabriela Robin, Akino Arai, Wuyontana, and Koko Komine. They have been featured in the ...

* Raj Ramayya * Reynada Hill * Ryo Nagano *

Scott Matthew Scott William Matthew is a singer-songwriter born in Queensland, Australia. He was a member of alternative pop band Elva Snow (2001–2006), which he co-founded with Spencer Cobrin. On 7 March 2008 he issued his solo debut eponymous album. His ...

* Seika Iwashita * Shanti Snyder * Soichiro Otsuka *

Steve Conte Steve Conte is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist, music producer, and lead singer of the band Steve Conte NYC. He has worked with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno on a variety of anime soundtracks including ''Wolf's Rain'', '' Cowboy Bebo ...

* Sydney Thiam * Tim Jensen *

Tokiko Kato is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist, actress and activist. She was born in Harbin, Manchukuo, to Japanese parents and graduated from the University of Tokyo. She worked as a visiting professor at Josai International University. While ...

Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch Tulivu-Donna Lynn Cumberbatch, daughter of Harold Cumberbatch (a baritone saxophone player), was a jazz singer from Brooklyn. Her African name "Tulivu" translates from Swahili loosely to "beautiful," and her middle name, "Donna Lynn" is derived ...

WISE WISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * WISE (AM), a radio station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina *WISE-FM, a radio station licensed to Wise, Virginia * WISE-TV, a television station licensed to Fort Wayne, Indiana Education * ...

Wuyontana Wuyuntana(, mn, Уюнтана / , Uyuntana known in Japan as , is a Mongols, Mongolian singer from the Horqin district of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China. She has been living in Japan since 1987 and has contributed vocals to a variety of anime i ...

YOSHIKA Yoshika ( ja, よしか or ヨシカ) is a unisex given name of Japanese origin. It may refer to: People * Yoshika (singer) (born 1983), a Japanese singer *Yoshika Arai (born 1982), Japanese steeplechase runner * Yoshika Katou, the stage name of Le ...

* YUKI * Yuho Iwasato *

Yuuki Ozaki , is a Japanese musician, best known as the leading vocalist and songwriter for the band Galileo Galilei. In 2014, he began releasing solo material. He announced the new band "Bird Bear Hare and Fish" on his solo concert on January 27. He releas ...

References

External links

* *
Yoko Kanno discography
at VGMdb

– Unofficial web resource {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanno, Yoko 1963 births 20th-century accordionists 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Japanese composers 20th-century Japanese singers 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century women pianists 21st-century accordionists 21st-century classical composers 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century Japanese composers 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century jazz composers 21st-century women composers 21st-century women pianists Anime composers Bebop composers Blues musicians Electronic composers Japanese accordionists Japanese classical composers Japanese classical pianists Japanese electronic musicians Japanese film score composers Japanese jazz composers Japanese jazz pianists Japanese keyboardists Japanese music arrangers Japanese record producers Japanese rock musicians Japanese television composers Japanese women classical composers Japanese women film score composers Japanese women in electronic music Japanese women pianists Japanese women record producers Living people Musicians from Miyagi Prefecture Victor Entertainment artists Video game composers Waseda University alumni Women classical pianists Women conductors (music) Women jazz composers Women jazz pianists Women television composers