More Info on Yuki KajiuraSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Japanese name|KajiuraInfobox musical artist| name = Yuki Kajiura ?? ??| image = Yuki-kajiura.jpg| background = non_performing_personnel| birth_date = Birth date and age|1965|8|6|mf=y| origin = Tokyo , Japan | instrument = Keyboard instrument|Keyboard / Piano | genre = Pop music|Pop , Classical music|Classical , New Age music|New Age | occupation = Composer , Musician | years_active = 1992–present| label = Victor Entertainment Space Craft Produce | associated_acts = See-Saw FictionJunction Saeko Chiba Kalafina | website = http://www.fictionjunction.com/ FictionJunction.comnihongo| Yuki Kajiura |????|Kajiura Yuki, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo , Japan , is a Japanese people|Japanese composer and music producer . She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir (anime)|Noir , .hack//SIGN , Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution|Aquarian Age , Madlax , My-HiME , My-Otome , .hack//Roots , Pandora Hearts , Puella Magi Madoka Magica , Tsubasa Chronicle and the Kara no Kyoukai movies (amongst others). She also assisted Toshihiko Sahashi with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny . Kajiura has also composed for video games, including the cutscene music for Xenosaga II and the entire Xenosaga III game soundtrack. She currently resides in Tokyo.
Biography
Due to her father's work, Kajiura lived in West Germany from 1972 until her middle school years. Her first music piece, which she had written at the age of 7, was a farewell song for her grandmother. http://www.rocketbaby.net/interviews_yuki_kajiura.shtml RocketBaby's interview with Yuki Kajiura After graduating from college (back in Tokyo), she began working as a systems engineering programmer, but in 1992, she turned her career around to focus on her activities on music. She admits that it was her father who greatly influenced this decision, for he was a great opera and European classical music|classical music admirer.
In July 1992, she made her debut in an all-women band|all-female trio See-Saw , then consisting of Chiaki Ishikawa (lead vocals), herself (back-up vocals, keyboards), and Yukiko Nishioka. In the following two years, the group released six singles and two albums but in 1995 they temporarily broke up. Nishioka decided to become a writer while Kajiura carried on with her solo (music)|solo musician career, composing music for other artists as well as sound producing for TV, commercials, films, anime and games.
In 2001, she and Chiaki Ishikawa reunited as See-Saw. Around the same time she became involved with Koichi Mashimo 's anime studio Bee Train and their first widely popular project, Noir (anime)|Noir . Despite the series' controversial status among the reviewers, all critics generally praised its OST Citation needed|date=February 2007 as a breakthrough in the anime music scene for its risky but highly successful mix of synth , opera, and French-flaired sound.
Kajiura greatly enjoyed the degree of artistic freedom that Mashimo as the series' director offered her while collaborating on Noir , therefore their collaboration extended to many of his later projects, with the latest (as of 2007) being El Cazador de la Bruja . For example, Mashimo would never set any distinctive limitations or goals before her, allowing her to compose whatever she pleases. Afterwards, he would just take the samples he thought appropriate and insert it to whenever he wanted them to play.
In 2002, See-Saw participated in another Mashimo's project, .hack//SIGN , which became widely known for its TV and game combined development, and its soundtrack sold over 300,000 copies. Citation needed|date=February 2007 During the production of the series, Kajiura met Emily Bindiger and impressed by her vocals, offered her to perform over 10 of the series' insert songs. She has also jokingly called Bindiger "her English teacher" at Anime Expo 2003. http://www.anime-source.com/banzai/modules.php? name=Content& pa=showpage& pid=412 Report of Yuki Kajiura's concert at Anime Expo 2003
One of See-Saw's further major hits was the ending theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ( "Anna ni Issho Datta no ni" ), which sold over 200,000 copies causing a sensation in the anime world. Citation needed|date=February 2007 Dream Field , See-Saw's first original album release in nine years, became a hit, as well, in 2003, selling over 100,000 copies. Citation needed|date=February 2007 In the same year, Kajiura released her first solo album, Fiction (Yuki Kajiura album)|Fiction , which she performed and promoted at Anime Expo 2003 in Anaheim, California .
One of Kajiura's solo projects include FictionJunction , which contrary to common belief is not an alias but the name of the project itself. Citation needed|date=February 2007 The project involves collaboration with artists such as Yuuka Nanri , Asuka Kato, and Kaori Oda. FictionJunction Yuuka , with Nanri as the vocalist, is the most prolific of these collaborations. In 2004, the duo produced the opening and ending songs for Koichi Mashimo's MADLAX and in the next year, published their first collaborative album, Destination .
In October 2007, it was announced that Yuki Kajiura would be attending the performances of the Eminence Orchestra 's concert, 'A Night In Fantasia 2007 - Symphonic Anime Edition', as a special guest. http://au.music.ign.com/articles/826/826140p1.html IGN AU announces the date of ANIF 07 Symphonic Anime Edition concert
Her latest project, Kalafina is composed of Keiko Kubota (FictionJunction KEIKO), Wakana Ootaki (FictionJunction WAKANA) and two other vocalists named Hikaru and Maya. They performed the ending themes of the Kara no Kyoukai movies.
In 2009, Fiction Junction returned to perform the opening themesong to Pandora Hearts , Parallel Hearts, with the majority of the show's music composed by Yuki Kajiura.
In 2011, Puella Magi Madoka Magica was scored by Kajiura, while Kalafina , a group founded by her, performed the ending theme.
nihongo||?????|Kato Asuka of FictionJunction#Collaborations|FictionJunction ASUKA
nihongo||????| Kikuchi Mika
nihongo||??? ??| Koshimizu Ami
Kubota Keikonihongo||???? of FictionJunction#Collaborations|FictionJunction KEIKO and Kalafina
Kuwashima Hoko nihongo||????
Deb Lyons
Makino Yui nihongo||????
Kalafina#Members|Masai Hikaru nihongo||??? of Kalafina
Minami Omi nihongo||? ??
Miyamura Yuko|Miyamura Yuko nihongo||????
Yuuka Nanri|Nanri Yuka nihongo||???? of FictionJunction Yuuka|FictionJunction YUUKA
Nishikawa Kaori
Nishina Kaori nihongo||?????
Oda Kaori nihongo||????? of FictionJunction#Collaborations|FictionJunction KAORI
nihongo||????| Noriko Ogawa (J-pop)|Ogawa Noriko
Okina Reika nihongo||? ??
Otaki Wakana nihongo||????| of FictionJunction#Collaborations|FictionJunction WAKANA and Kalafina
Saito Kaoru nihongo||?????
nihongo||? ??| Seki Tomokazu
nihongo||????| Tanaka Rie
nihongo||??| TARAKO
Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus nihongo||???????
Tomaru Hanae nihongo||????
Kalafina#Members|Toyoshima Maya nihongo||???? of Kalafina (formerly)
Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch
nihongo||????| Sara Wakatsuki|Wakatsuki Sara
nihongo||???| Yukana
Trademarks
Genre mixes: It is not uncommon to hear opera tic style with a pop music|pop beat to it. Kajiura's greatest inspiration, her father, was a classical fan; therefore her soundtracks have both pop and classic Motif (music)|motifs . An example of this genre mix pop beat is the song Oblivious used in Kara no Kyoukai ending 1.
Piano: Elaborate self-performed piano solos.
European themes: Some of her music has Europe an style. Some of her songs are written in German language|German , Spanish language|Spanish or Italian language|Italian .
Chants: It is not uncommon for Kajiura's songs to have a choir performing ominous chant s (either as a supporting role or as the main driving force of the song) and some have dubbed this style 'Kajiuran'. http://www.labyrinthos.org/content/x2soundtrack.php Labyrinthos.org's description of the Xenosaga II Movie Scene Soundtrack The Yamanii chants in the song nowhere that is featured in MADLAX is a good example of this. Other examples of Kajiuran are from the songs A Song of Storm and Fire (from Tsubasa Chronicle ), Main Theme of Petit Cossette (from Le Portrait de Petit Cossette ), MATERIALISE (from My-Otome ) and more recently, Sis Puella Magica! (from Puella Magi Madoka Magica ). What makes the 'Kajiuran' style extremely unique in the musical scene, though, is the fact that Kajiura's lyrics are a Constructed language|language of her own creation , which only she knows.Citation needed|date=February 2012
Violin Solos: Very elaborate violin solos are heard often in the middle of her songs.
Trivia
Kajiura does not have the pleasure of seeing the rough cut of the show she writes for. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2005-03-27/yuki-kajiura Anime News Network's interview with Yuki Kajiura She is usually handed sketches of the characters, and what she and Koichi Mashimo have dubbed Music Menues ,cite journal |last=Wong |first=Amos |title=Inside Bee Train |url= http://www.newtype-usa.com/issues/index.php? itemid=71 |journal= Newtype USA |pages=8–15 |date=March 2005 |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060517180529/ http://www.newtype-usa.com/issues/index.php? itemid=71 |archivedate=May 17, 2006 so she is often confused when she writes.
Kajiura is also a huge fan of Radiohead and Bjork .
References
reflist
External links
http://www.fictionjunction.com/index2.html Yuki Kajiura's Home Page
http://www.fictionjunction.com/ Yuki Kajiura's Home Pageja icon
http://www.fictionjunction.com/seesaw/ See-Saw Home Pageja icon
http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/fj_yuuka/ FictionJunction Yuuka Home Pageja icon
http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/kajiura/ Victor Entertainment (Yuki Kajiura)ja icon
imdb name|id=0435317
AnimeCons name|id=375
http://www.canta-per-me.net canta-per-me.net: Unofficial Fan Site
Ann|people|3914
FictionJunction YuukaKalafina Persondata | NAME =Kajiura, Yuki | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =August 6, 1965 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Kajiura, Yuki Category:Japanese musicians Category:Japanese composers Category:Anime composers Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People from Tokyo Category:Japanese expatriates in Germany Category:Video game composers Category:Women composers Category:21st-century classical composers Category:Ethnomusicologists Category:Japanese Buddhists Category:Japanese Shintoists Category:Musical theatre composers Category:Language creators Category:Japanese multi-instrumentalists
