MEET Hikaru Utada - The voice behind kingdom hearts
Hikaru Utada
Hikaru Utada, is a highly influential and acclaimed Japanese-American singer-songwriter. Her debut album, “First Love,” released in 1999, holds a very special place in the pantheon of J-pop music. It became the best-selling album in Japan’s history, a record it still holds.
In 2002 she released “Hikari” (“light” in Japanese) and its English version “Simple and Clean,” which became the theme for the first Kingdom Hearts game. The song’s hopeful yet bittersweet tone perfectly captured the game’s message about friendship, separation, and finding light in darkness. The remix version, used in the opening cinematic, instantly became legendary among fans (the Plantitb Remix).
Hikaru Utada, is a highly influential and acclaimed Japanese-American singer-songwriter. Her debut album, “First Love,” released in 1999, holds a very special place in the pantheon of J-pop music. It became the best-selling album in Japan’s history, a record it still holds.
In 2002 she released “Hikari” (“light” in Japanese) and its English version “Simple and Clean,” which became the theme for the first Kingdom Hearts game. The song’s hopeful yet bittersweet tone perfectly captured the game’s message about friendship, separation, and finding light in darkness. The remix version, used in the opening cinematic, instantly became legendary among fans (the Plantitb Remix).
Sanctuary
Utada returned for Kingdom Hearts II with the song “Sanctuary,” (and the Japanese counterpart "Passion”). The conception of the two tracks were to emphasize a "dusk"-like vibe to the game, in comparison to "Hikari" which they described as the "dawn".
The creator of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Tetsuya Nomura, sought to collaborate with Utada again on KHII as the popularity of the previous songs, “Simple and Clean”/"Hikari”, helped the game break into foreign and international markets.
Tetsuya Nomura, the series’ director, has said Utada’s music is indispensable to the identity of Kingdom Hearts. Her songs don’t just play over the credits, they define the emotional tone of the entire series.