Yoko Shimomura: A Perfect Example of Modern Originality
Shimomura has been quoted saying that “Dearly Beloved”, from the video game Kingdom Hearts, is the most favorite track she’s composed.
Yoko Shimomura, born in Japan on October 19, 1967, primarily creates accompaniments to video games utilizing an orchestral musical style. She cites her main musical inspirations as Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Maurice Ravel. In an interview with RocketBaby, a Japanese video game and animation journal, Shimomura was quoted saying that she takes individual inspirations from things in her life to create her music, like:
“a beautiful picture, scenery, tasting something delicious, scents that bring back memories, happy and sad things... Anything that moves my emotion gives me inspiration”
It is this workflow which I believe gives Shimomura her true modern originality. Her ability to pull music from the inanimate aspects of life separates her from the other musical geniuses of our time by giving her an untapped and original source for her music.
Instead of being the base of her work, Shimomura’s classical inspirations simply give her an avenue of creative expression. Shimomura is a perfect example of modern originality because while we live in an era of remixing previous material, Shimomura is still able to effectively create her own new art (a high art) utilizing the inhuman world around her.







