Interview held by Andrew Tei while Yuki Kajiura was at Anime Expo. Originally posted on AnimeOnDVD.com.
Andrew: How do you feel about having your first CD released in the United States?
Kajiura: I’m so glad that…It’s a great pleasure to have everyone in the US listen to my CD.
Andrew: You’ve done music with the group See-Saw, will you only release music as a solo artist in the US, or would you release music with See-Saw also?
Kajiura: Fiction is my first solo album. I did a lot of collaborative work with other artists to produce Fiction.
Andrew: How did you get involved in producing Anna ni Isshodatta no ni for Gundam Seed?
Kajiura: The music producers for Gundam Seed contacted me, and that was pretty much it.
Andrew: What other music have you done for Gundam Seed?
Kajiura: I haven’t worked on the soundtrack, but I worked on a lot of the image songs. Rie Tanaka (Lacus Clyne) was singing Mizu no Akashi. And Naomi Shidou (Kagari) sang another song. I composed, wrote the lyrics, and made the arrangement for Lacus’s first song also.
Andrew: For Noir, how did you get involved there?
Kajiura: I did a lot of soundtracks for Noir. The director of Noir, Mr Mashimo, asked me. We met during the production of Eat Man. He called me to do the soundtrack.
Andrew: A lot of directors seem to like you (smiling)?
Kajiura: I guess so (laughing).
Andrew: This was similar to .hack//SIGN?
Kajiura: Yes, it was Mr. Mashimo.
Andrew: You create lyrics and arrangements, but which parts of the music making process do you like the most?
Kajiura: I love composing. I think I’m a composer, I like lyrics and arrangement, but I’m a composer.
Andrew: How many public performances have you done?
Kajiura: I never sing. Sometimes as a part of See-Saw I do, but as a keyboardist.
Andrew: Any there any projects you are working on now?
Kajiura: I’m working on a soundtrack for a game right now.
Andrew: Can you name the game?
Kajiura: Oh no, I can’t. (Andrew: It turned out to be Xenosaga 2)
Andrew: So what music do you listen to?
Kajiura: On the plane, I was listening to Radio Head. I listen to ABBA, and the Chili Peppers, especially Californication since I was coming to California. I love pop music.
Andrew: Where do you get your inspiration for writing music?
Kajiura: I get it from various things, but I get a lot of inspiration from reading books. Books don’t have any sound, and soundless media is good for me. Since it has nothing. The fact that there is no sound gives me inspiration.
Andrew: So what have you been reading?
Kajiura: For several years, I have enjoyed Isabella Agenday (not spelled correctly), a Chilean female author. She’s excellent. On the plane, I was reading a book by Kazuo Shigeru, a Japanese writer who’s relocated to Great Britain and obtained British citizenship. He’s also very good.
Andrew: Do you watch the shows that you compose for?
Kajiura: I see the television episodes. I’m very curious to see which music piece the director matches to scene. And sometimes I wonder why is this piece of music used here?
(My interview time ran out here, and Kajiura had to get ready for her concert.)