Marika Takeuchi is a Japanese composer and pianist currently based in Los Angeles. She has released recordings of her modern classical music, as well as writing music for films, commercials, music libraries, and video games. Don't miss our interview with Marika Takeuchi about music, composing and life.
At the age of 18, you transitioned into a career as a composer. Can you share the pivotal moment or inspiration that led you to pursue composition, and how did you navigate this transition?
I was suffering from depression throughout my teenage years, and I was at my darkest point when I was 18. Playing random songs on the piano and distracting myself by going out to night clubs to listen to dance music were the only things that cheered me up. Eventually, I decided to go to a music college as music was the only thing I was good at and passionate about. One of the first school projects was to use a DAW and write music that sounds like film music. It was somewhat easy for me as I’ve played piano, violin, and French horn, and always loved film music. When I heard my composition played back through my schools’s big speakers, which was well received by everyone, I felt like a hole in my heart that I had had for a long time was finally filled; I cried on the way back home and I decided that I would put all my energy into composing music. I recovered from my depression and since then I've been writing music that I hope is healing and inspiring to other people who may be going through hard times.
Night Dream, your debut album, was released in 2011. Looking back, how do you perceive the evolution of your musical style from that point to your latest releases?
When I released Night Dream, I was still a student at Berklee College of Music. It was full of excitement, experimentation, and pure emotions. My latest release Dreamer in the Dark is a lot more laid back and more ambient; I made this album while I was pregnant with my daughter, thinking about songs that I would play to put her to sleep. So all the songs are very gentle. Now my daughter loves to fall asleep listening to the songs, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I had as a composer.
As a composer, how do you navigate the balance between preserving traditional classical elements and incorporating modern influences into your compositions?
As I mentioned, I used to love listening to dance music and I still love ambient electronic music. So it comes very naturally to me to combine both elements. For my album Melding, I experimented a lot with electronic elements, while it was mostly classical for Dreamer in the Dark. It is fun to adjust the balance for each album or project, so we can create different vibes as we wish.
Can you share some insights into the inspirations behind your compositions? Are there specific themes or emotions that drive your creative process?
I’ve written a lot of pieces based on loneliness, as writing music always helped me through it. Now that I have my own family, emotions I get inspired by are evolving. I think life itself is inspiring, and writing music to me is sometimes like writing a diary. I also get inspired by seasons and traveling. I’m a big travel lover, and every time I travel I get a new idea for composition. In fact, I am writing a new album right now inspired by my recent travels in Europe.
In the context of your compositions being used in commercials, films, and video games, how do you adapt your creative approach to meet the specific demands of each medium?
Writing for media is very different from writing for myself as an artist. There are general concepts and directions to follow for each project and they often have other existing pieces of music as their reference points. So being creative and expressing your music through the limitations and parameters - and being open-minded - are the important things. I recently scored a video game “Aurora’s Journey and the Pitiful Lackey”, and I was asked to write many different styles of music as the main character travels through the world in the game. So each piece had to be in specific genre, and I had so much fun doing it as I got to explore and expand my own vocabularies in music.
How do you measure success as a composer, and what goals or aspirations do you have for your musical career in the future?
Success as a composer comes in many different shapes and forms. My goals are to keep writing music I believe in, and to score more films and media that are inspiring. I would also like to collaborate with other like-minded creative artists for projects.
Outside of composing, what are some of your other interests and hobbies that help you recharge and find balance in your life?
I love spending time with my family and watching our daughter grow, which is the biggest interest in my life. We have been traveling a lot together for my husband’s work, and it is such a joy to see how she embraces different places and environments.
Finally, from your perspective, what is the meaning of life?
That is a very deep question that I had asked myself a lot in the past. There are so many interpretations and answers to it. But the purpose of my life is to love and care for my family, and write music that can heal other people, just as I was saved by music.