Hello. This is Saori Kobayashi. Right now, I'm hard at work on the solo album Brave Wave and I announced last year at BitSummit MMXIV in Kyoto. I'm creating this new album to symbolize my gratitude to people all around the world who listen to my music. The name of this album is TERRA MAGICA.
Much of my past music has accompanied visuals of video games. I'd be asked by the director of the game to transform these visuals into what is ostensibly their "audio-equivalent." This music is then fed this into a story that's also been written ahead of time. When it comes to video game music, a world has been established for players to become immersed in, even before they have a chance to listen to the music.
TERRA MAGICA is the complete opposite of what I've been involved with in the past. For my solo album, the music takes precedence over any story or imagery, allowing listeners to visualize a world that only I have created. I hope to create an album whose music will inspire listeners and give them complete control over what they see in realm of their own imaginations.
I personally enjoy fantasy games and RPGs; worlds where dragons soar across the sky, and cosmos where a vast bed of planets lie scattered across... these images are my fantasies. What are yours? I hope that when people listen to my solo album, they conjure up their own worlds like I do as I compose with Brave Wave.
I still need a little bit more time to complete this album, especially since I'm in Paris for Japan Expo in July, but I sincerely hope you're looking forward to it!