Meet Marika Takeuchi | Composer & Pianist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marika Takeuchi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marika, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I was starting my career, work was the most important thing. I spent every single minute thinking about new music and projects, and didn’t appreciate things outside of work much. Over time, with many life changes, I started enjoying small things in life more and more. Especially after having my baby girl last summer, I love spending every minute with her and watching how small things amaze her. She falls asleep listening to my music every night, loves Beatles, and loves me playing piano to her.

My husband and I also had a wedding in Tokyo in February. We wore kimono and did it in Japanese style. It was so special especially after having lived here for 14 years.

Life is full of inspiration. Life gives me inspirations and motivations to keep creating music. So it is so important at to have the good balance of life and work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I write music both as an artist and for media. As an artist, I write piano and modern classical music. The latest album Dreamer in the Dark was a collection of lullabies that I wrote during my pregnancy. Now my baby girl falls asleep to it every night. I also get lots of messages from my fans saying my music soothes them and helps them get through hard times, which is the most rewarding things in my career to be able to help others through music.

As a media composer, I recently scored a PlayStation game “Aurora’s Journey and the Pitiful Lackey”, which was released in January this year. It was so much fun to score the game as the main character travels all over the world and I got to write many different styles of music. The soundtrack of the game is also available on all platforms.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We recently moved to Santa Clarita, and we’re loving it here. There are so many parks, hiking trails, and so many kids friendly places. Although I haven’t had a time to explore the areas properly, I’m sure I’ll find my favorite spots here in no time!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In my previous interview, I’ve thanked my parents, record label, and fellow musicians, so today, I’d like to talk about a book that changed my life when I was in my teen. It is a Japanese book called “The Words to Break Walls”, written by a Japanese painter and sculptor Taro Okamoto. The book is full of inspiring words, such as “Art is an explosion of emotions. If you’re depressed, just create something. It doesn’t have to be good. Someone saying ‘It’s nice’ often means that it didn’t give much impression anyways. You should appreciate whoever react to your art wether they’re loving it or hating it, because they’re impacted by your work one way or another”. I cried when I first read the book and it really gave me the courage to expressing myself through music.

Website: https://www.marika-takeuchi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marika_takeuchi/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarikaTakeuchiMusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MarikaTakeuchi

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0lsDi98XEKVkgN2kdZWBHT Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/marika-takeuchi/445751310

Image Credits
Jesse Lirola Alexander Haessner