Kenshi Yonezu’s “Globe” Music Video Features Footage from Hayao Miyazaki’s Film “How Do You Live? (The Boy and the Heron)”
“Globe” symbolizes the earth globe. Yonezu has long admired director Hayao Miyazaki, acknowledging him as a guiding figure and a significant influence in his career as an artist. He recalls the profound impact of watching “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away” in theaters as a child, and using Miyazaki’s manga version of “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” as a creative compass. Yonezu expresses that he has been blessed and nurtured by Miyazaki’s influence from his early childhood to the present. This collaboration with Miyazaki, which took four years to materialize, is a testament to their profound connection.
On July 17, the song achieved top rankings on various music distribution sites, securing 25 titles across daily and real-time charts, sweeping hit charts everywhere. On July 26, a single CD was released, including a 160-page documentary photo book covering the five-year journey of music production with director Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki.
“How Do You Live? (The Boy and the Heron)” is a Feature-Length Anime by Studio Ghibli, Written and Original Story by Director Hayao Miyazaki
Amidst high anticipation for the first new work in nearly 10 years since the 2013 release of “The Wind Rises,” the film opened in Japan on July 14 and has been featured in numerous international film festivals. As a pioneering move for a Japanese film and a first for an animated feature, it was selected as the opening screening for the “48th Toronto International Film Festival.” Additionally, it has been showcased at prestigious festivals like the “71st San Sebastian International Film Festival” and the “61st New York Film Festival.”
Keiichi Itagaki of “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” Also Involved
The music video for this work, “Kenshi Yonezu’s ‘Globe’ × Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘How Do You Live?’,” was directed by Keiichi Itagaki, who has been the trailer director for Studio Ghibli productions since the release of “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” in 1984.
Artist Profile: Kenshi Yonezu
“Kenshi Yonezu (Japanese: 米津 玄師, born March 10, 1991) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, music producer, illustrator, video creator, and model. He was born in Tokushima Prefecture and uses his real name as his stage name. He is signed to Sony Music Labels. He stands tall at 188 cm and has blood type O. Known in the Vocaloid community as Hachi, he also previously used the alias Kawazuya.
Yonezu began posting original songs on Nico Nico Douga under the name “”Hachi”” in 2009, gaining popularity with works such as “”Matryoshka,”” “”Panda Hero,”” and “”Musunde Hiraite Rasetsu to Mukuro.”” His addictive rock sound carved out a significant presence in the Vocaloid scene, attracting attention not only in Japan but globally. He also released two albums, “”Hanataba to Suisou”” and “”OFFICIAL ORANGE,”” under the name Hachi in 2010, handling both the illustrations and the videos.
In 2012, he released the album “”diorama”” under his real name, “”Kenshi Yonezu,”” where he served as the vocalist. The album’s unique sound and powerful, realistic lyrics made a striking impression, introducing a fresh sound to the music scene. Yonezu is known for his remarkable talent, handling lyrics, composition, arrangement, programming, vocals, instrumentals, mixing, as well as producing videos and artwork all by himself.
He made his major debut in May 2013 with “”Santa Maria.”” In October 2015, he released the album “”Bremen,”” which won the Excellent Album Award at the “”57th Japan Record Awards”” in December of the same year. In January 2018, he released “”Lemon,”” which achieved the fastest ever million downloads certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. It also topped the “”2nd Oricon Annual Digital Single (Single Track) Ranking 2019″” for two consecutive years. Subsequently, he released numerous hits including “”Uma to Shika”” in September 2019, the album “”STRAY SHEEP”” in August 2020, “”Pale Blue”” in June 2021, “”KICK BACK”” in November 2022, “”LADY”” in March 2023, and “”Globe”” in July 2023.”
