Today we’d like to introduce you to Yukino Takenaka.
Hi Yukino, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Music- is something that I grew up with and wanted to work with since I was little. I started to go to the music lesson to learn how to play the piano when I was 3 years old. Since then, I have been involved a lot in music, such as being a trombone player in the marching band in elementary school and also playing the keyboard in the band in high school. Because I grew up around music at the young age, I started to realize that I wanted to work with music earlier in my life as well, like when I was later in elementary school. However, the reason why I wanted to keep doing music is not only because I just loved music but also to help people. My biggest dream was to help people mentally or, I should say, to support and encourage others. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a nurse, police, teacher, and so on… just because every time people help me in any situation, I always thought it would be so cool to get a job to help others and make them happy. I realized that music is also one of the things that help people. Music has always been here for me when I need someone, not only by listening to them but also by playing the piano as well. I listen to music to get encouraged or empathized, and I play the piano because that is the way I express my emotion that I cannot explain with words. This is how I started to realize that I would like to work with music in the end. I started to learn English because I thought that being able to write the lyrics in English would allow my music to get listened to and understood by more people since it is the common language in the world. I went to a university in the U.S. to learn music production. So yes, this is how I got where I am today!
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the biggest struggles was and still is to accept myself from the fact that I actually want to work in music. What I mean by this is that because music has always been around me since I was a kid, I was always lost between the ideas of “I want to” and “That’s the only way I can or should choose.” It is like love-hate relationship with music, it is hard for me to say that I want to do music because I love music. Maybe this feeling comes from the lack of the confidence with my music or the fear of chasing the dream, I do not know, However, one thing that I can clearly say is that I have a fear of hating music because I love music and chose to work with music. When I face the creative or productive crisis, when all the music sound horrible to my ears even though others give me compliments, I always ask myself, should I keep doing this or just stop it now? Not because I want to give up, it is because I do not want to hate the things that I have been living with for a long time just because of those situations. But since I know the fact that even if I decided to choose the different career to chase, I would come back to music anyway, I take my time and try my best to hold myself and stick there when I face the crisis or slump.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It has been almost two years and half since I actually started to learn music production and compose on the computer, so I am still figuring out which way or genre I can bring the best of me in music, but I have been working in a lot of different things such as film scoring, instrumental track (mainly with piano), EDM with my friends and producing pop beats. And past years, I realized that making the melody is something I am good at the most in music. I think that more than 10 years of experience in playing the piano helps me to come up with a good melody, and once I get a melody in my mind, everything else, such as writing the lyrics, goes much smoother than starting without the melody.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Since I am good at coming up with melody, I would love to work with other producer and lyricists together from the scratch. I can bring the other perspective and creative ideas by using my cultural background; I grew up in Japan listening J-pop mainly, however, I have lived in Canada and the U.S and met so many different type of music, and also, I studied music production. Working with other producers and collaborating with artists always bring me the new ideas, might as well my idea can help you bring the new approach in your music. I love making music with others, so I would love to have an opportunity to work with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://y02takenaka.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yukino213_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yukino-takenaka-718044239/
