Mai Fujisawa (Japanese: 藤澤 麻衣, Hepburn: Fujisawa Mai, born 1978 or 1979) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist. She has released four studio albums and has performed for several soundtracks. Fujisawa has collaborated on several occasions with her father, composer Joe Hisaishi, on the soundtracks for the films of Studio Ghibli. She has also performed on the soundtracks of other media, including the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) and the video game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2011).
Mai Fujisawa 藤澤 麻衣 | |
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| Born | 1978 or 1979 (age 44–45) Tokyo, Japan |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Website | sing-mai |
Biography
editFujisawa was born in Tokyo[1] in 1978 or 1979, and is the daughter of Joe Hisaishi.[2] At age four, Fujisawa performed "Nausicaä's Requiem", featured on the soundtrack of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) which was composed by Joe Hisaishi. Reflecting on the experience in 2019, she said that she "was always hoping" that she could perform in another Studio Ghibli film. While Fujisawa did not perform in another soundtrack until The Boy and the Heron (2023),[3] she has recorded songs for the image albums – collections of demos and musical sketches that serve as a precursor to the finished score – for Princess Mononoke (1997) and Ponyo (2008).[4]
Fujisawa studied at Seijo University in Tokyo, and later at Menlo College in Atherton, California.[2] She founded the choir Little Carol,[5] who perform for Japanese television and have toured internationally. She later began a solo career, releasing music that combines Japanese traditional and Western classical styles. She has also performed with Hisaishi on tour.[4]
In 2012, Fujisawa was a guest singer on the United Nations Singers' Japan tour; she joined them again in 2015 for the United Nations' seventieth anniversary celebrations.[6] Fujisawa is the goodwill ambassador of the city of Nakano. She has composed and performed theme songs for Nakano and Tochigi. She is also credited with writing the lyrics for the school song of Sakata Daichi Junior High in Sakata.[1]
Discography
edit| Title | Released | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Mai (麻衣) | December 15, 2010 | [7] |
| Nursury Rhyme Songs (童謡うたう)[a] | May 22, 2013 | |
| Raise the Sky (空みあげて) | April 8, 2015 | |
| Beautiful Harmony [b] | April 20, 2022 |
Performances in other media
edit| Title | Title of media | Released | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Nausicaä's Requiem" (uncredited) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | 1984 | [8] |
| "The Town Where I Long to Stay" | Kiki's Delivery Service (vocal album) | 1989 | [9] |
| "My Heart" | |||
| "Theme Song" | Welcome to Dongmakgol | 2005 | [2] |
| "Rondo of the House of Sunflowers" | Ponyo (image album) | March 5, 2008 | [10] |
| "Stand Alone" | Clouds Above The Hill | December 18, 2009 | [1] |
| "Lily's Theme" (uncredited) | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | July 4, 2011 | [4] |
| "Pieces of a Broken Heart" (uncredited) | Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch | November 17, 2011 | [8] |
| "Theme Song" | Paper Lanterns | May 20, 2016 | [11] |
| — | The Boy and the Heron | August 9, 2023 | [3] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Mai Fujisawa". Seattle Symphony. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c "久石譲の娘麻衣が語る"親子の葛藤"歌手になる…父の説得に３年". Zakzak. Sankei Digital. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Hisaishi, Joe (August 9, 2023). The Boy and the Heron (Original Soundtrack) (CD). Tokuma. TKCA-75200.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Jake (December 27, 2019). "Singing the dream worlds of Ghibli". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "About". Mai Fujisawa. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Melody of Japan: Animation, Film and Classics with Mai Fujisawa". Monash University. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Discography". Mai Fujisawa. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ a b McPherson, Angus (February 19, 2020). "Mai Fujisawa on singing an iconic film moment". Limelight. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Hisaishi, Joe (1992). 魔女の宅急便ヴォーカル アルバム [Kiki's Delivery Service Vocal Album] (CD) (in Japanese). Tokuma. 30ATC-190.
- ^ Hisaishi, Joe (2008). 崖の上のポニョ イメージアルバム [Ponyo on the Cliff Vocal Album] (CD) (in Japanese). Tokuma. TKCA-73309.
- ^ "Paper Lanterns". Paper Lanterns. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)