Talking with Masayoshi Soken - Final Fantasy XIV's Composer

We sat down with Final Fantasy XIV's Composer, Masayoshi Soken, for a 25 minute interview!
You might have seen a bit of this on yesterday's video of Soken reacting to the FFXIV Endwalker Boss Theme Intepretation I did with ‪@Huskybythegeek‬ .
This right here is the whole thing, where we talk about Soken's experiences as a composer, his favorite Final Fantasy games & more!
00:00 - Introduction
01:19 - Soken's Favorite Final Fantasy
03:04 - How Soken developed his unique style
04:15 - Funk in Final Fantasy XIV
05:03 - Soken's favorite Jobs in FFXIV (& in real life)
06:58 - Soken's favorite Final Fantasy character
08:22 - Soken & Nobuo Uematsu
09:20 - How Soken became a composer for games
13:04 - How THE PRIMALS Band was created
14:38 - Soken's favorite instruments
15:30 - The role of Orchestras in Final Fantasy XIV
17:50 - On FFXIV songs that go viral
19:27 - FFXIV's Composer Reacts to our Endwalker Cover
21:05 - Huskybythegeek & Alex's Opinions on FFXIV Endwalker's Main Theme
22:54 - Soken's thoughts on my Music Reaction videos
24:14 - Outro
------- ▼MENTIONS▼------
- MASAYOSHI SOKEN: / sokensquareenix
- FFXIV SCIONS & SINNERS ALBUM: www.jp.square-enix.com/music/...
- FFXIV ENDWALKER COVER: • FFXIV Endwalker - Boss...
------- ▼LINKS▼------
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🎹 MUSIC COURSES: alexmoukala.com/go/music-cour...
🔥 PATREON: / alexmoukalamusic
🎻 SPOTIFY: spoti.fi/2T3rUxk
🎧 SPOTIFY (LoFi Remixes): spoti.fi/30QhepP
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📚 MUSIC TUTORIALS: / alexmoukala
✔️ PROFESSIONAL CREDITS: www.imdb.com/name/nm12531452/
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------- ▼CREDITS▼------
- Composer: Masayoshi Soken

[@Huskybythegeek]

Soken is so wholesome, I can't wait to meet him at a Fanfest with you my friend !

[@Edsaurus01]

Met him at last Fanfest in Paris and he was INCREDIBLE. So humble, funny, crazy. He's really amazing

[@ShadowRhapsody81]

@@Edsaurus01 I was hoping to have met him at PAX East 2020.... but COVID destroyed that dream :( Hoping one day they return to the USA and make up for that missed chance.

[@Sacrengard]

I hope to be there too and meet him, such a likable guy :D

[@o0cacoto0o]

@@Sacrengard i met him at fanfest 2018 and even took a pic with him. was one of the most random and joyous moments. there was a random line being formed and i got to be part of it.

[@Sacrengard]

@@o0cacoto0o that is so awesome!!

[@alfabjornenco2922]

Soken saying he resembles Lyna really hits different now after it was revealed he has been battling cancer. Supposedly he told almost noone on the team as to not make them worry and continued to make music for the game during treatment. Soken is an absolute legend and I feel absolutely blessed to be able to continue to enjoy his music in the future.

[@jamesrustle7536]

Yeah this hits different now.

[@Firestar1992]

I have to mention, when Soken asks them what they thought of the Endwalker theme, you can kind of hear this nervous stutter in his voice, like “D-did you like it?” That moment is so genuine, I just love it. He really cares to hear their opinions.

[@LostSoulSilver]

Timestamp pls?

[@Firestar1992]

@@LostSoulSilver About 21:05

[@Ylaziel]

I remember when we got the first trailer for Shadowbringers and Yoshida mentioned that Soken was soo sooo nervous since that was the first time he was responsible for a main theme by himself, without Uematsu. He is so humble and talented. I really love the dev team behind XIV and the passion and love they have for the game and their fans. Such a rare thing in the game industry nowadays.

[@Cyberspark939]

My japanese is very rudimentary, but I think he also asks "Was it ok?" Which was super endearing.

[@mjs3188]

@@Ylaziel and it's one of the best songs in the damn game

[@amymanen5699]

Completely off-topic, but Soken's shirt looks like the Ala Mhigan Gown. I love it.

[@haru6521]

Was thinking the same thing lol

[@JPDEOfficial]

@@haru6521 that was DEFINITELY on purpose lol

[@Souls4Roca]

i think it's the crafting one from the namazu....

[@Phoinix100]

Well...It's probably normal traditional clothing

[@mas-ki]

Sympathizing with Lyna for hiding her sadness and appearing strong... knowing about his cancer now... wow.

[@mist666999]

I will always remember seeing Soken at the first FanFest. He told a story about when he finished the Leviathan song and brought it to Yoshida, who was like "yeah it's good, but where are the lyrics?" So Soken made up the lyrics and sang them himself. This all happened the day before patch day.

[@MoreCowBelll]

Watching this after the announcement that Soken was struggling with cancer.....no wonder he related so much to Lyna

[@adampetersen5906]

Imagine preparing to go to an interview thinking, "oh, I'm late, I hope this doesn't affect my standing with the interviewer too much," and you get there and find out your interviewer is the godsent man who managed to make some of the most memorable game soundtracks to date. Oops. Wholesome memes tho, bet Uematsu was glad he overlooked the tardy.

[@CErra310]

Some jobs don't require being punctual

[@Rayjii]

i would´ve never thought something like this is possible, thats honestly so cool and im SO HAPPY FOR YALL DAMN!!

[@ArtyMartyD]

I have a feeling we're going to see some of Alex and Husky in Endwalker...

[@stavi82]

Did you see the wheels turning in Soken's head when he heard their arrangement, too? Major events in the game usually have a remixed version of the main theme, so I have that same feeling!

[@ArtyMartyD]

This is insanely wholesome, I am BEAMING

[@Shizukanexen]

Watching this again after the news about Soken battling cancer. He is really such a ray of sunshine, and despite being sick, he's been fighting so hard for us. I'm really grateful to him.

[@cuecute1517]

Im back here after the emotional bomb at the end of Fan Festival 2021. I hope Soken gets better

[@XthTerrorOfDeath]

Lol Soken has tank anxiety too D= Now I don't feel so bad

[@ancarwillis9060]

Haha I do too a bit. It’s not so much about having people follow me it’s the negative critics I get if I’m not perfect at the jobs.

[@sebastiendubois7935]

@@ancarwillis9060 Yeah being a tank definitely requires a "zero fucks given" kinda personality in order for it to be enjoyable.

[@Zanbatoss]

Playing on japanese servers have it's own perk, I don't understand what are the people saying when I screw up XD

[@rexxel8867]

as a day 1 tank until now as main tank i really get that anxiety too, because when a main tank died because of mechanic or didn't expect the tankbuster everybody will die one by one and they will question to the main tank like "what?? really?? why you die bruh!?" i get that lesson as a tank when my party got wiped because i positioned titan ex on the middle (which is wrong) and he does upheaval, at that time i realized how tank has the number 1 responsibility for the party and healer as the 2nd (tank won't live without healer after all) almost gave up as a tank because of many wrong doings but happy that i decided to stick to tank

[@beschdeBeth]

@@rexxel8867 on my first days of switching from blm to pld i was told to choose another role and i should'nt really play tank lol - now like 3 expansions later i'm a... lets say okayish to decent Warrior, i'm glad i did not lay off tanking because someone said i shouldnt do it :D

[@ashitakaharuo]

i went to see eorzean symphony in dortmund, germany, and they played "rise" with the time stop effect. the entire orchestra froze and soken and yoshi p. marched through in front of the stage with a drum and cymbals. it was hilarious.

[@JPDEOfficial]

Moments like this one are why I'm so happy to play FFXIV and be a part of the community, as minor as it can be. Soken, Yoshida, Ishikawa and the rest of the team is why I'm hopeful and excited for the future of the series for the first time in more than a decade. Thanks for making this happen!

[@ikoukuhn]

Who's Ishikawa? I keep hearing about Soken & Yoshida but Ishikawa is a first to me.

[@giosakti]

@@ikoukuhn she's the scenario writer for shadowbringer MSQ and lot of other episodes/section in the game - www.giantbomb.com/natsuko-ishikawa/3040-188161/

[@JPDEOfficial]

@@giosakti including the Dark Knight job quests and the X'haela scenario quests in Stormblood.

[@JPDEOfficial]

@Jediberner8 actually no. XVI is going to be written by the Heavensward team

[@rogthepirate4593]

@@JPDEOfficial Well, I think we can hazard a guess that it'll emotionally wreck us either way...

[@Airyllish]

Soken is so utterly wholesome that it almost hurts my heart. Anybody with half a brain can tell he's passionate about the music he makes simply by listening to it, but he's so absolutely endearing during this interview and so genuine in both the questions he asks, the answers he gives and the compliments he shares that it really makes you appreciate him all the more. And, as somebody who now can't listen to certain XIV pieces of music without getting a bit teary-eyed, I can't begin to properly explain how excited I am for Endwalker, and to hear what an experience it'll be.

[@zavi3rz]

A legend being interviewed by a legend 🤯

[@ferdk16]

OMG that Uematsu interview is a gold nugget of an anecdote! Talk about first impressions haha! Luckily for us he still got the job :D Thank you Alex and Husky for doing this interview, thank you Soken for being so awesome and wholesome, and thanks the Squeenix people and everyone who helped make this happen. This is a win for the whole FF community!

[@aoiumixiv]

Soken is so precious, he must be protected at all costs!

[@zenin2922]

You can tell the three of them have an immense amount of respect for each other, which is rare for interviews like these

[@kaorisiberian22]

Soken is really wholesome! Alex and Husky even though shy pulled through and were just as wholesome. A story on tanking: My WoL looks like G'raha and I was the sole Paladin tank in this DR normal run. The only tank to be in the DR run. No other tanks were there. You just "stance" and pray you live, trust your healers to keep you alive. Lyna's reaction in Shadowbringers also hit me very hard it was so well developed for her character. The characters in general all of gone through a lot of development and growth and it's just oh so nice to see.

[@gai.l4916]

Now hearing him talk about relating to Lyna holding in her sadness is just...... I'm tearing up again.

[@Kiri315]

Thank you Alex and Husky for this. No much people focus on videogame soundtracks. I was looking for something like this long time ago because music is so fundamental but almost everyone just see graphics and stuff, but you guys appreciated the music, the interpretation and made arrangements! I'm so happy for this so thanks again for this amazing content. Greetings from Chile!

[@KaeyaAoi]

That Favourite Character answer really hit me hard again after the Fanfest Closing message from Soken. To be going through everything he was and still working hard and giving one of the best interviews I've seen from anyone before. Thank you so much for being such a hero. Welcome back Soken!

[@Isteak80]

Now you need to do an arrangement of Game Theory to honor Soken's wishes.

[@GeobertQuach]

The part when he talks about Lyna take another meaning now… This guy is a living jewel!

[@Druidlover]

A thanks to everyone involved in making this talk happen. I think I fell in love with Soken as both a person and a composer a few years ago when he and Uematsu had a panel together during a Stormblood fanfest and how fun it was to watch them exchange stories.

[@BahamutxD]

As a music ignorant it warms my heart seeing you three chit chat about your passion. You three are all epic. Excellent interview and thanks to everyone that made this possible. Much love

[@jubez1875]

It's always crazy to see Soken talk about his musical background/process/inspiration. You would think hearing him do these insane songs of large spanning genres (epics like Pharos Sirius theme, jazzy like Gubal Library, and electro like Existential Entropy) that he was some sort of musical savant. He has no formal training or anything. He just...gets it done. Haha.

[@jtjc7705]

I got to see the timestop tick he's talking about with the orchestra at the hollywood dolby theatre in california! I believe it was 2018 maybe? It was one of the coolest experiences of my life (the whole concert). Here's the Orchestra doing a song then suddenly all movement and sound freezes, then here comes Yoshida and Soken with a zylaphone and drum, acting as moogles, going across the front of the stage from the right side all the way to the left, and upon vanishing behind the side curtains the orchestra explodes back into continuing the song.

[@madu7450]

The best interview of the year:

[@momos5803]

3 handsome men just chatting it up about What they love doing the most. So sweet and humble. Love all you guys!

[@DevinOfBacon]

Soken wants more Funky Music in FF14? Ok. So imagine this. Persona 5 raid in FF14, with music mashups with Soken and Lyn.

[@diersteinjulien6773]

A metaverse raid? ... Don't do this... don't give me hope.... ... Though you know... persona crossed with smash bros, Rathalos is in smash and FF14.... they're literally only one step apart.

[@tintinthomas1674]

@@diersteinjulien6773 They did a collab with Star Ocean which is published by Square Enix so its in the ballpark a bit or at least in the realm of possibilities.

[@DevinOfBacon]

I honestly feel that a Persona 5 crossover would (in some ways) fit better in FF14 than NieR has so far. Persona 5 and FF14 have a more similar emotional impact on the player compared to NieR. Compared to Persona 5 and FF14, NieR has a much darker story and overall theme, while FF14 and Persona 5 are both very colorful and full of much more positivity by comparison. Plus, I just love the two and want to hear some amazing FF14 x Persona 5 music. (Maybe Alex should try his hand at making some 'What a FF14 x Persona 5 Crossover may sound like' video? ;D **Hint Hint** **Nudge Nudge**)

[@RasnerG]

@@DevinOfBacon well we can kill another false good just with a bit of help xD imagine fighting the reaper

[@TheAvidDM]

@@DevinOfBacon He already has done something like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6fThJesp6yMqqs

[@ctrlr9674]

funny how he mentioned ‘game theory’ as one of the songs he’d like for people to notice more bc its one of my fave bgms 🥺🤲

[@reijikogarashi1867]

Masayoki Soken : Arrives late at his interview... gets to makes FFXIV soundtracks. Charles Martinet : arrives unannounced and late to an audition for Mario... gets to be Mario.

[@JamieBarrington]

I don't have Emet-Selch or Hythlodaelus' talent of seeing the color of souls, but I can definitely tell Soken's shines brighter than all the most precious gems. Adore that talented man

[@frostymogborn998]

You both do a great service to the community by the content you create. I'm extremely happy you were able to speak with Soken, definitely more than deserved to have this type of interview.

[@MissingNo_]

Nice to see Soken basically confirmed he's scoring FF16. Soken said Alex knows what he's thinking when analyzing his music.

[@Domura]

>arrive late to your music job interview at a major developer panik >Uematsu is the one doing the interview P A N I K >but you're Masayoshi Soken kalm

[@3row4wy23]

I'm back here after the emotional rollercoaster that is the FFXIV Digital Fan Fest. #WelcomeBackSoken

[@jynirax]

Soken is as charismatic as he is talented. This was so cool guys. I could feel the respect and admiration all three of you had watching the video. Masters in your craft.

[@Everlarke]

I am so happy for you it’s ridiculous. Only in the 14 community can such a heartwarming interaction happen.

[@sirdamned9272]

This might sound cringey since I'm a fan, but Soken is like my spirit animal. Not only does his music resonate with me in a way that no other musician on planet Earth's does... but when he brought up Yuna "because she's cute" I knew, lol. She was my childhood crush for many many years.

[@JCHauntsman]

You looked like you were about to explode when he said you'd be his teacher for funk.

[@Tvanon]

I'm not familiar with Soken's music since I only played PS1's FF series, but from this interview alone, I already fall in love with this man. What a wonderful guy.

[@KanoSuntale]

It just struck me how him saying that he related to Lyna due to her resolve while holding back her sadness is EXACTLY what he must have felt while working with cancer for so many months. All my love to this man.

[@crowdalova7804]

I don’t know how you two managed to not just vaporize on the spot when God told you he’s a fan of your work. What an excellent interview!

[@metalmilitia89]

Notification squad checking in. Congrats on your achievements.

[@AresLodin]

Soooo happy you got acknowledged by soken....honestly brings tears to see such great things happen

[@futomimii]

Soken being a Lyna stan has made my day ;A;

[@AlishN7]

Oh my goodness it was so wholesome! Soken-san is such a humble and adorable person, and it's clear that while you and Husky were super excited to meet him, he was just as happy and excited to meet you guys! It must be very meaningful for him to have such dedicated fans, who really understand what he is trying to convey through his music, and also are super hardworking and dedicated, making amazing arrangements of his work. Really, really happy that this happened!

[@Spenerico]

Watching again after crying my eyes out at the event yesterday, love that you got to talk to this legend.

[@fanbell1274]

so sad

[@alibutterfly82]

Like.... I know it's not necessarily realistic, but watching this, knowing that you all are musicians and creators, it made me wish for you that you guys could just sit down from time to time outside of an "official capacity" like this and talk music. As much as you are fans of his, it seemed Soken was fans of yours as well, and I feel like the questions here were more insightful than you get in most publication's interviews because they were being asked by fellow "subject matter experts" in music. Good job, I enjoyed this interview a lot and I'm really happy for both of you having gotten to do this!

[@sleepyj1827]

idk why but seeing big famous people in interview where they can talk a lot and laugh and smile makes me happy

[@balazsszucs7055]

I love that when you announced an interview with a famous japanese videogame composer everyone was like: It would be godlike if it were Soken, but it's probably not him with patch 5.5 and Endwalker being in developemnt and all. But you godlike bastard did it. It really is Soken and he is just as charming as ever. ALSO: Soken-sama, onegai! Please publish a book about your crazy drinking nights with Uematsu!

[@kkplx]

goddamn, if you could frame videos, this is the one i'd frame if i was alex. what high, high praise.

[@Chas-OTE]

There's only 2 ways to watch this interview. Before you find out Soken was battling cancer last year, and after. This interview hits very different with the latter...

[@PaceBreaker]

That was entertaining and informative! Thanks for interviewing Soken and sharing it. That man really is a treasure and we're lucky to have him.

[@aechean]

This is one of the best things on the entire Internet. Husky and Alex, your enthusiasm and respect for what Soken has done, and the amazing work you've put out individually and together is reflected so well in this interview. Seriously had me just smiling like an idiot for the whole thing. Thank you to everyone who made this happen!

[@pencilhigh]

Soken talking about changing to a PLD from a WHM main (same here!) brought me back to that one time I did AR roulette and got Orbonne Monastery. I only ever ran that raid once as a BRD... and here I became the Alliance B tank. Imagine my distress and panic as I led my team lmfaooooo. 😂😂🤣🤣😭😭😭 Gotta love this interview! I love you guys! Thank you for being wonderful!

[@BeroOgden]

FFXIV was my introduction to Soken and he's just so wonderful. So many of the folks making this game are just phenomenally creative and passionate people.

[@Stryberry]

I love that he mentions "Game Theory" as one of the songs he wished people knew more, I made a tavern out of my personal house and that's the song that i use for it. lol

[@fionamaecry7579]

Alex composing ffxiv when?!

[@TheSenCost]

I am so happy you got this opportunity, you deserve so much with your talent, your passion and your skill...grande Alex!

[@xenghuong]

Soken looks like such a wholesome and fun dude to be around! Love it!

[@orienta1111]

Soken is so cute and adorable omg.. when I saw the video from the fan festival where he told us with what he was fighting the last months I was shocked. It gave me goosebumbs and it was kinda sad but refreshing at the same time to see all the love from his team and the community. When Yoshi started crying my tears started running too coz it was such an emotional moment. I really really wish all the best for Soken and to stay healthy and positive coz he deserves it. He is an amazing guy. You just can love him, no matter what. ♥

[@dgurgem5791]

This. Is. Awesome. Soken seems like a great guy and y'all did a great job interviewing him.

[@MarakamiSG]

Soken saying that he prefers to play healer really hits hard considering he in a way healed Yoshi-P with the Guts pose during his announcement of ARR

[@user-tr4vk6gp5v]

3:51 祖「～ピアノの先生をやってたので、割と”エチュード”とか～」 he said "etude" not "hey jude". i can misheard too. that's pretty similer to it. anyway, thank you so much for uploading this session!

[@hickorydickoryhk]

Yup, I came to the comments section to say exactly the same thing. Good that it seems a handful of people have picked up on this, so the guys will probably realize it soon enough and be able to add a comment to the video description to correct it.

[@vykarion]

Partying every night with Nobuo Uematsu sounds surreal.

[@angerayne]

Holy shit!! Congrats for the opportunity, you two deserved it :)

[@xSaraxMxNeffx]

i love the big fanboy triangle going on here. Just the way they all seem so star struck with eachother, its awsome.

[@captainersatzful]

I don't usually like or comment on videos, but this one deserves all the engagement. Keep up the great work, Alex!

[@RasaiDeaar]

I'm pretty sure I caught Soken taking notes when you were describing how his music made you feel! This man isn't just fantastic at his job, he's also very dedicated to it. Also, he and I play FFXIV in exactly the same way! That shocked me. I main WHM, and the tanks are the hardest and most stressful to play for exactly the reasons he described. Definitely gonna check out that new Sage class once the expansion hits.

[@CallistaGris]

I never saw tanking as everyone watching me and be like "follow me" but more like... "Go wild guys, I'm here to protect y'all" 🤣 Soken is SO SWEET. After learning about his cancer... Damn, he's the best 😭

[@davecarlson505]

This was awesome. I believe wholeheartedly, without any exaggeration, that Soken is a bona fide genius. The music he created for this game is truly inspiring!

[@FlexBlur]

Merci pour cette entrevue !!

[@xenogears4398]

Hope we get more awesome interviews like this in the future Alex, so wholesome.

[@ZeeCH_Music]

Thank you for this content!

[@Rixstarian]

As commented everywhere else, Soken is great, & you both established great rapport w/ him. Some good questions that many of the fans would have loved to know too. But I would like to point out this video's editing is top notch for enjoyable consumption. Many cuts, because I know things had to be interpreted. You keep the tone consistent, & the humor well timed.

[@FingerPuppetSarcasm]

Man this was awesome. So happy for you guys.

[@Grissi]

Great interview, thank you!

[@shadowlink20]

Wow! Congrats for the interview Alex!

[@Apsilon778]

Thiis was so great to watch! Thanks to all that set this up! ❤️

[@DerCriado]

Yes, I've been waiting for this! This probably felt quite surreal..

[@calzonexiv]

This is so awesome I'm so happy for you both!!

[@Dastreus]

35 years of my life, and it was the insanity of the Neir Automata and FFXIV soundtracks that got me into actually learning. I got a midi keyboard and while I don't practice with it as much as I should, I was still, in fact, pushed to it by the likes of Soken. If some fantasy bullshit happens and I wind up making some stuff that gets known I can say in interviews that it was Soken who inspired me to begin that journey.

[@AgsNfz]

This is amazing congrats to you guys!

[@KaisN]

Man, I love this! Thanks for this, everyone involved!

[@jedimolerat4774]

So happy you got to do this, Soken is amazing.

[@lordshard3018]

Waite all day for this and it was worth it. So glad you guys got to meet

[@YUXKE]

Thank you so much for putting together this interview, it was a real treat to listen to

[@bahamut_black]

This whole conversation is precious ❤️

[@riccardoromanelli98]

Congrats for the interview :). Bravo !!!

[@emriscoscept7008]

All three of you are absolute treasures! Thank you so much for this!!

[@OmegaDoesThings]

Man this is fantastic. I'm so happy for you guys!

[@xxnike0629xx]

Amazing! You're being recognized officially! 💯💯

[@kourtneydixon6050]

That whole interview was just wholesome and sweet; congrats to the both you for making this achievement!

[@mattvermeil6662]

I enjoyed the two videos a lot!!! Thank you for your work, you are amazing dude!!