Wanting to know the Persona 3 Reload singer behind its soundtrack will be inevitable for many players, even if they’ve only listened to original songs and rearrangements featured in trailers so far.
Like the Persona 4 and Persona 5 games, the music of Persona 3 and its remake stand out as much as any other part of the game. So, let’s get into the musical voices of P3R.
Who is the singer of the Persona 3 Reload soundtrack?
Persona 3 Reload doesn’t have just one singer but two – with returning rap artist Lotus Juice featuring in new songs and arranged tracks from the original P3, alongside Azumi Takahashi replacing Yumi Kawamura as the lead vocalist.
A prominent voice of both the original Persona 3 soundtrack and plenty of other games in the series since its release; P3 FES, P3P, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5 Tactica etc; it’s no surprise Lotus Juice is back for P3R – with it being hard to imagine playing the remake without his powerful energy behind the soundtrack.
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What’s surprising, however, is the decision to replace Kawamura for Reload since her work on the original Persona 3 soundtrack is so beloved. Although, we now have an answer as to why this has happened.
Why Yumi Kawamura was replaced for Persona 3 Reload
In August 2023, we got to find out why Azumi Takahashi replaced Yumi Kawamura as the singer in Persona 3 Reload. This was because of Atlus wanting to “breathe new life into the vocal element” of the remake’s experience to “resonate globally” by picking “a good candidate for vocals that would work well both in Japan and overseas“.
This was stated in a translation of an August 2023 interview between Japanese website Famitsu and several leading members of the Atlus team behind the game; General Producer Kazuhisa Wada, Persona Team Director Takuya Yamaguchi, Producer Ryota Niitsuma, and Sound Composer Atsushi Kitajoh; to talk about a whole range of topics around the game.
When diving into the change of female vocalists, it was Wada, Niitsuma, and Kitajoh who then elaborated on what they were looking for in remaking Persona and how Takahashi fit the bill.
“After discussions with the various internal and external teams and departments, in pursuit of rebuilding the visual style and music of Persona 3, we decided to breathe new life into the vocal element of the experience as well“, Wada explains.
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“Among them, Azumi Takahashi really stood out, especially taking into consideration our creative needs such as the tone of the game we wanted to capture and compatibility with Kitajoh’s musical style. Azumi is able to express an exquisite rawness in her voice in a good way, and we love the youthful feeling she brings to the table” Niitsuma clarifies.
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Then it’s Kitajoh’s follow-up that’s especially interesting, elaborated on the fine balance the new Persona 3 Reload singer seems to find:
“Yeah, I really feel that her bright tone vocal—and of course, her powerful singing ability—really matches the characters without making the game feel too mature“, says the composer.
Whilst Wada goes on to say Yumi Kawamura’s legacy “is still very important to [them]“, the Takahashi-Lotus Juice duo is here to stay for the time being. No matter which of the female vocalists you prefer though, many Persona 3 Reload players – myself included – will agree the new soundtrack is still packed with absolute bangers.
For more of what you might be curious about around P3, check out the Persona 3 protagonist’s name and if the Reload remake is coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Otherwise, have a look at our Persona homepage for even more essentials right here at TRAN HUNG DAO School.
Categories: Gaming
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
