- Interview Date: 8/22/2025
- Interview Location: Anime NYC 2025
- Interview Format: Round Robin
Unidentified Gaming Magazine: Over your entire career, you’ve sang jazz, pop, and rock. How have you trained your voice to do so many genres and maintain your voice?
Yoko Takahashi: When I was growing up, I was in a chorus group for ten years. A lot of the training that I learned during that time I still use to this day as an adult.
Unknown Outlet: As we are celebrating the anniversary of Evangelion, what are your thoughts on the journey?
Yoko Takahashi: My life has been heavily impacted by Evangelion.
Unknown Outlet: Do you think people love Evangelion because they can relate to the characters in their own way, or do you think it was the story and the music that sealed the deal?
Yoko Takahashi: I think it is both.
Anime Trending: According to JOYSOUND, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis was one of the top four songs of the first half of 2025. What are your thoughts on the song’s enduring popularity?
Yoko Takahashi: I want to know the secret as well. Karaoke in Japan, it’s a song that brings people together. I believe that’s part of its enduring popularity.
Anime Corner: Many artists credit you as an inspiration. How does it feel to be a foundational part of other musicians’ careers?
Yoko Takahashi: This is the first time I’ve heard that I’ve made an impact on so many musicians. I am quite shocked to hear that.
Nerdier Tides: What is it like to have your work be considered part of pop culture globally?
Yoko Takahashi: I think one of the reasons is that Evangelion is so great. It’s great on so many different levels. The story, the acting, the music. Everything about it is so high quality. That’s part of the reason it has endured so long.
Queens Gazette: What do you like to do most when you visit New York City?
Yoko Takahashi: See shows both on and off Broadway.
The Natural Aristocrat: How do you feel the music industry has changed since you debuted in 1991?
Yoko Takahashi: When I had my debut in 1991, it was right after the bubble burst. The economy burst. At the time, the music landscape was very unstable. Over the past thirty-plus years, that instability has lingered. That has been the realm I have worked in.
Unknown Outlet: You’ve collaborated a lot with Toshiyuki Ōmori over the years. Is he one of your favorite creative partners? What is the creative process like when composing and recording music with him?
Yoko Takahashi: I knew him before my debut. He was a famous composer and studio musician. It was through him and his connections that I got the Evangelion gig. We have had such a great musical connection throughout all the years. At one point, I was part of his talent agency.
He was actually kind of the best man at my younger brother’s wedding. He feels almost like a family relative to me. He’s my sensei, my great teacher, and also someone I feel comfortable saying what I feel around him. We’ve had this long career together.
Unknown Brazilian Outlet: Thanks to Evangelion, your songs have become very popular in Brazil, especially in karaoke. Would you like to show in South America and can you send a message to your Brazilian fans?
Yoko Takahashi: Twenty years ago, I did a show in São Paulo. As you know, there are many Nisei, second-generation Japanese people living in Brazil. Even more so than English, there were a lot of people there who knew Japanese. At the time, I felt the connection between Brazil and Japan was very deep.
Now, my show has taken on a new style, with the backup dancers as well. I would love to bring my new show to South America or Brazil.
Anime Herald: How did you feel when you got a chance to cover Fly Me to the Moon? Were you familiar with Frank Sinatra’s version of it?
Yoko Takahashi: Frank Sinatra’s version is how I first learned of the song. I was deeply honored to be able to do a cover of Fly Me to the Moon.
Unknown Outlet: After thirty years since Evangelion’s debut, how has your relationship with the series and its global fan base evolved? What aspects of this journey have surprised you the most?
Yoko Takahashi: During the Corona [COVID-19] pandemic, when everybody was stuck at home, it was a moment in time when people could rewatch anime series over again, or watch it for the first time. One of the things I find so interesting about anime is, at the point you are watching it for the first time, it becomes new again. It becomes of that moment.
When Evangelion was on Netflix, it expanded the age range of the fan base. There were so many people who were getting to experience it for the first time. A younger audience. In Japan, the series is so beloved. It is broadcast over and over again on Japanese TV. That has expanded the audience base in Japan to become even younger. When you watch a series for the first time, it becomes a thing of the now, of the moment.
Unknown Outlet: Before you debuted, you worked with Toshinobu Kubota as a backup singer. Can you talk about your experience back then?
Yoko Takahashi: One of the first gigs I got in the music industry was being a background singer for Toshinobu Kubota. For those that don’t know him, he was one of the first singers to sing funk music in Japanese. Being a backup singer for him was a really fun learning experience for me as a young singer. One thing that he said to me, that inspired me, was “The background singers aren’t background singers because they are worse than the main performer. They have to be better than the main performer.” He gave me a sense of having a high level of professionalism in my singing ability and a fresh perspective as I was starting out as a young singer?
Michael Tom: What originally inspired you to enter the music industry? How have you evolved as an artist from when you debuted to now?
Yoko Takahashi: As I mentioned earlier, I got my start as a background singer with Kubota. I had always studied music from a young age. I had been in an amateur band. That’s when I got the offer to audition as one of Kubota’s background singers. That kickstarted my career into the music industry. I often get asked by younger artists, “How do I become a singer or get my start in the industry?”
For me, I polished my skills as a background singer as a studio musician. Even the things you are not good at, by repeatedly doing the things I was weaker at, I got better and better at them. You don’t want to just focus on just doing the skills you are good at. You want to polish the parts of you that aren’t as good as what you are known for. It’s a job. Singing is a job. You really can’t say no to anything. That’s how you get results in the industry. Polishing your skills and getting better at the things you are weaker at.
The Natural Aristrocrat: What song has been most challenging for you to perform in your career?
Yoko Takahashi: I would have to admit that of all of the songs I have sung the most, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.
Unknown Outlet: There is a popular version of A Cruel Angel’s Thesis done by the Glory Gospel Singers. That’s how I discovered Evangelion. How do you feel when artists cover A Cruel Angel’s Thesis and do their own remixes?
Yoko Takahashi: They don’t seek out my permission, so I am not up to speed on all of the different artists who have done covers of A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.
Part of the reason I have not heard any covers of the song is because there has never been an official release of a cover of A Cruel Angel’s Thesis. Everything that you’ve heard is something that the fans have done of their own accord, including all of the foreign versions.
Unknown Outlet: Are there any songs from your catalog that you wish were more popular like A Cruel Angel’s Thesis?
Yoko Takahashi: Another song of mine that was kind of a hit, perhaps you’ve heard of Soul’s Refrain? It’s very popular, but not as popular as A Cruel Angel’s Thesis. If I had to choose, it would be Soul’s Refrain.