Manami Kiyota

Manami Kiyota is a Japanese composer, singer, and radio presenter. She has composed, arranged, and sung music for the Xenoblade games, and she composed the majority of tracks in the Xenoblade Original Soundtrack.

Biography
Kiyota was born on the 3rd of April, 1979 in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. She became interested in music from a young age, having begun playing the piano at the age of 4. She grew up studying music, and in high school and college she learnt vocal music in classical, Bulgarian folk, and Japanese folk styles. She also studied composition and use of music synthesisers at this time.

Kiyota's first published work was her album Tsukimorino Matsuri / Manami Kiyota, which contained her original vocal works. Shortly afterwards, she performed as the main vocalist on the Final Fantasy song book: mahoroba, featuring songs from the Final Fantasy series of games (composed by Nobuo Uematsu).

Kiyota began work with the Xeno series as a composer in the development of Xenoblade Chronicles. Around this time in 2010, Kiyota founded her own music unit, 'manamik', and has produced via this until the present day.

Relevance to the Xeno series
Kiyota has composed a significant number of tracks for the numbered Xenoblade games, particularly the original Xenoblade Chronicles. Her pieces tend to be used as cutscene and area themes moreso than battle themes, although she has composed the latter as well. She has also arranged several tracks, and has sung as the main vocalist both on her own tracks and those composed by others.

Xenoblade Chronicles

 * Composer
 * Memories
 * A Friend on My Mind
 * Ancient Mysteries
 * Intrigue
 * Regret
 * Face
 * Disquiet
 * Apprehension
 * Reminiscence (Music Box)
 * Egil's Theme
 * Towering Shadow
 * Shadows Creeping
 * Rage, Darkness of the Heart
 * Bionis' Awakening
 * A Spiritual Place
 * Zanza the Divine
 * Futures That Lie Ahead
 * In the Refugee Camp
 * Colony 6 - Ether Mine
 * Satorl Marsh (Night)
 * Colony 6 - Silence
 * Forest of the Nopon
 * Forest of the Nopon (Night)
 * Frontier Village (Night)
 * Eryth Sea (Night)
 * Alcamoth, Imperial Capital
 * Alcamoth, Imperial Capital (Night)
 * Where the Ancestors Sleep
 * Colony 6 - Rebuilding
 * Prison Island
 * Sword Valley (Night)
 * The Fallen Land
 * The Fallen Land (Night)
 * Colony 6 - Hope
 * Bionis' Interior (Carcass)
 * Bionis' Interior (Pulse)
 * Memory's End
 * Colony 6 - Future
 * Gran Dell (Night)
 * Arranger (all above tracks except for Colony 6 - Silence, Alcamoth, Imperial Capital (Night), Colony 6 - Hope, and Colony 6 - Future)
 * Singer (Zanza the Divine (Definitive Edition))
 * The Fallen Land
 * The Fallen Land (Night)
 * Colony 6 - Hope
 * Bionis' Interior (Carcass)
 * Bionis' Interior (Pulse)
 * Memory's End
 * Colony 6 - Future
 * Gran Dell (Night)
 * Arranger (all above tracks except for Colony 6 - Silence, Alcamoth, Imperial Capital (Night), Colony 6 - Hope, and Colony 6 - Future)
 * Singer (Zanza the Divine (Definitive Edition))
 * Gran Dell (Night)
 * Arranger (all above tracks except for Colony 6 - Silence, Alcamoth, Imperial Capital (Night), Colony 6 - Hope, and Colony 6 - Future)
 * Singer (Zanza the Divine (Definitive Edition))

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 * Composer
 * The Ancient Vessel
 * Gormotti Forest
 * The Heroic Adventures
 * War and Peace
 * A Place in the Sun
 * Misgivings
 * Tensed Mind
 * The Abandoned City
 * Heart in the Fog
 * The Ancient Vessel (Piano Arrange)
 * Arranger (all above tracks except for The Ancient Vessel (Piano Arrange), as well as Orbital Ring)
 * Singer (Elysium in the Dream, )
 * Heart in the Fog
 * The Ancient Vessel (Piano Arrange)
 * Arranger (all above tracks except for The Ancient Vessel (Piano Arrange), as well as Orbital Ring)
 * Singer (Elysium in the Dream, )

Torna ~ The Golden Country

 * Composer
 * Auresco, Royal Capital/Night
 * Auresco, Royal Capital/Night
 * Auresco, Royal Capital/Night

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

 * Composer and Arranger
 * Indescribable Unease
 * Iris Network
 * Nearing the Enemy
 * Quiet Intrigue
 * Those Who Devour Life
 * Remorse
 * Great Cotte Falls/Night
 * Light of the Moon - Hope
 * Syra Hovering Reefs/Night
 * Great Sword's Base/Night
 * City/Night
 * Battle on the Seas
 * Captocorn Peak/Night
 * Converging Emotions
 * Elaice Highway/Night
 * Grand Theater of Life
 * Z - Harbinger of the End
 * Melia - Ancient Memories
 * Yesterdale - Colony 9
 * Yesterdale - Colony 9/Night
 * Redeem the Future
 * Redeem the Future - Finale
 * Singer (Melia - Ancient Memories)
 * Elaice Highway/Night
 * Grand Theater of Life
 * Z - Harbinger of the End
 * Melia - Ancient Memories
 * Yesterdale - Colony 9
 * Yesterdale - Colony 9/Night
 * Redeem the Future
 * Redeem the Future - Finale
 * Singer (Melia - Ancient Memories)

Kiyotago
Similar to Yuki Kajiura's Kajiurago, many songs by Kiyota feature gibberish lyrics. This includes:

Xenoblade Chronicles

 * Ancient Mysteries
 * Bionis' Awakening
 * A Spiritual Place
 * Zanza the Divine
 * Satorl Marsh (Night)
 * Memory's End

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

 * Zanza the Divine (Definitive Edition ver.)
 * Satorl Marsh/Night (Definitive Edition ver.)
 * Eryth Sea (Definitive Edition ver.)
 * Memory's End (Definitive Edition ver.)

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 * The Ancient Vessel
 * The Abandoned City
 * The Abandoned City

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

 * Nearing the Enemy
 * Battle on the Seas
 * Grand Theater of Life
 * Z - Harbinger of the End
 * Melia - Ancient Memories
 * Grand Theater of Life
 * Z - Harbinger of the End
 * Melia - Ancient Memories

Future Redeemed

 * Redeem the Future
 * Redeem the Future - Finale

Interviews

 * VinculoUroboro (27 Oct 2023)