Sarah Àlainn
Sarah Àlainn サラ・オレイン | |
|---|---|
 Àlainn in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Instruments | Violin, Vocals, Guitar, Kalimba, Looper |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Universal Music |
| Member of | La Diva[1] |
Sarah Àlainn is an Australian singer-songwriter. She is mostly active in Japan.[2]
In 2010, her vocals were featured on the closing theme song "Beyond the Sky" (composed by Yasunori Mitsuda) for the Xenoblade video game on Wii.[3] While studying at the University of Tokyo, she learned that composer Yasunori Mitsuda was looking for a singer with native-language English for a video game song, and she was hired by Mitsuda for the role. After returning to Australia, she learned that the song was very well received, and decided to become a singer. Àlainn returned to Japan with her family's permission (for only a year) only to begin her musical career. Near the end of the one-year period before she had to return to Australia, her demo CD went to Universal Music and they extended her a recording contract. Her father had recently died and she thinks the contract was his gift to her from beyond the grave.[4]
Àlainn's second classical music album Sarah had originally charted at no. 13 in the Billboard Japan Top Classical Albums. In December 2014 it moved up to no. 1, after Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu had performed to the song "The Final Time Traveler" at the exhibition gala of the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final. Àlainn also presented the song with Hanyu as a live music collaboration at the 2014 edition of the touring ice show Fantasy on Ice.[5]
In 2015, David Foster offers Sarah Àlainn to sing Colors of the Wind for the Japanese version of the album We Love Disney (2015 album).[6]
In 2017, she plays the violin for Ludovico Einaudi's concert at the Sumida Triphony Hall.[7]
Since 2018, she has been the co-host of Kabuki Kool (alongside Kataoka Ainosuke VI), a Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) TV program used to introduce kabuki to foreign audiences.[8][9]
Multi-instrumentalist
Àlainn is known for playing various instruments in concert. While her main instruments are her voice and the violin (acoustic and electric), she also plays the piano and keyboards, the kalimba (using a custom instrument made from Japanese larch),[10] and occasionally the guitar,[11] the harpsichord or the pipe organ.[12] She can also be seen performing with loopers (Roland RC-300), synthesizers such as the Expressive E Osmose,[13] the Arturia MicroFreak's vocoder, or effect pedals like the Microcosm by Hologram Electronics.
Album
| Number | Release date | Title | Catalog Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Edition | Regular Edition | |||
| 1st | 2012-6-20 | Celeste | UCCY-9014 | UCCY-1025 |
| 2nd | 2014-9-24 | SARAH | UCCY-9021 (Blu-ray)UCCY-9020 (DVD) | UCCY-1040 |
| 2015-4-8 | SARAH – Deluxe Edition | UCCY-1054/5 | ||
| 3rd | 2015-11-25 | f | UCCY-9025 | UCCY-1059 |
| 4th | 2017-2-22 | ANIMA | UCCY-1074 | |
| 5th | 2017-10-25 | Cinema Music | UCCY-1084 | |
| 6th | 2018-10-17 | Timeless SARAH ALAINN BEST | UCCY-1090/1 (2CD) | |
| 7th | 2022-5-20 | One | UWCD-90001 | UWCD-10001 |
| 8th | 2025-6-11 | ISEKAI - ISEKAI - Anime & Video Game Muse | IVYR-10104/5 | IVYR-10106 |
Video game songs
| Release year | Game | Song title | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Xenoblade Chronicles | Beyond The Sky | Yasunori Mitsuda |
| 2012 | Time Travelers | The Final Time Traveler | Hideki Sakamoto |
| 2017 | Valkyria Revolution | Azure Revolution | Yasunori Mitsuda |
| Lacrimosa ~ Tears to Dust | |||
| Feel My Wrath | |||
| Requiem in the Dark Night ~Presage and Death~ | |||
| VALKYRIA ~The Power of Destruction~ | |||
| Eternal Rest | |||
| 2022 | Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak | Sunbreak | Satoshi Hori |
| 2024 | Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes | Flags of Brave | Michiko Naruke, Motoi Sakuraba[14] |
| 2024 | SaGa: Emerald Beyond | Kenji Ito |
Anime and TV music
| Release year | Title | Song title | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Segodon (TV historical drama) | Wa ga kokyô, Segodon Kikô Satsuma-hen, Segodon Kikô Yoshinosuke-hen, Waga kokyô ～Umi no kanata～ | Harumi Fuuki |
| 2021 | The Promised Neverland (Anime) | Main Theme, Isabella's Theme | Takahiro Ōbata |
| 2022 | Irina (Anime) | Simple Life ~ My Beloved | Yasunori Mitsuda |
| 2025 | Bâan (Anime short film) | Homebird | Kevin Penkin |
TV and radio shows
- Kabuki Kool[17] (NHK World Japan, since April 2018). TV program explaining the art of kabuki to non-Japanese audiences. Hosted with Kataoka Ainosuke VI.
- Peace of Mind[18] (Tokyo FM/FM Osaka, since April 2015) Radio show featuring famous and rare tracks from Japan and the world.
References
- ^"PROFILE | Sarah Àlainn 公式サイト「1/F」".
- ^"Mainichi Weekly CD ウィークリータイプ". Mainichi Weekly CD. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^"『XENOBLADE （ゼノブレイド）』のエンディングを歌ったサラ・オレインが駒場祭でライブ". famitsu.com (in Japanese). 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^"人生を変えた東大留学時の体験 いやしの歌姫サラ・オレインさん". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^第1位はサラ・オレイン『SARAH』、フィギュアスケート・ベストが初登場第2位. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022.
- ^"Sarah Àlainn joins star-cast on Disney's "We Love Disney" album produced by David Foster!". www.facebook.com. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^"Sarah Àlainn ~サラ~". Tumblr. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^"「KABUKI KOOL」が新ナビゲーターで第5シーズンスタート". kabuki-bito.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^"Kabuki Kool". NHK Global site. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^"八ヶ岳カラマツ・カリンバ Yatsugatake Karamatsu Kalimba". Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^"Sarah Àlainn ~サラ~". Tumblr. December 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^【LIVE】Shchedryk Carol of the Bells /Pipe Organ, Voice & Choir｜Sarah Àlainn サラ・オレイン | パイプオルガン弾き語り. Retrieved 5 April 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^"Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^"Flags of Brave - Official Eiyuden Chronicle Wiki". Official Eiyuden Chronicle Wiki. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^Crazy for Who？ / Diva No.5【SaGa Emerald Beyond official MV】. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^"SQEX-11121~3 | SaGa Emerald Beyond Original Soundtrack - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^"KABUKI KOOL | NHK WORLD-JAPAN". NHK WORLD. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^"《TOKYO FM新番組》音楽の女神 サラ・オレイン、初のラジオレギュラー番組！『Peace of Mind：土曜の朝のサラ・オレイン』". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES (in Japanese). 27 March 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
