Hikaru Utada answered the prayers of millions of Kingdom Hearts fans this Easter weekend. The 39-year-old J-Pop superstar performed series themes Simple and Clean and Face My Fears at Coachella, the first American music festival in her 26-year career.
Utada announced on Instagram on Friday that she would be performing at Coachella the next evening as part of the Head In The Clouds Forever showcase hosted by 88rising, a multinational record label that represents Asian and Asian American artists in the U.S. Come Saturday, fans who attended the festival, live as well as those who watched from home, jumped to their feet as the singer opened the performance with Simple and Clean, the theme song from Kingdom Hearts.
Japanese Kingdom Hearts superfan and business owner Audrey (aka @aitaikimochi), who watched the event from home, tweeted two videos of Utada performing each theme song. She performed on her own for the first song, and backup dancers moved to the beat drops of Face My Fears, which Utada wrote and produced with Skrillex for Kingdom Hearts 3.
UTADA HIKARU OPENED WITH SIMPLE AND CLEAN AT COACHELLA AHHHHH!!!!!! I CRIED 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/FE4RCnM9er
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) April 17, 2022
UTADA HIKARU ALSO SANG FACE MY FEARS AT COACHELLA- QUEEEEEN!!!!!! 👑👑 pic.twitter.com/m0TqLROuc1
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) April 17, 2022
The other songs that were part of Utada’s set list included First Love and Automatic, two singles from her 1999 debut album that shares the name of the former. She also performed their new single T with Indonesian rapper Warren Hue at the end of the showcase.
Utada singing the Kingdom Hearts theme songs live in the U.S. for the very first time was a real treat for gamers in the audience and at home. It was even sweeter that she performed the tracks at Coachella. With the Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary celebrations in full swing and Kingdom Hearts 4 set to release within the next few years, it may not be long before Utada produces a new theme song for the next installment — if she chooses to, that is.
