Short answers, pulled from the story.
Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese composer and pianist born on the 19th of October 1967. She composed music for Street Fighter II, Super Mario RPG, Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy XV, among many others.
Shimomura graduated from Osaka College of Music as a piano major in 1988. She sent work samples to video game companies and was hired by Capcom after an audition, beginning her career with Samurai Sword in 1988.
Shimomura considers the Legend of Mana soundtrack the one that best expresses herself and says it is her personal favourite. She has also called Kingdom Hearts the most "special" soundtrack of her career and named her composition "Dearly Beloved" as her favourite individual piece.
Kingdom Hearts shipped more than four million copies worldwide. Shimomura's music was frequently cited as one of the game's highlights, and the title track was ranked the fourth-best role-playing game title track of all time.
Shimomura left Square after completing Kingdom Hearts in 2002, departing for maternity leave and beginning freelance work in 2003. As a freelancer, she continued composing for all eleven Kingdom Hearts games and expanded to other projects including the Mario & Luigi series.
Shimomura received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards and the BAFTA Fellowship award in 2025.