Yoko Kanno is a composer, arranger, performer, and music producer celebrated for her work across anime, video games, film, and television. She is known worldwide for her anime scores — above all Cowboy Bebop, whose opening theme "Tank!" has become instantly recognizable far beyond the screen, along with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Macross Frontier, Darker than Black, and Genesis of Aquarion. Her career began in video game music, including the long-running Nobunaga's Ambition series, and she has scored films by Palme d'Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Beyond the screen, she composed and conducted Ray of Water for the 2019 enthronement of the Emperor of Japan. Her recovery anthem for the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Hana wa Saku (Flowers Will Bloom), has been sung around the world — and for several years was performed by the choir of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican at the memorial Mass for the disaster. As a live artist, she fronts the band SEATBELTS, the powerhouse ensemble behind the Cowboy Bebop soundtracks.
For the first time in Italy, she will be at Lucca Comics & Games on 31 October and 1 November 2026. On 3 November 2026, she brings her solo project PIANO ME — fusing live piano with striking visuals — to Milan for its European premiere.
Credits: Ayami Kawashima
