Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一, Sakamoto Ryūichi, born January 17, 1952) ([sakamoto ɽju͍ːitɕi]) is a Japanese musician, activist, composer, record producer, writer, singer, pianist, and actor based in Tokyo and New York. Gaining major success in 1978 as a member of the electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), Sakamoto served on keyboards and sometimes vocals. The band had worldwide hits such as "Computer Game / Firecracker" (1978), "Behind the Mask" (1978) and "Rydeen" (1979), later playing a pioneering role in the techno and acid house movements of the 1990s.

He concurrently pursued a solo career, releasing the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives (1978), and later released the pioneering album B-2 Unit (1980), which included the electro classic "Riot in Lagos". From thereon, he produced more solo records, collaborated with many international artists, and pursued a wide variety of projects, such as having composed music for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony. His composition "Energy Flow" (1999) was the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) marked his debut as a film score composer and as an actor. The film's score received a BAFTA Award, and its main theme was adapted into a pop single entitled "Forbidden Colours" which became a worldwide hit. For his work as a film composer, he has won a Golden Globe Award for The Sheltering Sky (1990), plus another Golden Globe, Grammy, and Academy Award for The Last Emperor (1987). In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture for his musical contributions. On occasion, Sakamoto has also worked on anime and video games as a composer as well as a scenario writer.

Biography

Sakamoto's first of two marriages occurred in 1972, but ended in divorce two years later—Sakamoto has a daughter from this relationship. Sakamoto then married popular Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano in 1982, following several musical collaborations with her, including touring work with the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Sakamoto's second marriage ended in August 2006, 14 years after a mutual decision to live separately—Yano and Sakamoto raised one daughter, J-pop singer Miu Sakamoto.　He has lived with his manager since around 1990 and has two children with her.

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