Square hires Hong Kong pop star for FF VIII

[01.06.99] » For reasons unbeknownst to the GIA, Square has hired Hong Kong's top female vocalist to record FF VIII's title song. And it only cost them ... one MEEE-li-on dollars!! <raises pinky to mouth>

Faye Wong, Hong Kong's number one vocalist

   In a move that is sure to confound and confuse western audiences, Square recently paid the not-so-paltry sum of one million dollars to hire Hong Kong's number one female pop vocalist, Faye Wong. She will sing the title song "Eyes On Me" for Final Fantasy VIII. In grand "music from and inspired by" tradition, the game will feature two versions of the song. One is a pop music version that will no doubt receive extensive radio airplay throughout Asia. The other one is the orchestral, or "good" version. The song can be heard over the opening CG sequences to the game.

   For our readers who don't know who Faye Wong is (i.e. most of you), she is an extremely, extremely popular vocal artist in Asia. Asian music enthusiasts are not picky about what language their music is sung in; witness Xenogears' two songs with English vocals. It is unknown what language "Eyes On Me" will be sung in, but Wong usually sings in Mandarin or Cantonese. For more information, visit the excellent site www.faye.com.

   As a final note, this can be seen as the final nail in the coffin of gaming's once humble, "hard-core" roots. Five years ago, top titles were being produced for less than a million dollars; now, that kind of money is being bandied about for a single promotional song. Gaming has flirted with popular music in the past (the most notable venture being Wipeout XL), but the GIA is impressed with the magnitude of this original venture: a radio-ready single produced by Asia's hottest star, all in the name of gaming. Let's just pray Celine Dion doesn't dub the U.S. version!