Ryuichi Sakamoto autobiography ‘Music Sets You Free: A Memoir’ announced

An autobiography from the late legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, titled Music Sets You Free: A Memoir, has been announced today (June 9).

The memoir from the “godfather of electronic music” will be released on September 22 via HarperVia books.

A statement from publishers HarperVia (an imprint of Harper Collins) described it as “the complete autobiography from the legendary and fearless musician, composer, and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto, in a brilliant translation from the Japanese by Sam Bett and with the full support and collaboration of Sakamoto’s estate and management team.”

You can pre-order the memoir here.

A statement from publishing house Harper Collins added: “Music Sets You Free combines the translations of Sakamoto’s two memoirs published in Japanese – Music Makes You Free and How Many More Times Will I Watch the Full Moon Rise? It offers an intimate, contemplative account of his life, from his first encounter with a piano, to his rise as a global pop star, and his later reflections on mortality and music in the wake of multiple cancer treatments and surgeries.

“An affirming, beautifully written testament to art, life and sound, Music Sets You Free is a lasting gift from a true musical great.

Sakamoto died in 2023 at the age of 71. After making his name as a founding member of pioneering electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, he went on to become a revered composer for films such as The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Revenant.

The NME obituary for Sakamoto said: “Over the decades, he remained fascinated with the pop song, testing the endurance of its form through different methods of musicianship – even while holding on to his earliest and dearest classical inspirations. In the wake of his departure, it’s hard to imagine that there will ever be another like Ryuichi Sakamoto.”

Meanwhile, last year, the estate of Sakamoto joined the ’No Music For Genocide’ campaign and removed his music from streaming in Israel.

The campaign was a cultural boycott initiative encouraging artists and rights-holders to pull their music from streaming platforms in Israel in response to the genocide in Gaza.

Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., Amyl & The Sniffers, and Kneecap were among the first leading names to join the initiative and were soon joined by Paramore, Rina Sawayama, MIKE, Primal Scream, Faye Webster, Japanese Breakfast, Yaeji, King Krule, MJ Lenderman, Mannequin Pussy, Wednesday, Soccer Mommy and MØ.

The estate of the legendary Japanese composer also joined, writing on Facebook: “To the extent possible, the Estate has removed or issued formal requests to labels to remove his music from all DSP (streaming and download) services in Israel. For much of his catalog, this has already taken effect.”

Other leading names to back ‘No Music For Genocide’ included Björk, Lorde, IDLES, MUNA, Paloma Faith, Clairo, Wolf Alice, Lucy Dacus and AURORA.