Yu Peng-Chen: The music maker of Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact would never have its iconic login screen music and exhilarating battle themes without its music maker, Yu Peng-Chen, a Chinese film composer, music producer, and music director.
Yu Peng-Chen: The music maker of Genshin Impact
Soundtracks and melodies in movies, games, and songs by themselves give consumers a more immersive experience of the moment. It adds to the thrill, and enjoyment, and enhances the overall impression of the media consumed. This is why soundtracks are painstakingly forged to perfection.
Early life’s ensemble
Yu-Peng Chen was born on January 15, 1984, to his mother who retired from being a vocalist, and his father who majors in Mathematics. During his childhood, he noted that he felt the “power of music” for the first time when he watched the Japanese animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) by Hayao Miyazaki.
While at school age, he studied at the Shenzhen Arts School under Jiang Baocheng (姜宝成) and Tao Ran (陶然), both clarinet educators. When Chen was 16 years old, he acquires the skills and fundamental theories of composition under Ju Zongze (居宗泽), an instructor teaching solfeggio and music theories, and a former assistant lecturer at the said school.
In 2002, he moved to Shanghai, and later on, he admit to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He was, at first, a major in playing the clarinet but later on, changed to become a major in Music Design and Production thanks to Ju Zongze’s suggestion along with the instructor’s discovery of Chen’s strong interest in composition.
As time goes by, he learned and had opportunities to collaborate with Japanese musician Tanimura Shinji and some known Chinese musicians/composers such as Chen Qiangbin (陈强斌), An Dong (安栋), and Wu Yuebei (吴粤北) which until now, contributes to the kind of music he composed and will compose throughout his career. Later on, he graduates from the Conservatory With Honors.
The career’s crescendo
After graduation, he had his first job as a composer for the Armor Hero series in China. After a while, he landed collaborations with the Hong Kongese film composer Chan Kwong-wing for the films such as The Last Tycoon and From Vegas To Macau series of films.
He also composed music and OSTs for another Hong Kongese film director Raymond Yip for films such as The House That Never Dies and Phantom of the Theatre. Lastly, he also composed scores for the film Butterfly Cemetery and a Chinese educational children’s TV show, Magic Town.
In 2015, Yu-Peng Chen was a music producer for the game Moonlight Blade, a martial-art-themed MMORPG from Tencent Games, and under the guidance of a music director named Yang Jie (杨结), who was strict about innovation in music. This is his first rondo in the gaming industry’s music.
Alongside his musical work in the game, he also built his own fanbase where he regularly communicates with the players and takes into account their preferences, therefore, creating music with inclusivity and more elements to it. The composer drew not only on the theme of martial arts but took into account the shaping of firsthand impressions, a very crucial factor for a game.
The forte of talent
Yu-Peng Chen was successful in his career in making OSTs for Moonlight Blade and in 2019, miHoYo hires Chen to produce soundtracks for Genshin Impact alongside the company’s in-house music studio, HOYO-MiX. He described the work as difficult and this is his first major video game work.
However, the game’s success alongside the fans’ appreciation for Genshin Impact’s music proves that Yu-Peng Chen is doing his work with great care and dedication.
