This year’s Anime NYC celebrated 30 Years of Neon Genesis Evangelion with Yoko Takahashi, best known as the singer for the anime’s theme song “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” Alongside the exciting programming at Anime NYC (including an unforgettable special concert), members of the press had the opportunity to sit in conversation with her in the early hours of the convention. The conversation covered her reaction to Evangelion and her music’s enduring legacy as well as some recollections about her own start in the music industry.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited or clarity.
Q: Over your entire career, you have been singing jazz, pop, rock. How have you maintained your voice over that amount of time? How do you train your voice to do so many genres?
A: I was in a chorus group for 10 years as a young girl, and a lot of the training that I learned during that time I still uses to this day as an adult.
Q: As we’re celebrating the anniversary of the contribution to Evangelion, what are your thoughts on the journey that you’ve had leading up until today?
A: My life has really been impacted by Evangelion.
Q: Do you think people love Evangelion because they can relate to the characters in their own way, or was it the story’s music that sealed the deal?
A: I think it’s both.
Q: According to JOYSOUND, “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis” was one of the top four songs in the first half of 2025. What are your thoughts on the song’s enduring popularity?
A: I actually really want to know the secret behind it as well. For karaoke in Japan it is a song that really kind of gets everybody together and brings them together, so I think that’s also part of the reason for its enduring popularity.
Q: Musicians have said that your music is an inspiration to them. How does it feel to be such a foundational part of other musicians’ careers?
A: This is the first time I’ve heard that, so I was a little surprised.
Q: What is it like to have your work considered an iconic part of pop culture overall, globally?
A: I think one of the reasons is that Evangelion itself is so great. It’s great on so many different levels — the story, the actors, the music, everything about the piece in and of itself is such a high quality that that’s part of the reason that it’s endured for so long.
Q: What do you like to do most when you visit New York City?
A: Seeing shows both on and off-Broadway.
Q: How do you feel the music industry has changed since when you first started in 1991?
A: When I had my debut in 1991 it was right after the bubble burst. At that time, the music landscape was very unstable. Over the past 30 years, that unstableness has still lingered there. That has been the realm in which I’ve been working up until my whole career.
Q: You’ve collaborated a lot with Toshiyuki Omori over the years. Is he one of your favorite creative partners? What’s the creative process like composing and recording music with him?
A: I actually knew him before my debut; he was a famous composer and also a studio musician. Through him and his connections, that’s how I got the Evangelion gig. We have had such a great musical connection throughout all the years. At one point, I was a part of his talent agency. He was even something like the best man at my younger brother’s wedding. So he really feels almost like a relative to me. He’s my sensei, a great teacher in my life. Also, he’s someone that I feel comfortable with, to he point where I can say how I feel around him. We’ve had this long career together.
Q: Thanks to Evangelion, your songs became very popular in Brazil, especially for karaoke. Would you like to do a show in South America? Could you send a message to your Brazilian fans?
A: Actually, 20 years ago, I did a show in Sao Paolo, Brazil. And as you may know there are many second-generation Japanese people actually living in Brazil. And so, though less so than English, there were many people there who knew Japanese. At that time, I felt the connection between Japan and Brazil was very deep. Now my show has taken on a new style, and with the backup dancers as well. So I would love to bring my new show to perform in South America or Brazil.
Q: How did you feel when you got the chance to cover “Fly Me to the Moon?” Were you familiar with Frank Sinatra’s version of it?
A: Of course, the Frank Sinatra version is the most famous version around the world, and that’s actually how I first learned of the song. So I was deeply honored to be able to do a cover of “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Q: After 30 years since Evangelion first aired, how has your relationship with both the series and its global fan base evolved? What aspects of this journey have surprised you the most?
A: One thought that I had was during the corona pandemic when everybody was kind of stuck at home and you couldn’t leave. It was a moment in time where people could go back and re-watch anime series over again or watch them for the first time. And one of the things that I find so interesting about anime is that at the point that you are watching it for the first time, it becomes new again. It becomes of that moment again. So, when Evangelion was on Netflix, it really expanded the age range of the fan base because there were so many people who were getting to experience for the first time — and a younger audience as well at that. And in Japan, the series is so beloved, it’s broadcasted over and over again on Japanese TV and that’s even expanded the audience base in Japan to be even younger. So, it’s really interesting that when you watch it for the first time, anime, it becomes a thing of the now, of the moment.
And that’s something that I definitely feel is a recent phenomenon.
Q: Before your debut, you used to work with Toshinobu Kubota, one of the most well-known Japanese singers. You used to be a back chorus singer. Could you talk about the experience working with him back then?
A: One of the first gigs I got in the music industry was actually being a background singer for Toshinobu Kubota. For those who don’t know him, he’s really the first person to sing funk music in Japanese. Being a backup singer for him was really a fun learning experience for me as a young singer. One thing that he said to me that inspired me was that the background singers aren’t background singers because they’re worse than the main performer. They actually have to be better than the main performer. He gave me a sense of having a very high level of professionalism in my singing ability at that age. He gave me a fresh perspective as I was starting out as a young singer.
Q: What originally inspired you to want to go into the music industry? How would you say that you have grown and developed as an artist over the years from when you debuted compared to now?
A: As I mentioned earlier, I got my start with Kubota, as a background singer. But I had always studied music from a young age and was actually in an amateur band. That’s when I got the audition offer for being one of Kubota’s background singers and that kind of kick-started my career in the industry. I often get asked by younger artists, how do I become a singer or how do I get my start in the industry. And for me, I really polished my skills as a background singer and as a studio musician. So even the things that you’re not good at — by repeatedly doing the things that you’re weaker at, you get better and better and better at those things. You don’t want to just focus on doing the skills that you’re actually good at. You really want to spend the time polishing the parts of you that aren’t as good as what you’re known for. Singing is a job, so you really can’t say no to anything, and that’s how you actually get results in the industry, is polishing your skills and becoming good at the things that you are weaker at.
Q: What song has been the most challenging in your career to perform?
A: I have to admit that out of all the songs that I’ve sung the most that I still don’t feel great at, it would be “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
Q: Are there any other songs in your discography that you wish were more popular, like “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” that you wish fans would also listen to?
A: Another song of mine that’s actually kind of a hit is — perhaps you’ve heard of “Soul’s Refrain.” It’s very popular, but not quite as popular as “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” So, if I had to pick one song that I would like the fans to listen to even more, it would be “Soul’s Refrain.”
We’d like to thank Yoko Takahashi for taking the time to speak with members of the press and thank the staff of Anime NYC for putting on such a wonderful convention this year. You can watch Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix.
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