KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — J-rock icon Yoshiki will be composing and performing an official Hello Kitty 50th anniversary theme song to celebrate Kitty-chan’s five decades of being the world’s ambassador of kawaii culture.
The decision came after legendary anime voice actress Megumi Hayashibara was removed by Sanrio Company, Ltd, which owned the brand, from the role, SoraNews24 reported.
Besides not providing Kitty-chan’s speaking voice, Hayashibara's removal also meant she would not be providing the singing voice for the character.
Responding to the news, Yoshiki, a former X Japan front man, said it was an honour to be offered the opportunity to create an official global theme song.
“Hello Kitty is always cute and makes everyone smile. But that is not all. You also have inner strength. And as you make friends with others, I feel as if I understand the many reasons why people around the world love you,” he said.
According to the portal, it was possible that Sanrio plans to use the Yoshiki-composed global theme song as a debut for Hello Kitty’s new voice, although the company has yet to announce a replacement voice actress for Hayashibara.
There was also a possibility that the role would use an A.I.-generated voice.
Yoshiki’s Hello Kitty theme song is scheduled to be released sometime this spring.
