Cornelius (musician)

File:Cornelius 5268079w.jpg]]

Oyamada was born in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. His first claim to fame was as a member of the pop duo Flipper's Guitar, one of the key groups of the Tokyo Shibuya-kei scene. Following the disbandment of Flipper's Guitar in 1991, Oyamada donned the "Cornelius" moniker and embarked on a successful solo career. He chose his pseudonym in tribute to the character of the same name from the film Planet of the Apes. He commissioned a song, about himself, on Momus' 1999 album Stars Forever.

In 2005, the Spinto Band referenced him in their song "Japan Is an Island" on their album Nice and Nicely Done.

As of September 2006, he was no longer signed to Matador Records.{{cite web |url=http://www.plasticbamboo.com/2006/09/12/matador-not-releasing-new-cornelius-album/ |title=Matador not releasing new Cornelius album |website=Plastic Bamboo |date=12 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204014646/http://www.plasticbamboo.com/2006/09/12/matador-not-releasing-new-cornelius-album/ |archive-date=4 February 2009}}

In 2006 and 2007 respectively, the song "The Micro Disneycal World Tour" from the Fantasma album, was used for Nick Park's Creature Comforts and Sky television's "Surf, Speak, See" advertisements in the UK. It had also been used several years earlier in an ironic NFL television commercial in the US, which juxtaposed the song's relaxing qualities with video clips showing rapid, aggressive football playmaking.

In 2010, he contributed the song "Katayanagi Twins vs. Sex Bob-Omb" to the film soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

In 2013, he participated with Taku Satoh and Yugo Nakamura directing the music for the exhibition Design Ah! at 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo.{{Cite magazine|last1=Balboa|first1=Rafael A.|last2=Paklone|first2=Ilze|url=https://www.domusweb.it/en/design/2013/02/18/design-ah-.html |title=Design Ah!|magazine=Domus|date=February 18, 2013|access-date=July 22, 2021}}

Cornelius was a pioneer of the Shibuya-kei style of music in Japan.{{cite web |last=Kaye |first=Ben |title=Cornelius Resigns from Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Over History of Bullying |url=https://consequence.net/2021/07/cornelius-tokyo-olympics-opening-ceremony-bullying/ |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=Consequence of Sound |date=19 July 2021}} The music of Cornelius could be described as experimental and exploratory, and often incorporates dissonant elements alongside more familiar harmonically "pleasing" sounds. He also incorporates sounds and samples from mass culture, pure electronic tones, and sounds from nature (such as on his Point album). American music journalists often describe Cornelius' musical style as being similar to Beck's, whom he acknowledges as an influence along with the Beach Boys, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and the Brazilian band Kassin + 2, among others.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}}

Oyamada married musician and collaborator Takako Minekawa in 2000 and they have one child, Milo, named after the son of Cornelius in Planet of the Apes.{{cn|date=June 2023}} They divorced in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/takako-minekawa-mn0000790646/biography|title=Takako Minekawa|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=August 23, 2023|last=Phares|first=Heather}} Since 2020, he has been in a long term relationship with Minami Yamaguchi, the owner of a fashion shop in Setagaya, Tokyo.{{cite web |title=Keigo Oyamada, a divorced man who has disappeared since the Tokyo Olympics... Directly photographed "serious love cultivated with a younger musician" by Keigo Oyamada, a divorced man. |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/keigo-oyamada-a-divorced-man-who-has-disappeared-since-the-tokyo-olympics-directly-photographed-serious-love-cultivated-with-a-younger-musician-by-keigo-oyamada-a-divorced-man/ar-AA1dwc7R |website=MSN |access-date=6 July 2023}}

He is a second cousin of Joi Ito and Miki Berenyi,{{cite magazine |url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/miki_berenyi_interview_1020071/ |title=Miki Berenyi |last=Carpenter |first=Lorraine |magazine=Under the Radar |date=2 October 2007 |access-date=16 March 2018}} the latter who appears on the song "The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness" from Mellow Waves.{{cite web |url=https://jezebel.com/a-chat-with-japanese-musician-cornelius-about-growing-o-1797040740 |title=A Chat With Japanese Musician Cornelius About Growing Older and New Album Mellow Waves |last=Cills |first=Hazel |website=Jezebel |date=21 July 2017 |access-date=16 March 2018}}

In interviews in 1994 and 1995, Oyamada said that he had bullied and assaulted several students with disabilities in school.{{cite news|last=Yamashita|first=Chie |date=16 July 2021|title=Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony music leader under fire for past bullying|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210716/p2a/00m/0na/008000c|access-date=17 July 2021|website=The Mainichi}} In one interview, Oyamada dismissed the incidents with a laugh.{{Cite news|last=McCurry|first=Justin |date=2021-07-18|title=Filled with doubt, division and Covid, Tokyo braces for Olympics|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/18/filled-with-doubt-division-and-covid-tokyo-braces-for-olympics|access-date=2021-07-18|work=The Observer}} In a 1995 interview for {{Interlanguage link|Quick Japan|ja|Quick Japan}},{{Cite news|date=2021-07-17|title=組織委、小山田さん続投に理解を|work=Reuters|agency=Kyodo News|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idJP2021071701000567|access-date=2021-07-17|language=ja}} Oyamada said he was involved with a group of bullies who had locked a disabled student in a vaulting box,{{cite news|last1=Yoshizawa|first1=Hidemasa |last2=Saito|first2=Yusuke |date=17 July 2021|title=Olympic composer apologizes for historic actions|url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14397427|access-date=17 July 2021|work=The Asahi Shimbun}} wrapped another student in gymnastics mattresses and kicked them,{{cite web|last=Bloom|first=Ben |date=19 July 2021|title=Japanese composer axed from Olympics opening ceremony after boasts about abusing disabled classmates revealed|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2021/07/17/composer-forced-disabled-classmates-eat-faeces-masturbate-will/|access-date=22 July 2021|website=The Telegraph}} forced a student to eat their excrement, taped a cardboard box around a student's head and poured chalk inside, made fun of a disabled student running a long-distance race, and forced a student to masturbate in front of other students. A dialogue between Oyamada and the victims was planned by the magazine Rockin'On Japan, but all of the victims refused to meet him. One of the victims' mothers picked up the phone and told the interviewer that her son had considered suicide.{{cite magazine|date=January 1994|title=Interview with Keigo Oyamada (Cornelius, A Japanese Musician)|url=http://oymdkig.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-2.html|access-date=17 July 2021|magazine=Rockin'On Japan|via=OYMDKIG}}

On July 14, 2021, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) announced that Oyamada would be a composer of the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, with the concept being "the ability to celebrate differences, to empathise, and to live side by side with compassion for one another".{{cite press release|date=14 July 2021|title=Tokyo 2020 unveils concepts behind Games' Opening and Closing Ceremonies|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/tokyo-2020-unveils-concepts-behind-games-opening-and-closing-ceremonies|access-date=17 July 2021|publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718192921/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/tokyo-2020-unveils-concepts-behind-games-opening-and-closing-ceremonies|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|date=14 July 2021|title=東京2020大会開閉会式4式典共通コンセプトならびに東京2020オリンピック開閉会式コンセプトを発表|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/ja/news/news-20210714-03-ja|access-date=17 July 2021|publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|language=ja|archive-date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723224942/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/ja/news/news-20210714-03-ja|url-status=dead}} The announcement caused a social media backlash due to Oyamada's personal history. Two days later, Oyamada tweeted an apology, but also said articles had contained exaggerations or mistakes that he had not corrected.{{cite news|date=16 July 2021|title=小山田圭吾さん謝罪文全文 自身のツイッターに掲載|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP7J67FTP7JUTIL03F.html|access-date=17 July 2021|work=The Asahi Shimbun|language=ja}} On the same day, the TOCOG issued a statement stating they were unaware of the interviews{{Cite news|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=2021-07-17|title=Tokyo 2020 composer apologises for historical bullying of disabled classmates|url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/17/tokyo-2020-composer-apologises-for-historical-bullying-of-disabled-classmates|access-date=2021-07-18|work=The Observer}} and that while Oyamada's actions were "very inappropriate", they had not dismissed him from the ceremony.{{cite news|date=16 July 2021|title=小山田氏の起用、変更なし 組織委「不適切な発言」〔五輪〕|url=https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2021071601210&g=spo|access-date=17 July 2021|agency=Jiji Press|language=ja|archive-date=July 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716121037/https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2021071601210&g=spo|url-status=dead}} Toshirō Mutō, the chief executive of the Organising Committee and ex-chairman of Kaisei Academy, said he wanted Oyamada to remain. On July 19, four days before the ceremony, Oyamada decided to leave the creative team for the Tokyo Olympics on his own terms.{{Cite news|title=Tokyo Olympic composer quits over bullying of disabled children|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/ab777b89e56a-japans-olympic-composer-admits-past-bullying-faces-calls-to-quit.html|date=2021-07-19|access-date=2021-07-19|agency=Kyodo News}}

In September 2021, Oyamada appeared in a two-hour interview with Shūkan Bunshun addressing why{{explain|date=June 2022}} he took so many years to address his past actions.{{Cite web|last=Michel|first=Patrick St|date=2021-09-22|title=How do you deflect a controversy? Keigo Oyamada blames the media.|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/09/22/music/keigo-oyamada-olympics-controversy-reaction/|access-date=2021-11-13|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}} He made an additional statement which stated how a blog post that circulated online edited information from past interviews to describe Oyamada as the perpetrator, even though the original Quick Japan interview stated that he did not commit the acts in question.{{Cite web |title=Cornelius Denies Bullying Allegations in New Statement {{!}} Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/cornelius_posts_new_statement_about_bullying_allegations |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=exclaim.ca |language=en-ca}} There is a statement on Oyamada's official Cornelius website, from the artist himself, that addresses these matters in depth.{{Cite web |title=A public statement from Keigo Oyamada |url=http://cornelius-sound.com/index_en_20210917.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=cornelius-sound.com |language=en-us}}

{{Infobox artist discography

|Artist = Cornelius

|Image =

|Caption =

|Studio = 8

|Option = 8

|Option name = Remix albums

|Live =

|Compilation =

|Video = 7

|EP = 3

|Singles = 14

|Music videos =

|Soundtrack = 3

}}{{See also|Flipper's Guitar#Discography}}

The discography of Cornelius consists of eight studio albums, three soundtracks, eight remix albums, three extended plays, fourteen singles and seven video albums.

• Ghost in the Shell: Arise (Warner Music Japan; January 23, 2013) – JP #33
• The Cat That Lived a Million Times (Warner Music Japan; October 31, 2013) (EP)
• Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie O.S.T. (Flying Dog; June 15, 2015) – JP #62

• Holidays in the Sun (September 10, 1993) JP #12
• Cornelius Works 1999 (1999), rare CD-R promo from 3-D Corporation Ltd. (Japan)
• Gum EP (2008)

• Promotions! (1994), music videos
• Love Heavy Metal Style Music Vision (1994) – live performances
• EUS (2000) – live performances
• Five Point One (2003) – a DVD package of music videos and PM
• From Nakameguro to Everywhere Tour '02–'04 (2008) – live performances
• Sensurround (2008) – a DVD version of Sensuous with accompanying videos and 5.1 surround sound
• Sensuous Synchronized Show (2009) – live performances

• Tribute Spirits (May 1, 1999)
• The Powerpuff Girls: Heroes & Villains (Music Inspired by the Powerpuff Girls) (July 18, 2000)
• DJ-Kicks: Erlend Øye (April 19, 2004)
• Matador at Fifteen (October 12, 2004)
• The Wired CD: Rip. Sample. Mash. Share. (April 22, 2009)

• Coloris (2006) – a Nintendo bit Generations game for Game Boy Advance{{cite web | last=Alexander |first=Patrick | date=March 14, 2008 | title=Feature: Kenichi Nishi and Archime-DS Interview (Part One) | url=http://www.eegra.com/pages/show/title/14_03_2008_Feature__Kenichi_Nishi_and_Archime_DS_Interview__Part_One_/page/3 | website=Eegra | access-date=2009-09-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201133441/http://www.eegra.com/pages/show/title/14_03_2008_Feature__Kenichi_Nishi_and_Archime_DS_Interview__Part_One_/page/3 | archive-date=February 1, 2009 | url-status=dead }}
• Cornelius appeared on the TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! performing a version of his song "Count Five or Six" as a way to teach kids how to count (at least up to six). This can be seen on the episode titled "Share".
• "Count Five or Six" appears on the soundtrack to the TV series Spaced.
• Composed music played by the Katayanagi Twins characters in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
• Produced Salyu's S(o)un(d)beams (2011)
• Composed the soundtrack to the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Arise (2013)

{{Reflist}}

{{External links|date=August 2024}}

• [https://www.corneliusjapan.com/ corneliusjapan.com] – official website as referred to on his official social media
• [http://cornelius-sound.com/ cornelius-sound.com] – official website {{in lang|ja|en}}
• [https://www.monitorpop.com/cornelius_old/welcome.html old Monitorpop Cornelius site, archived]
• {{discogs artist|artist=Cornelius|name=Cornelius}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081231134148/http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-3/artist_name-cornelius/ Nippop Profile | Cornelius]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929211844/http://asap.ap.org/stories/1452845.s Cornelius rocks] – Jaime Holguin from the Associated Press explores the allure of Japan's Keigo Oyamada. A May 2007 Associated Press/asap written and video piece about Cornelius.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080810010023/http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/domzig-172/cornelius-at-the-shepherds-bush-empire-390/ Cornelius at Shepherd Bush Empire] – Dominic Haley from Spoonfed Media writes about the intrigue of the unexpected in Cornelius' music.
• [http://hesomagazine.com/music/interview-with-cornelius-oyamada-keigo/ Interview with Oyamada Keigo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728025329/http://hesomagazine.com/music/interview-with-cornelius-oyamada-keigo/ |date=July 28, 2021 }} – Manny Santiago goes to the 3D Studio in Nakameguro, Tokyo for Heso magazine.

{{Cornelius}}

{{Plastic Ono Band}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Art rock musicians

Category:Japanese multi-instrumentalists

Category:Matador Records artists

Category:Musicians from Setagaya

Category:Plastic Ono Band members

Category:Japanese remixers

Category:Shibuya-kei musicians