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Laura Shigihara

Laura Shigihara (Japanese: 鴫原ローラ, Hepburn: Shigihara Rōra) is a Japanese–American singer-songwriter, composer, video game developer, and Twitch streamer. She is best known as the lead composer and sound designer for the tower defense game Plants vs. Zombies and the creator of the acclaimed indie RPG Rakuen.

Shigihara has worked on over 30 other published video game titles including Deltarune, World of Warcraft, To the Moon, defuncted mobile game High School Story and the 5th Anniversary Edition of Super Meat Boy. She co-created the ending theme song for Minecraft: The Story of Mojang with C418 and worked together with Yasunori Mitsuda on the official Square Enix Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross 20th Anniversary Album.

Early life

Born to a Japanese father and a French American mother, Shigihara grew up in both the United States and Japan. She was classically trained on the piano for 11 years and taught herself guitar and drums. While studying International Relations, Business and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, she was given an old version of Cakewalk (known as Sonar before 2018) which she used to start learning about mixing, arranging and production by recreating old video game soundtracks and composing her own songs. After a friend leaked her original material to record companies in Japan, Shigihara was offered record contracts as a singer there, but ended up turning them down for personal reasons.

Career

Shortly after returning to the U.S, Shigihara took a job as the sound director for a company that produced an audio talk show and English learning materials through Apple Japan. She also released a studio album and composed her first video game soundtrack for a small casual game called Wobbly Bobbly. She stated that she would work voluntarily, and soon the company liked her work and paid her to create music for several subsequent projects. From there she built up her portfolio and has worked on over 30 published titles including Plants vs. Zombies, Deltarune, World of Warcraft, Minecraft and the indie RPG To the Moon. She participated in Akira Yamaoka's charity album Play for Japan where she contributed an original song called "Jump", alongside other composers like Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda. On November 16, 2011, she released her single "Cube Land" in relation to Minecraft and Plants vs. Zombies.

As a game developer herself, Shigihara published two adventure games: Rakuen in 2017 and Mr. Saitou in 2023.

Personal

She is an online streamer under the nickname supershigi on Twitch.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Soundtrack albums

Shigihara's works also include:

Deltarune (Toby Fox/2018), arranged/performed "Don't Forget" and "Until Next Time"
Farmer in the Sky, director, writer, composer
Band Saga (Rekcahdam, Playism/2016), singer
Cosmic Star Heroine (Zeboyd Games/2016), singer/lyricist "Lauren’s Song"
Chrono Trigger & Chrono Cross Arrangement Album/Harukanaru Toki no Kanata e (Japanese: クロノ・トリガー&クロノ・クロスアレンジアルバムハルカナルトキノカナタヘ, romanized: Kurono Torigā & Kurono Kurosu Arenji Arubamu/Harukanaru Toki no Kanata e) (Yasunori Mitsuda/2015), contributing Lyricist/Arranger/Singer
CHUNITHM (Sega/2015), Sung "Alma's Theme" by Yasunori Mitsuda
Penny Arcade's "On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4" (2013), voice of MistleToe
Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, co-created ending theme song Tsuki No Koibumi (月の恋文, "The Moon's Love Letter")
Aether (The Basement Collection) (Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel/2012), original song
Theme Park (Electronic Arts/2011), lead composer
Ghost Harvest (Electronic Arts, 8lb Gorilla/2011), composer
Sweet World (Kabam/2010), lead composer and sound designer
Minesweeper (Microsoft, TG Xbox 360/2009 TBA), lead composer
Quintessence: The Blighted Venom (Kan Gao/2009 TBA), ending theme lead vocalist
Domino Master (Microsoft, TG Xbox 360/2008), assistant sound designer
U.S.G. A New Beginning (GPTouch/2008), ending theme composer and lead vocalist
Interpol 2: Most Wanted (Big Fish Games, Tikgames/2008), contributing composer
Waterscape Solitaire: American Falls (Tikgames/2007), lead composer and sound designer
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (Big Fish Games, Xbox 360, Tikgames/2007-2008), lead composer and sound designer
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom (Big Fish Games, Tikgames/2007), lead composer and sound designer
Flowershop: Big City Break (Big Fish Games, Tikgames/2006), lead composer and sound designer
Wobbly Bobbly (Tikgames/2006), lead composer