St. Vincent Shares Classical Version of “New York” Featuring Yoshiki

St. Vincent has partnered with rock star and composer Yoshiki for a classical version of “New York” from her 2017 album MASSEDUCTION. The original version of the song was included in our list of best songs about New York City.

“It was an honor to work with the amazing Yoshiki on this new version of ‘New York,’” St. Vincent’s Annie Clark said. “Yoshiki’s arrangement added to the song in the way time or distance transform longtime friends or relationships: the original is still recognizable, but subtly and significantly altered.”

Yoshiki also commented:

As an artist, I admire how St. Vincent approaches music in an innovative and courageous way. Her music breaks the boundaries of genres, which is a mindset I can completely relate to. My band X Japan played the Coachella Festival in 2018 at the same time that St. Vincent performed, but at that time we didn’t meet. But this year, through mutual friends, we were introduced. In terms of “New York,” it’s a great song to start with, and I’m grateful that she trusted me to fully rearrange the song with my classical approach. I hope St. Vincent fans enjoy it, and that my fans will too.

Listen to St. Vincent’s “New York” (featuring Yoshiki) below, and scroll down to watch St. Vincent’s 2009 performance of “Human Racing” at the Great American Music Hall and Yoshiki’s 2017 Paste Studio Performance.