Singing Final Fantasy XIV - What It's Like: FFXIV Singer Amanda Achen | MSQ&A 

This was SO FUN you guys! And what a beautiful edit! Y’all are consummate professionals…. Looking forward to the next time! ✨🩷🎶

I never knew Amanda became a streamer. So amazed you got this opportunity. To think, a few years ago, you didn't want anything to do with this game and here you are, now absorbed and loving every bit of the game to the fullest. As a 10 yr veteran of the game. Watching your videos makes me so happy to see your genuine love for this.

This intro brought tears to my eyes. Amanda's voice is positively angelic!

It's not just the lyrics but the singers passion behind that song that somehow sells a 10 year journey in a matter of minutes. I never honestly understood how some people could say that music can tell stories as well until you get deep into ffxiv and see that the songs themselves tell a deeper introspective of characters that the games writing doesn't dig into. Ysayles Oblivion tells of her life long struggle trying to fix and fail at being the bridge between dragon and elezen. Dragon Song War ost of Hydaelyns failure and keeping peace between the two races. And of Flow not only welcoming her death but of acknowledgement of the WoL deeds even when no words are spoken for those years. Lots of beautiful introspectives of characters all over the FFxiv music.

Now that’s an intro well done grinding gear

The way she describes how she practices and learns the lyrics reminds me of how I learn raids. o_o;

It's always so lovely to see Amanda in interviews and community podcasts. Ever since I first saw her on Marco's channel, she comes across as such a genuine, kind and goofy person. No wonder she's charmed the socks off the community! I've been playing since ARR, and I've seen people come and go over the years, but I've always had such mad respect for the sheer influence of the vocalists in the pieces. That we get to watch Amanda discover and go through the story that means so much for us, is truly another gift on top of a bounty.

Garrett, you're on fire with the intros and edits as of late my guy. Keep it up! And Kyle you did so well with the questions in this interview. If Amanda is perusing these comments, you're awesome!

You know Garret, I know you've told the story of doing your passion for content creation dying as you felt that you were always chasing the ladder and making connections because they might help. I can't help but think all of that experience trying to make connections and working to meet the right people and being able to do interviews and have chats with them have trained you so well for this role! The way you get such a variety of guests to how you manuver the conversations with them, its so entertaining and enjoyable and your experience lends to amazingly captivating content!

I am so happy you did this. Whenever Amanda starts singing you know s*** is getting real. Also damn that intro was amazing

These new MS Q&A videos are so good. I really enjoy the format you are going with. It just ramps up your podcasts to another level. Amanda was such a treat to see and listen to and you guys are getting better and better at doing interviews! Loved the chemistry between all three of you. Never knew who the person was behind the voice I had fallen in love with in FFXIV. But knowing she is going through the MSQ...now I have someone new to watch. Thanks for bringing her on the show...and also doing her podcast justice with this amazing editing and polished final video.

First of all, this was a great episode, and I love how you edited down the stream. Also, I love that you actually went back and recorded some of the examples of the innuendos found in the DRK quests.

I just love her singing so much. And she's a sweetheart too.

Holy Star Stricken Musical Bliss! Amanda Achen, the voice we all hear the moment we start the game, interviewed by the two Bros we all enjoy watching! These fatntastic players on my FFXIV friend's list, which I have been following almost 2 years now. Players who are STARS themselves and I adore all the hard work they put into producing the BEST entertainment while also enjoying and having fun in our favorite game. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!?! Amanda, fellas, thank you for just being so delightful and awesome, and GG!!

You did it setting that alarm during the stream last night worked

These VO intros are amazing, great work. I spend many hours with titles like Daryl Talks Games and this feels pretty lush.

what a introduction

The editing and added visuals are wonderful, especially in the ARR section (“crystallize” such a great visual pun)

I'm only a few minutes in so I'm sure I'm jumping the gun on this BUT: Man, it might be silly but just hearing Amanda talk about that Vegas fan fest has me tearing up. I'm a FFXIV gamer and currently an office worker by day, but I was brought up as a classical pianist and my degree is in theory and composition. When I'm not working or gaming, composition for various projects is still how I spend my free time. Hearing her experience from that behind the scenes aspect to seeing all the love the community has for her is just getting me. Looking forward to the other uh....hour and 25 minutes of the video! EDIT: Okay an update from slightly further on, I think this is the most I've geeked out about any FFXIV podcast ever.

Great job Garrett. Love your take. You and Kyle are amazing!!!!

This was fantastic talking getting to hear her non-gamer experiences. Y'all should get Jason Charles Miller on next!

I can not hear Flow without tearing up. Even after all this time has passed. T_T

You guys are getting so good at interviewing people outside of your usual sphere! I have zero music knowledge, but it was fascinating to have a glimpse of the behind the scenes of recording and performing music. Specially during covid, learning how Amanda managed to record during lockdown and the level of that performance in spite of the difficulty makes me love Flow even more. Thank you for all the work you guys are putting behind these special podcast episodes ❤

Oh my she is part of the singing nuns in Good Omens!

Flow will always bring the emotions. Always.

Lovely interview can feel the passion, professional, and interest that all three have

Only two vocalists have ever left me completely speechless: Floor Jansen, and Amanda Achen. What an honor and a blessing to have her as part of the community.

Great video. Also I had no idea bout the D jokes in the Dark Knight quest, I just thought it was Fight Club

Fantastic video, love Amanda and all her commentary! Also working with John Williams and other famous composers 😮

slowly watching through the video for the edits and the transition at 2:15 already floored me

All the best going forward. Loving MSQ&A hope for many more episodes!

What a great interview!

These podcasts edits are amazing! Lots of work to go through an hour long discussion and make this kind of video. Cheers!

I’m off to sleep but will watch this later today!

when I hear the endwalker login screen I hear "tell the lost they'll find their way" even knowing the actual words being used i still hear that.

Haha... So there are at least two people playing FFXIV on Mac. xD Anyway, it's funny because I wouldn't have started the game if I didn't saw a lot of ads pointing out the fact that Final Fantasy 14 can be played on MacBooks. :)

26:40 absolute legend

omg, this video is such a gem T.T

Being sick last week means catching up on content! Happy to push this VOD through while we do the Monday office work.

This is very nicely edited! Id mistake this for one of the better netflix productions

Voice acting is quite a skill. Singing is quite a skill. Singing while doing it IN a character's voice is a amazing. 😆

Fantastic video well worth watching again!

Loved this Q&A!

Return to Oblivion is such a powerful song to me due to the... character moments which happen during it.

I don't even know the lyrics for most of the songs but none of that matters because she does such an amazing job evoking the emotions behind those lyrics in a way that mere words won't do.

Now I kinda want them to host keiko 😂

1:25:00 Would love to hear Amanda perform some OG Playstation era game songs like the Lunar Silver Star Story songs ("Wind's Nocturne", "Wings") or Castlevania's "I am the wind".

Early morning vid!!! ♥♥♥

This was pretty dope

good morning all o/

Beautiful intro!

I have tickets to see her in Seattle for Distant Worlds in July! I am very excited!!

I really love how Amanda is, in her own words, "respectfully degen". She has the same kinda vibe and sense of humor as my female friends I had in highschool. I'd love to be her friend, I feel like that would be super fun

I would love for Amanda so try singing her songs once shes played them all through.

Garrett about to stream his Levelling of Warrior now DRK has been forever ruined.

OH Y'ALL BEEN COOKING

I wonder why Soken and his team changed singers, however. Apparently, ''Heavensward' was sung by Omega Bone and "Dragonsong" by Susan Calloway...

I'm curious, which Heavensward theme is Amanda referring to here? I know it's not Dragonsong because that was sung by Susan Calloway so I thought maybe it was the theme called Heavensward that's used in the trailer. However, when I looked that one up, it was sung by a soprano soloist named Laura Strickling. So which other Heavensward theme am I forgetting here? I've always wondered: does Amanda know the context surrounding Flow? FFXIV is definitely overwhelming but in a good way. In a way, with so many expansions, it's like each expansion is its own game with how the story focuses on different story elements in each one. Garrett, so many people don't understand that about A Realm Reborn, that it's a slow burn, and that's why they call if slow-paced or boring when in fact A Realm Reborn serves as the introduction and setup for the other stories that would be explored in future expansions. For me, the favorites have always been Minfilia and Thancred, and always will be even now. Louisoix is also a third favorite for the role he's played in the story and the impact he's had on so many lives. Rather than notes, Amanda, you could start taking some screenshots of some of the most important dialogue lines in MSQ, but as for patch side content, one way to do it is to complete side quests as soon as they are unlocked, including the dungeons they unlock, so that you have access to more variety in the various roulettes.

Morning all o/

that was a good watch thank you for doing that also i will never forget the big dick knight jokes now, thanks Amanda

Garrett now gets to have the fun knowledge of DRK story being dick joke agnostic, as well as his own personal DRK headcanon of PLUNGE tanking. Have fun Garrett!

Not simply the clip of flow making me an emotional wreck. It's far too early for that.

You guys definetely should stream Endwalker raid series and post 6.0 MSQ.

Without really spoiling things for you guys, you won't hear Scream unless you get into the raiding scene of Endwalker, that's all I'll say.

And now to see if you guys can get Jason Charles Miller and Susan Calloway to round out the vocalists collection.

an evil fairy princess song? Interesting

Good morning

imagine if they didnt cut out like half the quests from arr

Scratch! Hope you're keeping well, friend!

I admit, I didn’t watch the stream because it was April Fool’s Day and I still ended up the fool. 😭

Re: ARR Alphinaud Yeah, Sam Reigel kinda...understood the assignment of "smarmy and insufferable" a little too well. Replayed that recently and said to *many* friends "I forgot how badly I wanted to strangle Alphi at this part of the game."

Hes used cardboard boxes in lost city of amp[. so ramen maracas is totally believable!

Something about her forging her own way to music is so Venat of her 🤍