Owen Pallett, who for so many years went by the pseudonym Final Fantasy, will retire that moniker with immediate effect, it was revealed today. He will henceforth be known as...Owen Pallett...in every capacity, possibly with the exception of his mother.

He issued the following statement, which explains the situation better than I ever could:

Friends,

I began playing solo violin shows in 2004. Although it was essentially a solo project, I named the band Final Fantasy, as the experience--and the tone of the material--was reminiscent of the hours and hours I had spent as an adolescent playing those epic JRPGs.

But the laws of trademark infringement exist for good reason, and so I am voluntarily retiring my band name. In the new year, my record Heartland is coming out, and it is my first to be released in many territories, including Japan. With this in mind, I feel it is in my own best interests to definitively distinguish my music from Square/Enix's games.

So, I am no longer playing shows as Final Fantasy. Subsequent releases, including Heartland, will be issued under my own name, Owen Pallett. Prior releases will sometime soon be re-packaged and re-issued.

I thank Square/Enix their kindness and support, and I thank you all for your understanding.

Salud!

Owen Pallett

Pallett has another album dropping (as P4K might say) early next year. It's called Heartland, and is out through Domino on January 11. More details can be found here. Click below to listen to a track taken from't, 'Lewis Takes Action'.