Yuki Takeda

Yuki Takeda is a Japanese whistler, musician, and Youtuber from Tokyo, Japan. He won two categories in 2010 and one in 2011 performing at the International Whistlers Convention in Louisburg, North Carolina as a teenager before winning in 2014 as an adult.[1]

Early life

Takeda was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1992.[2] His family moved to Toronto, Ontario in Canada when he was 7 due to his mom getting a teaching job at the University of Toronto.[3][4] He learned how to whistle at age 10, after seeing friends do it and teaching himself by watching videos.[5] During middle school, he traveled to The Netherlands for work, where he started whistling more serious due to boredom while at home.[3] He returned to Japan for school and graduated from Tokyo Gakugei University Senior High School.[6]

He originally went to the University of Tokyo before transferring to Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he got his BA in African Studies and lived in Cameroon for a little bit during his studies.[3][7] While at Middlebury, a senior project he did focused on whistling, performing at concerts and teaching different types of whistles for the Vermont Edition Summer School, including glissando, trills, and double tones—singing two notes at once.[5][8]

Career

When Takeda was 16, he saw the winners of a whistling competition being scored and interviewed on TBS's "Let's Go To School!" program,[3] with one contestant catching his eye. The boy, who was named Takumi Gima,[9] talked about being able to whistle three-octaves, which Takeda attempted and succeeded.[10] While at Middlebury, he performed with his band, 'Yuki Takeda & Friends', where he whistled and also played the alto saxophone.[11]

Growing up, Takeda learned different instruments including the acoustic guitar, piano, and cuatro.[9][3] He was inspired by Yosuke Yamashita to get into jazz music and also is into Venezuelan Folk music.[12] Other instruments he learned includes cajon, flute, and maracas.[13]

In 2010, Takeda won the "Teen Division" in the International Whistlers Convention, where fellow whistler and the vocalist for the band Novelbright Yūdai Takenaka won with him.[9]

Since 2022, Takeda was the organizer for the Global Whistling Championship.[14]

In 2025, Takeda co-wrote a book 'Kuchibue no Hanashi', also known as 'The Story of Whistling', with non-fiction writer Hazuki Saiso (who ironically cannot whistle)[15] about the history of whistling.[16] Also in 2025, Takeda was one of the whistlers in the documentary "Whistle", which follows those who competes at the World Whistling Championship. Director Christopher Nelius made the film which was shown at the 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival.[3]

On his Youtube Channel, Takeda posts whistling covers, tips on how to do different types of whistles, and collabs with different artists, including other whistlers like Taro Kuchibue and other musicians like Jorge Glem, Cheo Hurtado, and David Peña.[13]

Takeda also performs in the group 'Two Cats Two Dogs'.[1]

Personal life

He has a wife who is originally from Singapore who both lived in the Philippines before the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] By the time he was 20, Takeda could speak 5 different languages: English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.[2]

Along with whistling, he also works at an animal healthcare company.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Yuki Takeda". RAG Music. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "想像以上に口笛の世界は広い！『口笛のはなし』発売のお知らせ". Mishimaga. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ー映画『Whistle』口笛奏者・武田裕煕さん｜トロント国際映画祭｜特集インタビュー 2025年11月8日 【第50回トロント国際映画祭インタビュー】口笛の世界大会の模様を追った ドキュメンタリー映画『Whistle』口笛奏者・武田裕煕さん｜トロント国際映画祭｜特集インタビュー". TORJA Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Mario Kart 64: Frappe Snowland ft. a Special Guest!". Patreon. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Lindholm, Jane. "Summer School: How To Whistle". Vermont Public. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "世界中に友達ができる". Grew Bancroft. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Potential of whistling as instrumental music". TED Talk Tokyo. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ de Seife, Ethan. "A Middlebury College Student Takes Whistling to a New Level". Seven Days. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Suzuki, Yo. "2025年5月31日第144回ゲスト 口笛奏者/ウィスリング研究家・武田裕煕さん". Kiss Our Humanity. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bateman, Oliver Lee. "Elite Competitive Whistlers Put Their Lips to the Ultimate Test". MEL Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Yuki Takeda & Friends". Middlebury. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Suginami Public Relations, October 15, 2022 Issue, Pages 1-3" (PDF). Suginami. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Judges Profiles". Whistlers Guild. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  14. ↑ "口笛世界大会が4年ぶりに日本で開催　スペシャル・コンサートやシンポジウム開催も". Culture & Discovery Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ "『口笛のはなし』　最相葉月、武田裕煕著　ミシマ社　2200円". Weekly Economist Online. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  16. ↑ Shimbun, Mainichi. "武田裕煕さん『口笛のはなし』　世界一が語る魅力満載　最相葉月さんと網羅的に対話". Mainichi. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
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