Metal Gear Solid Singer Also The Voice Of Japan’s Bullet Train?

Snake? Snake?! MIND THE GAAAAAP!

You may not know her by name, but if you are in anyway a fan of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series, then you should be more than familiar with Donna Burke’s work as a singer. After all she was the one that provided the title tracks for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. 

If you’re like us and listen to Heavens Divide and Sins of the Father on repeat, then you have her to thank!

As you might have guessed, she doesn’t just make a living by providing music for the MGS series. She’s had a number of different voice over roles in her life…including one we were not expecting.

According to an article on Kotaku, Ms Burke is also the overhead voice that reads out stations on the Tokaido bullet train!

The Australian packs a one-two-three punch of being a talented voice actress and singer, as well as writing her own lyrics. Burke also has voice credits in games like Silent Hill 3 and Bloody Roar 4 as well as soundtrack credits on games like The Last Remnant and God Eater.

She’s sung and done voice work in anime like Tokyo Ghoul 2 and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and has lent her talents to a wide variety of Japanese commercials, such as for Nissan, Panasonic and Sony. Burke performed the English version of the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker theme, while Nana Mizuki sang the Japanese one.

In Japan, her versatile voice is heard by most on the Tokaido bullet train, reading out station names in English. Burke has been a Japan resident since 1996, and since 2003, she’s done the English language announcements on the Tokaido bullet train that runs between Tokyo and Osaka, which is one of the most heavily-travelled rail routes in the world. Burke’s announcements have been heard by millions and are familiar to pretty much anyone in Japan.

“Every year, I have to do a small update,” Burke explains, like recently adding that people are welcome to put their suitcases in the racks above their seats.

But what’s it like hearing yourself giving announcements on the bullet train? “Weird. Proud. Shy. Funny,” says Burke.

“Actually, I really want to bring a little sunshine to someone’s day and do tell conductors, the trolley people, or anyone who works on the bullet train that ‘Hey! Er..um…did you know that is me doing the voice?!’ But due to my crap Japanese, the times I’ve tried haven’t come out right. At best they think I’m doing a really, really good imitation of the voice of the bullet train and not the actual voice.”

Imagine how weirdly awesome it must be hear the voice that gave us Sins of the Father suddenly announce where your next stop is!