Rise Composer Ré Olunuga on Infusing the Disney Score With Greek and African Influences, and Exploring Themes of Love and Family
There are very few players in the NBA who are quite as dominant as Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dubbed “The Greek Freak” due to his jaw-dropping athletic prowess. Giannis has averaged more than 26.9 points per game in each of the last five seasons and has been voted to the Eastern Conference All-Star... »
Surface Composer Ólafur Arnalds on Writing Full Classical Pieces Vs. Scoring a TV Soundtrack
Ólafur Arnalds is one of Iceland’s foremost musicians and composers, but when he set out to write film and television scores, he hadn’t anticipated the fundamental difference between his career as a recording artist, writing songs for full-length albums, and breaking into the world of the two-minute song cue. Rather than get frustrated, Arnalds... »
Samaritan Composer Kevin Kiner on Co-Writing the Score for Sylvester Stallone’s Superhero Movie With Jed Kurzel, Plus Star Wars
When Kevin Kiner first got a call from fellow Samaritan composer Jed Kurzel, he thought he was simply signing up to help out a colleague, but instead, he found himself co-writing the score for Julius Avery‘s superhero movie, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Kiner has collaborated with other composers before, of... »
Composer Siddhartha Khosla on Scoring Emmy Nods in Three Different Categories for Only Murders in the Building and This Is Us
Musician, songwriter, and composer Siddhartha Khosla earned his fourth Emmy nomination for his work on NBC’s acclaimed drama This Is Us this past year, and he also picked up two additional Emmy nominations for his main theme and score for Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. If you’ve watched either show, then you’re abundantly... »
The White Lotus Composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer on Experimenting With Sound to Create the Unique Score
It’s hard to imagine the wildly popular The White Lotus being quite so impactful without its signature main title theme, which manages to highlight the show’s satirical nature while also adding so much to a truly bizarre and unique viewing experience. The man responsible is Composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who earned two Emmy... »
Schmigadoon! Composer Christopher Willis on Paying Homage to Old Hollywood and His Favorite Musical Moment From Season 1
In a streaming landscape populated by prestige dramas and true-crime documentaries, few shows boast the joyous energy of Schmigadoon!, the Apple TV+ series starring Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, and Dove Cameron. While the grand musical numbers are likely what come to mind when most fans think about the show, Christopher Willis’ score goes hand-in-hand... »
Emmy-Nominated Composer Nathan Barr on Scoring the Sadness, Romance, and Betrayal of A Very British Scandal, Plus His Wurlitzer
The story of Argyll v. Argyll wasn’t just a scandal in Britain, it became one of the most brutal legal cases of the 20th century. It sensationalized the highly public divorce between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, which dominated the news of the day thanks to their alleged extramarital affairs. Written by Sarah... »
Return to Space Composers Mychael Danna and Harry Gregson-Williams on Their Longtime Friendship and Mutual Admiration for Each Other, Plus Synthesizers
Very few people in the film industry see their careers blessed with longevity, yet composers Mychael Danna and Harry Gregson-Williams have bucked the trend, hanging around Hollywood long enough to each forge formidable filmographies that have brought them numerous awards, including Oscars and Emmys. Danna, for example, won an Academy Award for the Life... »
Nope Composer Michael Abels on His Third Feature Collaboration With Jordan Peele and How the Director Discovered His Work
Filmmaker Jordan Peele has now made three fantastic feature films, and for all three of them, he called upon Composer Michael Abels to provide the musical score, which is amazing when you realize that Get Out was Abels’ first movie credit. Abels has pulled out all the stops for Nope, which features an all-orchestral... »
Monty Norman, Composer Behind the Iconic “James Bond Theme,” Dies at 94
Monty Norman, who composed the iconic theme for the character of James Bond, died on Monday following a short illness. He was 94, and his death was announced on his official website. The British composer’s “James Bond Theme” was first used in the 1962 movie Dr. No and it has endured to this day,... »
