What “Game of Thrones” Composer Ramin Djawadi Is Listening to Right Now
It has been four months since the final season of “Game of Thrones” came to an end, and yet Emmy-winning composer Ramin Djawadi still isn’t done with the show’s music. “I couldn’t quite let go of it just yet,” he tells me over the phone with a laugh. In addition to creating the sweeping, haunting music that accompanied the fantasy epic’s most intense moments, he’s also the mastermind behind the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, which is currently in the middle of its third tour in three years. (Djawadi himself will perform at a handful of upcoming dates in the next few weeks.)
The “Game of Thrones” live show is decidedly heavier on spectacle than your traditional classical music concert. Along with a full orchestra, there are huge screens playing memorable moments from the show, singers, costumes, guitar solos, and, of course, some pyro to go with all the dragons and wildfire. “It gets very, very loud,” Djawadi says.
In a way, these shows are the culmination of Djawadi’s long-term musical aspirations. Born and raised in Germany, he grew up playing guitar in rock and metal bands, and his goal was to connect with audiences on the road. “That never really worked out,” he says. “But now, funny enough, I’m out on tour and living out my childhood dreams.”
As he prepares for those shows, as well as September 22’s Emmy ceremony, where he is once again nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, he told us about the music he’s listening to when he’s not thinking about ice zombies.
Metallica: Master of Puppets
I go back to Metallica periodically because they’re such a big part of my upbringing. It’s in my roots. I discovered them as a teenager with Master of Puppets. I was living in Germany at the time, and I saw them live. It was mind blowing. Talk about power.
The album they did with the symphony [S&M] is incredible, too—it just shows how well you can actually merge those styles together. The orchestra is absolutely epic, and Metallica did a great thing when they did that.
The whole thing with the “Game of Thrones” live show is the pyro, and I’m sure I got that idea from seeing rock bands using pyro on stage. I wanted to do something like that. Just because we have an orchestra, that doesn’t mean we have to be so pure or clean. I want to be more rock’n’roll.
Billie Eilish: “bad guy”
We have 5-and-a-half-year-old twins, and they absolutely love Billie Eilish. When she comes to that little stop in this song and says “duh,” that’s a huge laugh for them. They love singing along and they always wait for that moment to come. We crank that in the car.
She’s such a unique artist. If you took her vocal away, it sounds very much like a hip-hop song with huge bass, that ticking hi-hat—but then there’s something about the choice of sound, along with the whole vocal on top, that makes it so different. And it’s patient. That’s what gets me excited, because you don’t always have to have a hundred instruments and people to make it interesting or epic. Maybe I’m drawn to something like this because it is so different than what I deal with.
Post Malone: “Better Now”
Post Malone is also a hit with the kids, for sure. They got me into him. And I love his voice. Maybe it’s because English is my second language, but I don’t even pick up on lyrics that much. I really have to sit down and focus on listening to them. My ear very much gravitates toward dissecting all the production around the song, and that includes the voice.
So with “Better Now,” for example, like: [sings] dah-dah-dah, dah, dah-dah-dah, dah-dah-dah. It’s such a hook, so memorable. I always like when there’s memorable themes in movies. With Star Wars, for example, John Williams’ themes are so memorable that they make you connect to what’s happening on screen. That’s why I like pop songs that you can sing, or hum, along with. My daughters know the lyrics better than me, actually.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
