Kris Bowers (‘Queen Charlotte’ composer) wanted the ‘Bridgerton’ prequel’s score to ‘feel a bit more grounded’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Tony Ruiz
·3 min read
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Among the many things that made “Bridgerton” a smash hit for Netflix was the lush and romantic score by Kris Bowers. The Emmy-winning composer returns to the “Bridgerton” universe this season, composing the score for “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” The six-episode series, which premieres May 4 on Netflix, follows the young Charlotte (India Amarteifio) as she marries into the British Royal Family, eventually becoming the imposing monarch seen on “Bridgerton” (played in both series by Golda Rosheuvel).

In an exclusive video interview with Gold Derby (watch above), Bowers discusses the challenge of creating a score that is unique and exciting while remaining true to the sound that “Bridgerton” fans have come to expect.

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SEE‘Bridgerton’ spinoff ‘Queen Charlotte’ gets premiere date and trailer [Watch]

In composing the score for “Queen Charlotte,” Bowers says that he wanted the score to have a simpler and less opulent feel. Because the series bounces between different eras of Charlotte’s life, Bowers used the time jumps to create music that reflected Charlotte’s growth as a woman, a wife and mother and as a monarch. “Tonally, I wanted the score to feel a bit more grounded,” he explains. “The instrumentation was intentionally much smaller in moments where we are with the young Charlotte. And then we go to the present day Queen Charlotte that we know from ‘Bridgerton,’ the palette is a little closer to the ‘Bridgerton’ sound.”

The central relationship of “Queen Charlotte” is between the young Charlotte and her new husband King George III (Corey Mylchreest). Historically, George III struggles with mental illness throughout his life and the series does not shy away from those struggles. Bowers says he was touched by the show’s empathetic depiction of George’s mental health and wanted the music to reflect that sense of empathy. “The thing that I really love about the show is how much they humanize what he was going through, so we don’t think of him as just a ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’ person,” he says. “Musically I’m focusing on what’s internally happening for him so that we’re not observing what he’s doing and how crazy that is, but we’re more so feeling like we can understand and empathize with how he’s getting to this mental state.”

Bowers argues that he is continually drawn to the world of “Bridgerton” because of the way it takes an honest look at love stories and how relationships change and flourish in the face of adversity. “I feel like love stories focus on the ‘will they-won’t they’ usually,” he argues. “It’s really amazing and reassuring to see a show highlight the not so pretty part of [love] and still show people working through that, not necessarily giving up when something gets difficult.”

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