Being a composer in residence with the Canadian Film Centre (The Slaight Family Music Lab) has been a wonderfully enriching experience thus far. I have had the pleasure of working on film projects with extremely talented directors, producers, editors and writers, helping bring shared visions to fruition. Additionally, throughout the residency program I have had the great opportunity to connect with and learn from seasoned veterans of the music industry, including music mentors who have shared their own experiences working in “this biz we call show.” I’ve followed the careers of many alum who have gone through the residency program generally, so when the opportunity to apply presented itself I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.

Over the course of the residency, I’ve worked on a fairly wide gamut of projects, which has been very beneficial in terms of “exercising brain muscles” and exploring the spectrum of sonic spaces. The one commonality across all project and genre types has been the shared desire of all creatives involved; from the director, producer(s), composer, etc. in bringing a story to life. Collaboration has proven to be one of the most integral elements of composing and creating music for screen, and in the art of telling stories through musical support. From alternative electronic synth spaces, indie popular contemporary, classically leaning, orchestral, acoustic and vocalize-infused stylizations, there has always been a consistent thread of collaborative conversation throughout all film projects. The last film piece project of the residency (which I am in the midst of now) is based around a concept which the composer in question comes up with. The script for this short is based on a story outline from, well, me – the composer – and I have been working with the director selected for this story (who is awesome) in bringing all of its pieces together. Without giving too much away (we are actually shooting the showcase film this Spring), the concept for this short is something personal to me, and something I felt was right for this type of project. It’s not every day that one gets the opportunity to shoot a film for a story they’ve created (especially as a composer and music maker in general), never mind the chance to craft a score specific to their sole creative vision. (It may be a tricky balancing act between supporting the story and plain ol’ self-indulgence!) I would also say that one of the particularly cool and memorable moments of the residency was hearing my music at TIFF Bell Lightbox; the Toronto International Film Festival theatre, for the CFC Industry Showcase. (As a TIFF-goer over the years myself, it was extremely cool hearing my work in a setting which I have frequented many times before.) Ultimately, this residency has been a great platform to explore more of the score-to-screen landscape, broadening my own circle of collaborators and peers, providing the ability to hone my craft and define my voice as a composer and maker of music.

My own trajectory throughout working in the music industry (like so many others) has not necessarily been a “straight, direct path.” In fact, it has proven to be a lot of “zigging” and a lot of “zagging.” (I believe these are the professional terms for it, yes?) I grew up in an extremely musical household. My father, a Macedonian immigrant, was a successful touring musician turned music producer, and introduced an early interest of music to me from a very young age. My mother, the most Canadian woman you’ll probably ever meet (in a cool way, Mom) was a lawyer who worked in government municipalities but simultaneously had gone through the Royal Conservatory of Music levels of piano when she was a child. Suffice to say, music was a focal part of my upbringing, as both my parents had a deep appreciation and love of it. As a result, myself and my two sisters grew up learning piano, music theory, harmony and music history, and by age twelve I had completed my Grade 10 piano, all theory, history, and harmony levels. (*Nerd alert, nerd alert*) My classical training aside, I also spent a lot of time occupying the blues and jazz genre spaces. I discovered my love of improvisation, which I believe translated into my love of making up songs, music themes, and compositions generally. Fast forward, I attended an arts high school as a piano performance major, then obtained my Bachelor of Music degree for piano performance and music composition, followed by my Master of Music (also in composition). While beginning my studies at New York University in pursuit of further post-graduate action (at Steinhardt for film scoring) my work in the music industry began to increase significantly, and I made the executive decision to focus all my attention on industry work full-time. My artist project, FJØRA, really came into full effect as a result.

The styles of music that I was creating as FJØRA; vocal, cinematic, electronic, alt-pop, were received very well within the Film/TV and advertising spaces. To be honest, I never really thought I could make a living in this way. Creating music for film trailers, in-show series, promotional videos, commercials, etc. really taught me the importance of time management, organization, and prioritization. It was also very interesting working in spaces much more commercially leaning than my initial musical training and background. I attribute my work as FJØRA with the vocal presence I inject throughout a great amount of the work I create generally as a composer. I love experimenting with the human voice, both physically and via technological manipulations, in conjunction with cinematic, electronic, acoustic and polytextural spaces. I also feel that now more than ever the concept of “song” versus “score” are merging, and the ways in which we think about each are a fluctuating, evolving entity. The structure of a song, for instance, may inspire the structure of a cue, or vice versa. Respectively, the perimeters for what a particular music genre entails are ever-shifting, and the definition for what a music composer is or where they come from is no longer a strict, specific set. This is what excites me about the current music industry landscape. Some of my personal favourite film composers have artist and/or band backgrounds. It’s what makes their signature sound so unique. I believe that the “zigging” and “zagging” of my journey thus far has ultimately shaped my current compositional voice, and will undoubtedly continue to do so as I embark on future projects and endeavors. Hurrah for continued development!

As I touched on a bit earlier, I have found collaboration to be one of the most fruitful and beneficial elements of creating music for the screen. I love how one singular story or scene or moment can be approached in so many different ways, depending on the eye of the beholder. All collaborative work and projects have helped shape my personal lens, the avenues in which a story can be told. My artistic persona and overall sound impacts my creative process across all project types as it provides a “creative-well source” that I can draw from. My own compositional instincts often lean towards delving into harmonic complexities, creating distinct motifs and/or thematic content, and covering a wider range,sonically (give me that high to low contrast!) Like I mentioned earlier, I love infusing vocal layers and presence when it feels appropriate. Textural motion thrills me, but especially when it is in stark contrast to minimal, static sound. I’m attracted to both warm and cold musical settings, it really all depends on the story that is being told and how the music interacts with the picture. Throughout all instances, the act of problem-solving brings me great satisfaction and enjoyment. The feeling of finally getting something to work in a scene or highlight an emotional nuance is truly awesome. Further, when I’m creating a song or cue I do think about the structures of each in a “hybrid manner;” crafting a sonic push-and-pull, tension-resolution sort of dynamic. Overall, I’d say it’s been a balance between signature “artistic voice” and supporting the story of the project(s) in question. Especially when collaborating with fellow composers and/or providing additional score to a project, I have learned that at the end of the day it is all about serving the vision of the story, and working together in bringing it to fruition.

I’ve had the pleasure and opportunity to work on a myriad of really special projects over the course of my career so far. My first film music trailer experience was for Disney’s “Maleficent II: Mistress of Evil” which was just supremely cool – especially whenever I saw the billboards for the movie around the city (it made me feel like a baller). When Linda Perry (the great, ever prolific Linda Perry!) approached me with the idea of reimagining her iconic hit song “What’s Up?” for Blumhouse Productions’ film series, Welcome to the Blumhouse, I was both immensely excited and anxious (the whole “don’t botch this up, kid” voice that kept repeating over and over again in my head, kind of like that “It’s A Small World” ride at Disney World). This reimagination actually led to a whole host of incredible “firsts” for me, including my first interview with Rolling Stone, Clio Awards win, and being on the Grammy’s FYC ballot. I had the opportunity to write the theme song for PlayStation’s video game series, Deathloop, entitled “Déjà Vu.” This was a really fun, cool experience as it allowed me to channel my inner James Bond and general love for all things Old Hollywood/big brass, and resulted in multiple Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations, Music and Sound Awards nomination, and ended up being remixed by massive artists like Steve Aoiki, Future, and Madison Beer (yeah, super wild… I still don’t fully understand how that happened).

In the vein of especially meaningful projects, I had the chance to create the trailer music for Stacey Lee’s feature documentary, Underplayed, in a reimagination of Doris Day’s “Que Sera Sera.” This documentary follows the careers of females working in the current music industry, as music producers, performers, multi-instrumentalists, DJ’s, and I was grateful to be able to play some part in promoting awareness for the film generally. Recently, the feature documentary More Than Robots (directed by Gillian Jacobs) released on Disney+, following its premiere at SXSW 2022, which I had the wonderful opportunity to contribute additional music for to film composer Stephanie Economou. Finally, over the past several months the release of Adidas Women’s International Campaign, Support is Everything, has been a very meaningful project for which I created custom music for. This project has been a great example of female collaboration – working with co-composer and pal Angela Sheik on creating custom music for 24 campaign videos, all centered around the female voice, equality, and diversity. The campaign features (role) models like Ellie Goldstein, Jessamyn, and female empowered artists like Anitta, all of whom I have a great respect for.