To The Stars: A Conversation with Composer Inon Zur
While already a successful and prolific composer for films, television series and interactive video games, BMI composer Inon Zur’s last several months have been literally out of this world. Following a stellar collaboration with Imagine Dragons on “Children of the Sky (A Starfield Song),” Zur was invited to conduct a 53-piece orchestra for the band’s final night of their Loom World Tour at Los Angeles’ historic Hollywood Bowl this past October. That amazing evening was captured for posterity in a new concert film, Imagine Dragons: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, which arrives in theaters later this month. Were that not enough, Zur – who composed the beloved theme to the popular video came Starfield – had the immense honor of having his collaboration with Imagine Dragons literally delivered to the surface of the moon via the Falcon 9 rocket and Athena Moon Lander, earlier this month, to become a permanent fixture in a lunar data center.
It’s been quite an interesting year for you. Your award-winning score for the game Starfield led to a collaboration with Imagine Dragons. The resulting song, “Children of the Sky (A Starfield Song),” was just sent to the moon on Lonestar’s moon lander Athena! Let’s start at the beginning. What was the process behind your score for Starfield?
I think that instead of going from the macro, the vastness of space, I started from the perspective of one single human being that is being launched on this adventure into space. I focused on the feelings and emotional mindset of this sole individual being immersed in this huge universe and about to embark on an amazing adventure to discover new revelations for humanity. I imagined myself being this individual immersed in the experience and looking at all the wonders and dangers, the feeling of awe and discovery but also fear and uncertainty. The last motivation is the huge drive to succeed and overcome these challenges in order to achieve these missions and answer questions about the mysteries of the universe. This is the philosophical reasoning and concept behind the score for Starfield.
How did the collaboration with Imagine Dragons come about? How did you blend the sound of your score with the band’s style to create “Children of the Sky”?
I met a producer and A&R representative from Interscope over two years ago. He is a gamer at heart and was looking for opportunities to connect the bands he was representing with video games. He knew about Starfield and that the band also loved Bethesda’s games, so this was a great opportunity, and he made the connection. I thought this would be a unique collaboration for us, with such a popular band as Imagine Dragons to be part of the musical signature for Starfield. But overall, I believed their music really matched the brand.
I remember when they first sent me the song, it’s a wonderful song and I definitely felt connected to something there that could be applied to Starfield. But there was one component that was missing, the Starfield musical signature. So, I played the theme over the song to see if they were compatible and miraculously it was fitting perfectly without making modifications. That was a wow moment for me and quite a discovery. I don’t think they wrote the song to the theme as such and I’m hesitant to say if they even knew the theme well yet. But if you listen to the arrangement of the song, you’ll hear the theme is present throughout. It just very effortlessly complements the harmony, chords, and main melody of the song. This natural synergy is essentially how it came to be.
You joined forces again with Imagine Dragons at the Hollywood Bowl in October, conducting a 53-piece orchestra. The concert film Imagine Dragons: Live at the Hollywood Bowl hits theaters March 26th. What was it like conducting a live orchestra at that iconic venue?
It was beyond exhilarating! I did not really anticipate that the level of emotions was going to be that high. For two months I was so busy preparing everything that by the time I actually stood on the stage I had to really soak it all in. With the Hollywood Bowl setting so beautiful in the evening and seeing all the fans filling the venue and reaching full capacity. The energy from the crowd filled me with so much emotion. I was genuinely surprised myself by how emotional that moment was for me.
“Children of the Sky” recently underwent a perilous journey onboard the Athena moon lander. What was it like watching the Falcon 9 rocket take off with your song onboard? And how does it feel knowing that it now lives on a data center on the moon!?
This is one of the most special moments I’ve had in my life. I am personally a big fan of anything that has to do with space exploration and our questions about the mysteries of the universe and beyond. I’ve always been into science and science-fiction so for me to see this whole experience in person, with this massive rocket taking off for the moon and knowing that our musical signature was going to be planted on a different planet! It’s definitely something that awoke feelings I had not experienced before.
What advice would you offer to aspiring composers looking to work on music for games?
The love for music and passion to connect music with audiences, providing listeners and gamers this special emotional journey, this should be a huge motivation for every composer considering the field. But on a practical level, I believe anybody that strives to be a video game composer, or any other media composer, needs to learn the craft of composing, achieving originality in composition and how to work with producers. These skills that need to be developed over time are very important keys to a successful career in composition.
Now that your music is traveling to different planets, what is next for Inon Zur?
There are a lot of new journeys that I’ve already embarked on over the last 2-3 years, which I cannot reveal yet. But I can say that when the fans find out they will be as excited as me!
Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander Athena
Inon Zur’s scores to Fallout and Starfield will be performed by the San Francisco Orchestra on Wednesday, March 19, and Imagine Dragons: Live at the Hollywood Bowl in theaters on Sunday, March 16. For more information, visit his website at inonzur.com.
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