Ramin Djawadi

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Ramin Djawadi
Ramin Djawadi.jpg
Djawadi in 2008
Background information
Born (1974-07-19) 19 July 1974 (age 49)
Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Occupation(s)
Years active1998–present
Labels
Website www.ramindjawadi.com

Ramin Djawadi (born 19 July 1974) is a German [1] [2] [3] film score composer, conductor, and record producer. He is known for his scores for the HBO series Game of Thrones , for which he was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2018 and 2020. [4] He is also the composer for the HBO Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon (2022–present). [5] He has scored films such as Clash of the Titans , Pacific Rim , Warcraft , A Wrinkle in Time , Iron Man and Eternals , television series including Prison Break , Person of Interest , Jack Ryan , and Westworld , and video games such as Medal of Honor , Gears of War 4 , and Gears 5 . He won two consecutive Emmy Awards for Game of Thrones, in 2018 for the episode "The Dragon and the Wolf" and in 2019 for "The Long Night". [6]

Contents

Early life

Djawadi was born in Duisburg to an Iranian father and a German mother. [2] He went to Krupp Gymnasium in Duisburg, West Germany and studied at Berklee College of Music. [7] [8]

Career

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1998, [9] Djawadi garnered the attention of Hans Zimmer, who recruited him to Remote Control Productions. [10] Djawadi moved to Los Angeles and worked as an assistant to Klaus Badelt. From there on he made additional music and arrangements for Badelt and Zimmer movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , The Time Machine , and the Academy Award-nominated film Something's Gotta Give . He co-composed the music for System Shock 2 (1999). In 2003, he and Badelt composed the score of Beat the Drum . [11]

In 2004, Djawadi went out on his own with Blade: Trinity , collaborating with RZA for director David S. Goyer. This was the beginning of his relationship with Goyer for both film and television. The following year, Djawadi continued making additional music for Zimmer in films such as Batman Begins and The Island , which was his last time working in the background of another composer. The same year, he composed the Emmy-nominated main title themes and scores for Prison Break and the related show Breakout Kings . [12]

In 2006, Djawadi scored the first Sony Pictures Animation project, Open Season , followed by the sequel Open Season 2 (2008). Djawadi's ethereal score for the film Mr. Brooks (2007) earned him a World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year nomination. His other scores include Deception , Robert Towne's Ask the Dust , and Iron Man . Djawadi was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media [13] for his work on Iron Man.

Djawadi wrote the score for Goyer's horror thriller The Unborn (2009), produced by Michael Bay. Djawadi collaborated with Goyer on the television show FlashForward that year, earning him his second Emmy nomination.

In 2010, Djawadi completed Warner Brothers' Clash of the Titans . The same year, he scored the soundtrack for the video game Medal of Honor .

In 2011, he was selected to score HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones . [14] His work on Game of Thrones has garnered him several industry awards and recognition including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in September 2018 for the score "The Dragon and the Wolf". [15] For his work on season 7, he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. [16] This was his second nomination in this category after being nominated before for Iron Man in 2009. In 2011, he worked on the CBS crime drama Person of Interest . [17]

In 2012, he wrote the score for American action thriller film Safe House.

In 2013, Djawadi composed for the science fiction film Pacific Rim . He scored FX's vampire drama The Strain , created by Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro. [18]

In 2014, Djawadi wrote the score for an American action horror film Dracula Untold.

In 2016, Djawadi composed for the fantasy film Warcraft and the HBO science fiction show Westworld . [19] [20] The same year, Djawadi composed the score for the fantasy action monster film The Great Wall. [21]

In 2017, Djawadi composed the music for American survival drama film The Mountain Between Us

In 2018, Djawadi scored American science fantasy adventure film A Wrinkle in Time and American supernatural horror film Slender Man

He wrote the music for Amazon Prime Video’s political action thriller television series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (also known simply as Jack Ryan)

Djawadi scored The Queen's Corgi , an animation film directed by frequent collaborator Ben Stassen. [22] [ better source needed ] He co-wrote "Hollow Crown " alongside Ellie Goulding in For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones .[ citation needed ] In 2019, he won his second Emmy Award in a row for the Game of Thrones episode "The Long Night". [6]

In 2019, Djawadi also made the soundtrack for the Microsoft Studios and The Coalition video game, Gears 5 . The soundtrack was copyrighted and cannot be used even while playing the game online.

He received a third Grammy Award nomination for his work in season 8 of Game of Thrones, in the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category. [23]

Djawadi composed the score for the 2021 Marvel Studios film Eternals , which marked his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2008's Iron Man. Djawadi composed music for the trailer of Magic: The Gathering: Theros Beyond Death, a card game. Djawadi co-composed music with Brandon Campbell for the second episode of Apple TV+'s series Amazing Stories titled "The Heat". He composed music for the Disney+'s nature documentary film Elephant . Djawadi composed the score for Lisa Joy's feature film debut Reminiscence. He also co-composed the music for the Amazon Game's New World with Brandon Campbell.

He scored the music for Ruben Fleischer's Uncharted based on the videogame franchise of same name. He reunited with Game Of Thrones creator D.B Weiss and Tom Morello, scoring the Netflix film, Metal Lords, directed by Peter Solliet. He scored Sony's The Man from Toronto, directed by Patrick Hughes and the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.

In 2023, he composed the music for the American 3 Body Problem (TV series) Season 1, which was debuted on Netflix on 21 March 2024. The accompanying soundtrack, titled 3 Body Problem (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series), was released on Apple Music on 15 March 2024, and subsequently on YouTube Music under the same name in March 2024.

Personal life

Djawadi is married to Jennifer Hawks, a music executive in the film industry. [24] They are parents of twins. [25] According to Djawadi, he experiences the perceptual phenomenon known as synesthesia whereby he may "associate colours with music, or music with colours", and it allows him to visualize music. [26]

Works and awards

Tours

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaus Badelt</span> German composer

Klaus Badelt is a German composer, producer, and arranger of film scores. He is known for his collaborations with Hans Zimmer, helping to write scores for dozens of critically acclaimed films including The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, and Gladiator. Independently, he is known for his work on Hollywood blockbuster films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Equilibrium, K-19: The Widowmaker, Basic, and TMNT, and for his work in French and Chinese cinema as well as a number of films by Werner Herzog.

<i>Iron Man</i> (soundtrack) 2008 film score by Ramin Djawadi

Iron Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film Iron Man, featuring music composed by Ramin Djawadi. The soundtrack was produced in collaboration with Hans Zimmer and Remote Control Productions, and was released on April 29, 2008, by Lions Gate Records.

The music for the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones is composed by Ramin Djawadi. The music is primarily non-diegetic and instrumental with occasional vocal performances, and is created to support musically the characters and plots of the show. It features various themes, the most prominent being the "main title theme" that accompanies the series' title sequence. In every season, a soundtrack album was released. The music for the show has won a number of awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 2018 and 2019.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> title sequence Film

The title sequence of the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones that introduces every episode serves as a guide to the physical landscape of the world of the series. It changes depending on the locations visited in the particular episode it introduces. The title sequence was created by Elastic for HBO, and is accompanied by a theme composed by Ramin Djawadi.

<i>Pacific Rim</i> (soundtrack) 2013 soundtrack album / Film score by Ramin Djawadi

Pacific Rim: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name. It was released on digital download from Amazon.com on June 18, 2013, and CD June 25, 2013. The physical version of the soundtrack was released on July 9, 2013, three days before the theatrical release of the film itself.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> Theme 2011 single by Ramin Djawadi

"Game of Thrones Theme", also referred to as "Game of Thrones Main Title Theme", is the theme music of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones and its prequel House of the Dragon, and plays during the title sequences to both shows. It was composed by Ramin Djawadi in 2011, after series creator David Benioff and D. B. Weiss approached him requesting a theme.

"Light of the Seven" is an orchestral piano piece in the HBO's series Game of Thrones, the television series adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. It first played during the show's season six finale and was composed by Ramin Djawadi in 2016. "Light of the Seven" is the first time piano is used in the music for Game of Thrones. It was nominated by the International Film Music Critics Association for Film Music Composition of the Year.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 1</i> (soundtrack) 2011 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

Game of Thrones: Season 1 is the soundtrack album for the first season of HBO series Game of Thrones. Composed by Ramin Djawadi, it was released on June 14, 2011 for digital download and on CD. Djawadi accepted the task 10 weeks before the show premiered, after Stephen Warbeck left the project.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 2</i> (soundtrack) 2012 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album for the second season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 2, was published on June 19, 2012. The instrumental music by Ramin Djawadi was performed by the Czech Film Orchestra and Choir and recorded at the Rudolfinum concert hall in Prague.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 3</i> (soundtrack) 2013 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the third season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 3, was released digitally on June 4, 2013, and on CD on July 2, 2013. The album was composed by Ramin Djawadi.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 4</i> (soundtrack) 2014 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the fourth season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 4 was released digitally on June 10, 2014, and on CD on July 1, 2014. Season 4 of Game of Thrones saw the Icelandic band Sigur Rós perform their rendition of "The Rains of Castamere" in a cameo appearance at King Joffrey's wedding in the second episode, "The Lion and the Rose".

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 5</i> (soundtrack) 2015 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the fifth season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 5, was released digitally on June 9, 2015, and on CD on July 17, 2015. The album was composed by Ramin Djawadi.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 6</i> (soundtrack) 2016 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the sixth season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 6, was released digitally on June 24, 2016, and later released on CD on July 29, 2016. "Light of the Seven" is the first time piano is used in the music for Game of Thrones. The album was composed by Ramin Djawadi. The soundtrack has received favorable reviews and peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Soundtrack Albums chart and number 27 on the US Billboard 200. The track from the season finale, "Light of the Seven", reached number 1 on Billboard's Spotify Viral 50 chart. It won an International Film Music Critics Association for Best Original Score for a Television Series.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 7</i> (soundtrack) 2017 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the seventh season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 7, was released digitally on August 25, 2017 on CD on September 29, 2017.

<i>Game of Thrones: Season 8</i> (soundtrack) 2019 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

The soundtrack album of the eighth season of HBO series Game of Thrones, titled Game of Thrones: Season 8, was released digitally on May 19, 2019, a double CD was released July 19, 2019, and was released on vinyl later in the year.

<i>Westworld: Season 1</i> (soundtrack) 2016 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

Westworld: Season 1 is the first soundtrack of the American television series Westworld, composed by Ramin Djawadi. Released on December 5, 2016, the album includes thirty-four pieces composed or arranged for the show. The album contains mostly original compositions by Djawadi, it also includes some covers by him of Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, The Animals, and The Cure. The soundtrack has received favorable reviews and peaked at #190 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It was nominated for International Film Music Critics Association for "Best Original Score for a Television Series".

Brandon Campbell is an American music composer for film, TV and video games and is best known for his music contributions to TV series' like Game of Thrones and Person of Interest and movies such as The Thinning and The Great Wall. After graduating from the University of Rochester he interned at Hans Zimmer's studio, Remote Control Productions and later served as an assistant to Ramin Djawadi. Campbell ventured off on his own in with the film Where Love Found Me, and later that year wrote the music for the thriller The Thinning.

<i>Westworld: Season 2</i> (soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

Westworld: Season 2 is the second soundtrack of the American television series Westworld, composed by Ramin Djawadi. Released on June 25, 2018, the day after the season finale aired, the album includes 29 pieces composed for the show. Comprising mostly original compositions by Djawadi, the album also includes more cover versions of modern songs, with adaptations of tracks released by Kanye West, The White Stripes, Nirvana, Wu-Tang Clan and Radiohead, plus a second arrangement of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black".

<i>House of the Dragon: Season 1</i> (soundtrack) 2022 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

House of the Dragon: Season 1 is the soundtrack album for the first season of the HBO television series House of the Dragon, an independent prequel to Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Ramin Djawadi, who composed for Game of Thrones, returned to score for the series. Djawadi wanted the score to "keep the DNA alive from the original show", hence he created some cues based on the themes from the original show, but included new themes for the characters involved. He also experimented with instrumentation to create a minor difference from the original show. The album was led by four singles — "The Prince That Was Promised", "Protector of the Realm", "Lament" and "Fate of the Kingdoms" — released on August 18, October 9 and 16, 2022. The 44-track score album was released by WaterTower Music on October 24, 2022, a day after the season finale premiered.

References

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