by Tomasz Ludward
IFMCA member Tomasz Ludward recently interviewed composer Joy Ngiaw about her life and career, including her recent score for the animated sci-fi fantasy television series WondLa.
TL: You started playing piano at the age of six. What is your first recollection of discovering your passion for music?
JN: I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing classical piano and began accompanying school choirs and orchestras early on. I fell in love with how different instruments come together in harmony, and the excitement of collaborating and building a community through music really resonated with me. As a sensitive kid, I found that improvising on the piano was a way for me to express my emotions and reconnect with my thoughts.
To me, music is a form of connection—it transcends both sight and sound, bringing people together across all languages and ages. It’s a powerful means of communication that evokes empathy and shared human experiences, and I’m incredibly grateful that film scoring has become my career path.
You love to experiment with different instruments and musical textures in your scoring. Can you tell us more about this musical exploration and your creative process?
Absolutely! I love experimenting with different instruments and musical textures because it allows me to create unique soundscapes that really bring a story to life. For WondLa, I was particularly excited by the rich and epic world that Tony DiTerlizzi built, which gave me the perfect canvas to blend a wide range of genres and instrumentation.
One of the most exciting aspects of scoring this series was exploring world instruments to represent the various alien tribes. For example, to enhance the mystical qualities of Darius, a fortune teller who uses urns to exchange memories for a fortune, I used instruments like water bowls, glass harmonica, tuned bowls, and bells, along with portamento on strings. This approach helped capture the mysterious essence of her character.
Similarly, for Besteel, our antagonist, I used low synths with added processing and pitch bending to create a sound reminiscent of a monster’s growl. To add an otherworldly tone, I layered a heavily distorted Chinese Er Hu to achieve a haunting and foreboding effect.
I also love experimenting with my own voice to create unique textures and sound effects, which bleed into the score and add a unique sonic identity to WondLa. By recording layers of different vocal textures—such as breaths, ‘shaaaa’s, hums, and chants—I can introduce a human element into the score. Additionally, I enjoy sampling everyday objects from around my house and transforming them into instruments. For example, a slinky can become a fun percussive instrument after applying software processing and manipulation. I love finding inspiration in unexpected places, and drawing inspiration from daily sounds is incredibly inspiring to me and allows for a fresh and unconventional approach to my compositions.
The world of WondLa is truly unique and magical. How did you create music that represents it so well?
Thank you so much, that’s very kind! Creating music for WondLa was a deeply immersive and rewarding experience because Tony DiTerlizzi’s world is so rich and magical. My goal for the score was to capture the essence of this unique universe.
For me, it’s about thinking outside the box and finding creative ways to showcase the uniqueness of each character and environment—whether through specific instruments or textures that add a distinctive flavor to the composition.
It was incredibly fun to use a wide array of world instruments to represent the different alien tribes and their cultures. For Lacus, a fisherman’s village filled with community and family, I incorporated African instruments like the bolon, kalimba, and balafon into the score. The concept art, with its textural and intertwined infrastructures, inspired me to create a theme that is syncopated and polyrhythmic, reflecting the village’s vibrant spirit. In contrast, for Solas, the advanced city of Orbona, I opted for plucked instruments such as the Korean Gayageum, Sanjo, and Chinese Liuqin and Dan Nhi, layered with the grandeur of a Mongolian choir to underscore its sophistication. The theme’s meter, an unexpected 5/4, adds to its distinctly different and otherworldly feel.
By thinking about how the music can enhance the viewing experience for the audience, I was able to add a unique sonic identity to each tribe, enriching the world of WondLa.
WondLa is also rich with themes. Did you approach them one by one, following the places and characters, or were you more interested in creating a cohesive musical world as a whole?
Both! We started by defining the main WondLa theme, which represents our main character, Eva Nine. This theme plays whenever the ‘WondLa’ logo appears and helps to connect different scenes throughout the episodes. Getting this theme right was essential, as it represents the heart of the story. From there, I could use the main theme as a foundation and vary it depending on the instrumentation used in a particular location or the emotion conveyed in a scene.
After establishing the main WondLa theme, we focused on creating unique themes for each character and location. I experimented with various melodies and instruments to give each one its own distinct sound. Even though the story is vast and filled with diverse sonic elements, everything fits into a cohesive musical world. It’s truly a composer’s dream to be part of such immersive world-building.
Can you share a bit about what it was like to work with John Lasseter, Bobs Gannaway, and the rest of the team behind WondLa?
They are truly the best collaborators, and I’m incredibly grateful for the creative freedom and trust they placed in me. John, Bobs, Andrew and the rest of the team are legends in the world of animation, and their expertise brought so much depth and creativity to the project. I have deep admiration for them, so being able to collaborate with this team was a dream come true. Their encouragement and openness to experimentation inspired me to explore new musical territories, try out unique sounds, and push the boundaries of what I could do. Whether it was brainstorming ideas for the sonic identities of the alien tribes or pushing my vocal abilities, this project allowed me to grow significantly as a composer and artist. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work with such a brilliant and supportive team.
How did you prepare for the scoring? Did you read Tony DiTerlizzi’s work before heading into the recording studio?
Absolutely! I devoured Tony DiTerlizzi’s trilogy in one weekend—it’s that incredible! Skydance Animation brought me on board early, allowing me to study the scripts and immerse myself in the character designs, costumes, and production design. Seeing these elements was extremely inspirational and crucial for guiding my musical choices. Each location in WondLa has its own distinct personality, so I aimed for the music to reflect that individuality.
We spent about a year developing character and location themes because it was essential for the filmmakers to have memorable and distinctive music that would enhance Eva Nine’s journey in Orbona. By the time we were ready to score the episodes, we had a solid foundation for each character and location’s sound, which made the scoring process incredibly exciting!
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while scoring WondLa, and how did you overcome them to achieve the final musical composition?
One of the biggest challenges was balancing the score between epic and intimate moments, as the filmmakers wanted the music to reflect both grand storytelling and quieter emotional scenes. ‘Epic and intimate’ became our guiding mantra from day one. Crafting themes that could transition seamlessly between these extremes was crucial.
To tackle this, we had in-depth discussions during spotting sessions about how much music each scene needed and the density of each cue—whether it required a full orchestra or just a single instrument like a cello. For instance, in episode 5, when we first introduce the Solas Palace, the score is rich and grandiose to highlight the power of Queen Ojo’s kingdom. In contrast, when Queen Ojo reveals her loneliness later in the episode, the score becomes more sparse to underscore her emotional state. This approach was developed in close collaboration with the team, and I’m incredibly grateful to have worked with filmmakers who have such extraordinary vision.
The music of Blush accompanies the Skydance Animation studio logo. What’s it like to have your music play before movies from the studio?
It’s truly an absolute honor! Skydance Animation has been instrumental in jump-starting my career. From scoring their first animated short, Blush, to having the incredible opportunity to score the studio’s inaugural logo – I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities to work with such fantastic collaborators whom I truly admire.
Blush is particularly special to me as it tells a personal story of our director, Joe Mateo, dealing with the loss of his wife to breast cancer. During the challenging times of the pandemic, the score brought a lot of love and healing to the cast and crew, and now that our musical theme has become the studio’s logo, it feels like that spirit will continue to carry on. Seeing the logo play before any production from Skydance Animation is a profound reminder of how our heartfelt work can connect with audiences and transcend over time. I’m incredibly humbled and thankful for the love and support from Skydance Animation.
What upcoming projects do you have in the works?
I’m currently working on a few new projects that explore different genres and styles. I’m particularly excited about my upcoming animated show, Mattel’s “Barbie Mysteries: The Great Horse Chase”, which will premiere on Netflix this fall. The score for this mystery action adventure allows me to create my own “Charlie’s Angels meets Ocean’s 8” tone, something new and exciting to explore.
Overall, I’m always on the lookout for projects that challenge me creatively and allow me to grow as a composer. I can’t wait to share these new works with you and continue to push the boundaries of what music can bring to storytelling.
