Ludwig Goransson

“I think the more you know people and the more you get to know artists, the better you can collaborate.”

“I'd say for a film composer, 'Star Wars' is kind of like the holy grail of film music. It's probably the best film music ever written.”

“I think I'm a pretty good listener.”

“At USC, when I studied film scoring my first year, one of my first friends that I met was Ryan Coogler. He was in the directing program at USC. He became one of my best friends at school.”

“I've worked with Childish Gambino for so long, so I've learned that from those producing skills - how to really produce music - where, of course, it's about writing, but it's also about combining sounds and styles and genres.”

“The through line of the way I like to work, what makes me different, and what I like to do for every project - although they are completely different from each other - is I like to do a lot of research and create a unique landscape and unique soundscape for each movie.”

“These days, you're always surrounded by music and sounds, whether you're in the mall or a subway car.”

“It was very challenging, trying to add an orchestra on top of these traditional African rhythms, because as soon as you add any kind of melody or chords over it, it stops feeling African.”

“I traveled to a library in South Africa called ILAM (International Library of African Music), which has a collection of about 500 different instruments that don't really exist anymore.”

“I would love to do more superhero work; as a young film composer, that is one of the things you dream of.”

“A friend of mine put me in contact with the artist Baaba Maal.”

“When I'm working with an artist, my job is to make their vision come to life.”

“That's important for me, to never just relax and be too comfortable with what you have.”

“One of the instruments that really stuck out to me was the talking drum, which is basically the first type of communication device. It's a drum you put on your shoulder, and you can pitch it with your arm, and you can 'talk' with it.”

“I haven't really ever seen a big budget Hollywood film with African music. Most of the time, it's just Hollywood's perception of what African music is.”

“The first time I experimented with sound design was on 'Fruitvale Station,' where I recorded the BART train and manipulated it.”

“I really want to get better at conducting.”

“Growing up, I was listening to a lot of Metallica, a lot of instrumental guitar music because I started out as a guitar player.”

“One of the first things I want do when I start writing music for a film is to create its own sound world, its own music world.”

“Obviously, the 'Rocky' theme is one of the most recognizable themes in film.”