24: Grant Kirkhope on Composing Music for Video Games like GoldenEye and Mario+Rabbids & The Drive To Keep Improving

Entrepreneurs & Artists with Tiffany Aurora

Grant Kirkhope is an Ivor Novello and World Soundtrack Award winning Scottish composer who has created the soundtrack for video games that have sold in excess of 40 million copies. He's worked on titles such as "GoldenEye," "Banjo-Kazooie," "Viva Piñata," "Donkey Kong," "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning," "Civilization: Beyond Earth," "Mario + Rabies Kingdom Battle," and many more. He also recently scored the feature film, "The King's Daughter," starring Pierce Brosnan and William Hurt, which won The People's Vote at The World Soundtrack Awards 2022.

Grant Kirkhope: https://www.grantkirkhope.com/

Key Moments:

02:36 - Grant talks about the first title he composed for and how he got his start in the video game industry.

08:42 - Despite the financial pressures of the industry, when you're in the right environment, you can have a lot of fun together and make something really cool.

09:55 - Freelancing comes with a unique set of financial pressures.

11:15 - Know how much artistic freedom you want. If you want to express yourself fully on your terms, hiring yourself out probably won't work for you.

14:03 - Grant shares how he found out he had been hired to compose for Mario (Mario + Rabbids).

16:40 - When it comes to all your work and all the music you've composed, the music people listen to the most - the most popular pieces - may catch you by surprise. Art has a life of its own.

18:42 - Babyface Ray used the GoldenEye watch pause music loop (from 1996!) in his recent single, "Count Money (feat BossMan Dlow)."

20:40 - The story behind the Donkey Kong Rap ("DK RAP") and how it became a sensation.

22:38 - "You can't be brilliant at everything, but you just have to try to be."

23:51 - Grant's work process: He works every day, seven days a week, on a schedule. No waiting for inspiration. He writes every day.

26:33 - The audience already knows what a certain scene is supposed to sound like.

28:37 - It's easy to rest on your laurels. The "curse of aspiration" will keep you pushing forward. It'll drive you to keep learning, keep innovating, keep creating amazing work. It can also dominate your life.

30:50 - Anything in the creative sphere requires a certain level of obsession.

32:55 - Video games and movies are incredibly influential. You get to be a part of these intimate moments in people's lives.

34:43 - Grant's advice to anyone interested in pursuing a career composing for video games and/or film:

1. Write music every day.
2. Network. Meet the people who are doing the thing you want to do. "Having the talent is 50% of the battle. The other 50% is the people you know." Most successful entertainers have a public persona. Learn how to set aside the inner introvert and crack a joke.
3. Don't argue with the creative director.
4. Say yes to everything. Even if you don't know how to do it yet. It's better to try and fail than not get the gig at all.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Little Angels
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Mario + Rabbits Sparks of Hope, "For the Galaxy" by Grant Kirkhope
• Babyface Ray, "Count Money" (feat BossMan Dlow)
• DK Rap

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More conversations on artistic careers:

• Andrew Ausseon on "Spellbinders" and What Video Games Teach Us About Storytelling (ep. 12)
• Haze Kim on Street Dance, Feeling Powerful On Stage, and Friends Who Help You Grow and Feel Safe (ep. 11)
• Mike Drucker on Stand-Up Comedy, Sharing First Drafts, and Embracing Kindness in Comedy (ep. 10)

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This show is hosted by Tiffany Aurora: https://tiffanyaurora.com