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Ryan Lott. Photo credit: Sergei Sarakhanov
Oscar-nominated Indiana University alumnus Ryan Lott will return to Bloomington in June to perform with his band Thon Lux during the Granfalloon Festival.
A composer, producer and performer, he graduated from the Jacobs School of Music with a BA in Composition in 2001 and founded the band Son Lux as a solo act in 2007, later with bandmates Rafiq Bhatia and Ian. Chang joined us. Together, the trio created Academy Award-nominated music for the 2023 Academy Award-winning Best Picture, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Ahead of the performance of ‘Son Lux’ at the Baskirk Chumley Theater on June 9, Lott shared memories of IU’s school days and offered advice to other students looking to pursue a similar career path.
Q: You earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Jacob’s School of Music. How did your time with Jacobs shape your musical style?
In the early 2000s, Ryan Lott played with his band, Dunagas, at the Bloomington venue. Photo credit: Ryan Lottanswer: The rigor and language of European classical music were important aspects of my education at IU. I am grateful to have had the time to play with a variety of musicians, including those who did not go to music school.
I learned so much from writing and arranging for Danagas, a band that was in Bloomington, playing clubs like Bluebird, Second Story, Kilroys, Mars and many house parties. They are still my friends and have continued to work together occasionally over the years.
The most important thing that happened to me while I was in music school was meeting my wife. Jennifer is in the ballet department and introduced me to dance. Thanks to her, I started making music for movement. This was an early formative exercise that gave me the opportunity to develop not only my musical voice, but my technical abilities with regards to scoring. I still love making dance music and do it regularly (for Jen too!).
Q: You have collaborated with many great artists — David Byrne, Lorde, Sufjan Stevens, Kimbra, G-Eazy, Mitsuki, to name a few. What were those experiences like?
Sun Lux’s Ian Chang, Rafik Bhatia, Ryan Lott and David Byrne, and actress Stephanie Su attend a cocktail party honoring “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images for Vanity Fair
answer: Every musical collaboration, whether with a well-known or lesser-known artist, is a unique world to discover. Every partnership is an opportunity to learn something new about music.
Through our collaboration, we have been fortunate to learn from people with a wide range of approaches and ideas, from Ghanaian xylophone maestro SK Kakhlava to Randy Newman.
Q: Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with in the future?
answer: I would like to collaborate with kd lang, Donald Glover, Thom Yorke, FlyLo. And who wouldn’t want to work with Björk?
question: Song Lax composed the music for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and You was nominated for Best Score and Best Original Song at the 2023 Academy Awards.You are in the movies Paper Towns, Mean Dreams, The The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” and the video game “Tell Me Why”. What tips would you give to students dreaming of scoring in film, TV, or video games?
answer: My advice is ostensibly paradoxical. Film, TV and video game composers must be chameleon-like and have their own distinctive voice. Finding this balance is important. The music must be entirely your own and fully support the project and the director’s or creator’s vision for it.
question: You had the rare experience of being nominated twice for an Oscar and attending an Academy Award. What was interesting or surprising to you about that experience?
answer: Celebrating the miracle of cinema surrounded by such talented artists was an incredibly humbling experience. Above all, I am grateful to all of them. Musicians, directors, writers, actors, visual his artists, cinema is a place for all of us.
Q: What’s in your favorite music playlist right now?
answer: Tumani Diabate, Billy Woods, Moore Mather, Lucrecia Dalt, Daniela Lalita, Black Taffy, Toots and the Maytals.
Q: Are there any projects you can look forward to in the future?
answer: I am currently finishing another film score. It’s very different from EEAAO, but it’s another opportunity to collaborate with other artists. We are also working on an experimental improv-based project that we hope to release early next year.
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