Meet the ‘Game of Thrones’ music maestro
From the booming tones that welcome you into each episode of “Game of Thrones” to the melodic masterpieces of the show’s darkest moments, composer Ramin Djawadi has done it all. Whether you’re listening to “The Rains of Castamere” as blood runs down on a certain wedding or transporting yourself into Westeros with the piano notes of “Light of the Seven,” you haven’t experienced “Game of Thrones” without Djawadi’s work.
USA TODAY caught up with Djawadi – the award-winning composer behind everything from “Thrones” to “Iron Man” – to talk about mentorship, lattes and staying inspired.
Q: How did you get your start in the music business?
Ramin Djawadi: I got my start through Hans Zimmer, actually. It was a connection that was made by coincidence. I didn’t even live in L.A. – I lived in Boston – and the connection was made, and I packed my bags, went to L.A., and started out in the machine room making sure that all of the electronics and musical gear were in order. I didn’t get to write music at first, but that’s how I got my start, and then I slowly was able to get into arranging music and then writing music.
Q: What does a typical workday look like for you?
Djawadi: Most of the time, I’m by myself, in a room, writing music. That’s really just a typical day for me, where I work on whatever project I’m working on and come up with pieces of music. It’s definitely long hours, for sure, and it just takes a long time. It sounds pretty uneventful – of course there’s recording sessions, but most of the time I really just write.
Q: What is favorite part of your job?
Djawadi: I am allowed to dream and just be a kid. I (get to) come up with melodies, use different instruments, and experiment with sounds. I can be creative, and that’s my favorite part. There’s a lot of creativity, and there’s no rules. I feel like anything goes, and that’s what gets me through the long hours.
Q: To what do you credit your success?
Djawadi: Hard work. That kind of goes hand-in-hand with what I like about my job – I really love what I do. I’ve always wanted to do it, so it makes long hours and hard work a lot easier. I work every day, including Saturdays and Sundays – I would say every day is a Monday for me – and I just really like to work hard, which I always do.
Q: How do you juggle work, life and family with such a busy schedule?
Djawadi: It’s very difficult, especially now that I have little twins. With kids, it makes it even harder. One of the things I did is that I built a studio at home so I could work at home a lot. When I write music I can really do that anywhere, and then doing it from home is the best way to see my family. When I take breaks during the day, I can just spend a little time with them. I can put my kids to bed, and by working from home that makes it possible. It makes it easier, but it also actually triggers for me to work even more, because it’s so easy to say ‘let me just go in the studio again and work a couple of hours.’
Q: How do you stay creative?
Djawadi: That’s very difficult, because of the time pressure that’s not on my side. I would love sometimes to write something and let it bake for two weeks – travel, do something, get more inspiration – unfortunately that’s not always possible. I’ve had to find ways to get inspired fast, and a couple of ways I do it are by exercise – just going to the gym or going for a walk, short little things that I can just draw inspiration from by clearing my brain – and what I love to do is sketching the piece before I go to bed, sleeping over it, and the next day starting fresh on it again. It’s very hard, because it has to come quick.
Q: What has been your favorite “Game of Thrones” experience?
Djawadi: Going to set. Visiting the set is great inspiration – seeing the actors on set, seeing all of the other people involved in the show: costumes, set design, anything that involves making the show come together, especially before I come in.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Djawadi: Find a mentor. Start working with and for a working composer to really get the insight about the business. There’s only so much you can learn in college: it’s really the hands-on work that is necessary.
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