Daniel Pemberton (born 3 November 1977) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning English composer and songwriter.
Life and career
In 1994, at the age of 16, Pemberton recorded his debut album, ''Bedroom'', on a multitrack cassette recorder, which caught the attention of ambient musician
Pete Namlook
Pete Namlook (born 25 November 1960 as Peter Kuhlmann in Frankfurt, West Germany, died on 8 November 2012) was an ambient and electronic music producer and composer. In 1992, he founded the German record label FAX +49-69/450464, which he oversa ...
and was released on the latter’s
Fax label as part of its sub-label series.
This album impressed TV director
Paul Wilmshurst who asked 17-year-old Pemberton to score a TV documentary he was working on. Following this he became a very in-demand composer for British television eventually graduating into feature film with his debut score to ''
The Awakening'' from director
Nick Murphy.
In 2013, Pemberton completed his breakthrough score of director
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
's film ''
The Counselor''. The score was recorded at
Abbey Road Studios in London.
Since then he has worked on countless award winning films and songs with an array of highly notable film directors and artists, including
Danny Boyle
Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...
,
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Em ...
,
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
,
David O. Russell,
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction.
Arono ...
,
Guy Ritchie,
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
,
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
and
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
.
In 2021, he was named "Film Composer Of The Year" by the
World Soundtrack Awards and
International Film Music Critics Association.
Pemberton was originally named the "Discovery of the Year" in 2014 at the
World Soundtrack Awards and nominated as "Film Composer of the Year" in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Pemberton has been nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
, won an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
and been nominated four times for a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
award and three times for a
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
. In 2021 he was nominated for the
Academy Award For Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed t ...
and
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of ...
for the song ''
Hear My Voice'' from the film ''
The Trial of the Chicago 7'' which was performed and co-written with
Celeste
Celeste may refer to:
Geography
* Mount Celeste, unofficial name of a mountain on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
* Celeste, Texas, a rural city in North Texas
** Celeste High School, public high school located in the city of Celeste, ...
. Pemberton and Celeste performed the song during the 2021 Oscars Ceremony from the roof of the newly opened
Academy Museum in Hollywood. A new arrangement of the song was also used as a central part of the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games featuring a 1000 piece choir and guitar solos from
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...
founder
Tommy Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. ...
.
In 2016 his score for ''
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...
'' was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. In 2017 he was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of ...
for the song ''
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
'' from the film of the same name which he co-wrote with
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
,
Danger Mouse Danger Mouse may refer (or appear in) to:
* ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series
* ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series
* Danger Mouse (musician) (born ...
and the director
Stephen Gaghan. In 2019 his score for ''
Motherless Brooklyn'' was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He won an Emmy for his work on the acclaimed Paralympic documentary ''
Rising Phoenix'' creating a score and song working alongside numerous musicians and artists with disabilities.
Pemberton's other notable works include the Oscar-winning animated film ''
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', directed by
Bob Persichetti,
Peter Ramsey and
Rodney Rothman;
Danny Boyle
Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...
's ''
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...
'' and ''
Yesterday'';
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
's ''
All The Money In The World'' and ''
The Counselor'';
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Em ...
's ''
Being The Ricardos
''Being the Ricardos'' is a 2021 American biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between ''I Love Lucy'' stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, ...
'', ''
Molly's Game
''Molly's Game'' is a 2017 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Molly Bloom. It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, ...
'' and ''
The Trial Of The Chicago 7''; ''
Oceans 8
''Ocean's Eight'' (stylized onscreen as ''Ocean's 8'') is a 2018 American heist action thriller comedy film directed by Gary Ross and written by Ross and Olivia Milch. The film is both a continuation of and a spin-off from Steven Soderbergh's ...
'';''
The Rescue ''The Rescue'' may refer to:
Art
* ''The Rescue'' (painting), an 1855 painting by John Everett Millais
* ''The Rescue'' (statue), a marble sculpture group (1837–50) by Horatio Greenough
Film and television
* " Chapter 16: The Rescue", 202 ...
'' for which he won a
Critics Choice Award
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...
for Best Score;
Guy Ritchie's ''
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' and ''
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword''; The Palme d'Or nominated French film ''
Mal De Pierres'' starring
Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions.
She has receive ...
and directed by
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film ''Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2 ...
; Animated Dreamworks feature
''
The Bad Guys''; ''
Birds Of Prey And The Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn'' and ''
Enola Holmes''.
Earlier work includes ''
The Awakening'' starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West and directed by Nick Murphy; ''
Cuban Fury'' a British comedy from the producers of Shaun of the Dead starring Nick Frost; the live action short ''Ghost Recon: Alpha'' directed by Oscar-winners
Francois Alaux and Herve De Crecy and edited by Oscar-winner
Pietro Scalia; ''Blood'' starring Paul Bettany and Mark Strong, directed by Nick Murphy and produced by Sam Mendes; Film4 feature ''In Fear'' starring Alice Englert, directed by Jeremy Lovering and ''
Complicit'' starring David Oyelowo and directed by Niall MacCormick. Pemberton also scored director
Gareth Edwards
Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".
In 2003, in a poll of international ...
' breakthrough sci-fi short film ''Factory Farmed''.
He has also composed title tunes and incidental music for several award-winning television series including ''
The Game
The Game or The Games may refer to:
Sports and games
* The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig
* The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself
* ...
'', ''
Prey
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
'', ''
Ambassadors
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
'', ''
Peep Show
A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot.
Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the c ...
'', ''
Desperate Romantics'', ''Space Dive'', ''
Occupation'', ''
Prisoners' Wives'', ''
Black Mirror
''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative ficti ...
'', ''
My Mad Fat Diary
''My Mad Fat Diary'' is a British teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel ''My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary'' by Rae Earl.
The second series started on 19 February 2014 and ended on 31 Mar ...
'', ''
Suburban Shootout
''Suburban Shootout'' is a British satirical black comedy television series produced for Channel 5 and Paramount Comedy by Feelgood Fiction in association with Oxygen. The first series aired in the UK on Channel 5 from 27 April 2006. It bega ...
'', ''
Hell's Kitchen'', ''
Great British Menu
''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet.
Format
Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, whe ...
'', ''
Hiroshima'', ''
Bad Lads' Army'', ''
That'll Teach 'Em'', ''
George Orwell: A Life in Pictures'', ''
The Yellow House'', ''
Monster Moves'', ''
Dirk Gently'', ''
Napoleon'' and the first series of the 2010 revival of ''
Upstairs Downstairs''. He also has composed music for video games such as ''
LittleBigPlanet
''LittleBigPlanet'' (stylized as ''LittleBIGPlanet''; abbreviated ''LBP'') is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the seri ...
'', ''
Kinect Adventures'', ''
LittleBigPlanet 2
''LittleBigPlanet 2'' is a puzzle-platform game that features user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule, published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. It was released in January 2011. The game was released ...
'', ''
The Movies'' and ''
Trackmania Turbo
''TrackMania Turbo'' is a racing video game developed by Nadeo and published by Ubisoft. Announced at E3 2015, the title is the first ''TrackMania'' game released on consoles since 2009's '' TrackMania: Build to Race'' on the Wii. The game feat ...
''. Using the alias The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra, some of his television themes were released on the album ''TVPOPMUZIK'' in 2007, while his video game work—primarily that from ''LittleBigPlanet''—was released on the album ''LittleBIGMusic''.
For the 2020 Paralympics documentary film ''
Rising Phoenix'' as well as working with disabled musicians on the score Pemberton also collaborated with disabled rappers Toni Hickman, Georgetragic and Keith Jones to create the end credits song "Rising Phoenix". which was also used in the closing ceremonies of both the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Pemberton has also co-written songs such as "Jokes On You", the title track performed by
Charlotte Lawrence from the film ''
Birds Of Prey And The Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn''; "
Good Tonight
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, p ...
" performed by
Antony Ramos and "
Brand New Day Brand New Day or A Brand New Day may refer to:
Music
*''Brand New Day'', the American title for the 1990 Australian musical ''Bran Nue Dae''
Albums
* ''Brand New Day'' (Swollen Members album), 2014
* ''Brand New Day'' (Ricki-Lee Coulter album), o ...
" performed by
The Heavy from the animated
Dreamworks feature film ''
The Bad Guys'' and the title theme "Come With Me" performed by
Yola from the second
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
series of ''
Green Eggs And Ham
''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2019, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide.
The story has appeared in several adaptations, starting with 1973's '' Dr. Seuss on the Loo ...
''. He co-wrote and produced the end titles song "Time" from the movie ''
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
'' with
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
and performed by
Giveon.
In 2022 he co-wrote and produced the title song "
Strange Game
Strange may refer to:
Fiction
* Strange (comic book), a comic book limited series by Marvel Comics
* Strange (Marvel Comics), one of a pair of Marvel Comics characters known as The Strangers
* Adam Strange, a DC Comics superhero
* The title ch ...
" with
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
for the Apple TV series ''
Slow Horses''.
Film scores
Film
Television
Short film
Video games
Discography
* ''Bedroom'' (
Fax +49-69/450464, 1994)
Soundtrack releases
* '' Cries in the Wind ( the daniel pemberton TV orchestra ) ( little big planet October 21, 2008 / little big planet 2 January 18, 2011
* ''
Yesterday'' (Universal Music & Capitol Records, 2019)
* ''Molly's Game'' (Sony Classical, 2018)
* ''All The Money In The World'' (Sony Classical, 2017)
* ''Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House'' (Filmtrax Ltd., 2017)
* ''King Arthur: Legend of the Sword'' (WaterTower Music, 2017)
* ''Gold'' (BMG, Original Score, 2017)
* ''From The Land Of The Moon (Mal De Pierres)'' (Les Productions Du Tresor, 2017)
* ''Steve Jobs'' (Backlot Music, 2015)
* ''The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' (Watertower, 2015)
* ''The Game'' (Moviescore Media, 2015)
* ''Cuban Fury'' (Decca Records, 2014)
* ''The Counselor'' (Milan Records, 2013)
* ''Blood'' (Moviescore Media, 2013)
* ''Space Dive'' (1812 Recordings, 2012)
* ''Dirk Gently'' (Moviescore Media, 2012)
* ''Space Dive'' (1812 Recordings, 2012)
* ''The Awakening'' (Moviescore Media/Screamworks, 2012)
* ''Desperate Romantics'' (1812 Recordings, 2012)
* ''LittleBIGMusic'' (1812 Recordings, 2011)
* ''The Haunted Airman'' (1812 Recordings, 2011)
* ''Upstairs Downstairs'' (1812 Recordings, 2010)
* ''Kinect Adventures'' (1812 Recordings, 2010)
* ''Monster Moves: Songs + Sounds'' (1812 Recordings, 2009)
* ''Heroes and Villains: Attila the Hun / Napoleon'' (Moviescore Media, 2009)
* ''TVPOPMUZIK'' (1812 Recordings, 2007)
* ''Prehistoric Park'' (1812 Recordings, 2006)
References
External links
* – official site
*
*
*
Daniel Pembertonon scoring
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...
's "The Counselor" at ''Film Music Reporter''
Daniel Pembertonfeature by
Paul Morley
Paul Robert Morley is an English music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983 and has since written for a wide range of publications as well as writing his own books. He was a co-founder of the record label ZTT R ...
in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' (2009)]
Daniel Pembertondiscussing his creative process at ''Think Work Play''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pemberton, Daniel
1977 births
Living people
British composers
British electronic musicians