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New interviews from the world of art bring the feeling of being moved.
A transformative experience that all works of art seek. Of course, each story starts with a person who’s willing to share it. This time around we have with us Tangelene Bolton, a Filipina-American film, TV, and media composer based in Los Angeles. In addition, she has experience as a music producer and conductor.
Tangelene attended the Berklee College of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Film Scoring. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles and started interning at Hans Zimmer’s studio, Remote Control Productions. Her noticeable musical style is a mixture of neoclassical, electronic, folk and jazz. She fearlessly transforms classic and traditional sounds into exciting and new territories.
She is known for her scores for Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Warrior Nun (Season 2) and Unseen. Most recently Tangelene wrote additional music for Sundance’s 2024 opening film Freaky Tales, an original drama film directed by Captain Marvel film-makers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, scored by Raphael Saadiq. In this interview, we focus on Tangelene’s musical journey, her personal approach when composing music, adapting to different projects, memorable collaborations and cultural influences.
Our team is made up of highly musical people who look for great sound in their favourite movies, TV series and games. This is why we’re happy to have her. So if you want to find out more about the sound of “Warrior Nun,” Tangelene’s past and how it leads into her work as a music composer, then look no further.
Interview
Tell us about your journey so far. How did your adventure with music begin?
My Lola (Grandma in Filipino), who was an elementary school music teacher in the Philippines, taught me my first song “Jingle Bells” with one hand so that I could play it for everyone for Christmas. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, I would run around my backyard with my Fisher-Price tape recorder singing and making up songs. The first song that I composed was for my piano teacher. I was a kid and it was about how it makes me sad to take down the ornaments from the Christmas Tree.
What is your musical background and what kind of influences do you bring to a project?
My influences are an eclectic mashup of neoclassical, electronic, folk, and jazz. I like turning traditional and conventional sounds into new territories with an emphasis on melody and rhythm. The biggest influence I bring to a project is being musically curious.
When I was a small child, I remember my mom and her friend took me to an Indigenous Drumming concert and they asked for an audience volunteer and I walked right up on the stage without being chosen. I think I always had an internal rhythm that I needed to express. As for my musical background, my parents both play a bit of music, but mainly for fun. My mom sings and plays the guitar, ukulele, banjo, and harmonica. She always encouraged me to play music, draw, paint, do art, be out in nature, express myself and my emotions. I’m incredibly lucky for that.
I always had a big music chest that I would pull musical instruments out of; a drum, a maraca, a tambourine, a flute. In my early formative years, I was developing a sense of my internal rhythm, how I relate to the natural world and how I make sense of my feelings. Anytime I was sad or dealing with any type of emotion, my mom always told me to go to the piano. I’m grateful that I was always surrounded by music growing up.
My mother would put on concerts in our backyard featuring local folk, classical, and contemporary bands for the community. I remember sitting in the grass being with other children who were also absorbing the music and the environment. My mom inspires me to approach my music and life with passion, emotion and creativity. She also currently plays in a folk band herself in NJ. My dad is an incredible piano player (he might not admit it though). He played a lot of ragtime growing up and taught me a few songs.
I’m incredibly lucky to have parents who were always supportive of my musical and creative interests growing up. I know how rare this is and I don’t take it for granted one bit. I eventually took classical piano lessons from local teachers in my early years and then continued training at the Westminster Conservatory of Music in Princeton, NJ during middle school and high school. In my teens, I also fell in love with film and started making short films on my camcorder for fun and would edit in my favorite film scores from composers like Thomas Newman and Jon Brion.
This would eventually lead me down the path to studying Film Scoring at the Berklee College of Music, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Film Scoring.
Could you tell us a little bit about the first track/song you composed and were genuinely proud of?
The piece is called “Divertimento” and it was written for “The Future Is Female: A Concert for Women in Film” in 2017. My incredible orchestrator, Nicholas J. Cazares helped me come up with the name. I wrote the work as my way of seeking to connect with audiences and remind us of what it is to feel human. These are themes I like to explore throughout all my work. I conducted “Divertimento” with a 30 piece orchestra with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra in Santa Monica, CA. The goal of the concert was to shine a light on up and coming women composers in Film and TV.
It was an incredibly empowering concert to be a part of and I’m forever thankful to Tori Letzler who organized it and performed in it as well. She used the platform to help give more visibility to women composers who often go overlooked in our primarily male-dominated industry. After the first concert’s success, our second concert in 2018 went even bigger and we performed our new original works with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra at the historical venue, The Wiltern, in Los Angeles, CA.
The Future Is Female Concert: Divertimento by Tangelene Bolton
What kind of equipment do you typically use to compose your music? Please walk us through your workflow, we're sure most of our readers would be interested to hear about your personal approach.
In terms of DAW’s, I use many: Cubase, Logic Pro X, Ableton, and Pro Tools. I’ve been switching it up over the years because I find my needs tend to change depending on the music that I’m exploring. For example, Logic can be incredibly creative. After learning GarageBand in high school, Logic was the next DAW that I picked up and I stuck with it for a really long time. Then I learned Pro Tools when I was at Remote Control Productions and working for my mentor Bobby Tahouri.
Pro Tools is the industry standard in Film/TV/Video Game Scoring, especially when it comes to final deliverables. But when I wanted to write more contemporary and beat driven music, I learned Ableton and became obsessed with it. Now I’ve been using Cubase for about a year-ish. I really love it. I find that it’s important to learn as many tools as I can because it helps me approach my workflow differently and helps me stretch muscles that I normally wouldn’t when I’m in my comfort zone.
I have a lot of analog synthesizers. I reach for different ones depending on the project and the vibe. I always need my Moog Subsequent 25 for bass though. My desk is from AZ Studio Workstations, a Sit-Stand desk, which helps me stand more, haha. I have an Aeron chair from Herman Miller which allows me to sit for long hours. My keyboard is a Native Instruments Kontrol S88 MKii. Candles are also a huge part of my workflow! I always need a wonderful smelling candle lit to set the mood. Palo Santo or Sage to clear any unwanted negative energy. A high quality coffee or matcha drink next to me too.
As for sample libraries, I keep up to date with what the developers are putting out and I tend to try whatever piques my interest in the moment and whatever would be cool for the project I’m working on. The main and trusty ones that I like are: Spitfire Audio, Heavyocity, Orchestral Tools, Spectrasonics, Output and some boutique ones like: Triumph Audio and Embertone. There are so many incredible sample library companies out there though. I tend to also make my own custom sample libraries because it gives me a unique sound.
I manipulate instruments that I record myself in Kontakt, a sampler plug-in. I’ll either play individual notes, phrases or loops and pitch them up and down, add effects, manipulate the audio to my liking and infuse my own personal music taste into it. It’s nice to always find ways of having an extra special connection between the project and my musical voice. Every new project is different and requires a specifically catered sound.
Photo by Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen
The connection between music and visual art—such as film and games—has become so clear now. How do you see this connection yourself? What are some of the messages you want people to find in your work?
I am constantly growing and evolving with the music and art that I create and immerse myself in. Curiosity is something that I try to keep at the forefront of my musical approach, especially when entering new territories. The world and industry are always changing and adapting which can be daunting and sometimes scary but I find that asking questions and staying curious are the first steps to finding new creative solutions, creating innovation and finding that inner peace within art.
An amazing filmmaker and visual artist named Tempe Hale, shares a lot of the same inquisitiveness towards art. We first met when we were both fellows with Sundance and I recently got to work with her on a live performance for a film collective she is a part of called, Shadow Kitchen. The show was called, Unknown Realms: An evening of surreal animations & live score by film composer Tangelene Bolton.
I was so grateful that she asked me to do a live synth score performance to experimental animations for over an hour! I didn’t even think twice about collaborating with her because she’s an incredible visual artist and person. Composing live on the spot to surreal animations with my favorite synths and creating something that responded with audiences in a collaborative, surreal and singular way left me moved and energized by the experience. I hope to work with Tempe again in the future on something even more experimental, surreal, and emotive.
Many composers told us how important collaboration is with others. Could you perhaps tell us if on your musical journey were there any memorable collaborations? When and where did they take place? Did you learn new things or overcome some challenges and how did it influence you after?
Recently I had the rare opportunity to go to a music retreat/camp in Sausalito, CA called “Uni at Ugat” where I formed deep connections with Filipino Indigenous instruments and master artists, many from tribes in the Philippines. As a Filipina-American in the diaspora, I found so much healing in this immersive environment and I aim to carry on my reflections and musical curiosities as I continue to nourish my musical voice and sense of cultural identity amongst different spaces.
I’m incredibly grateful for all the wisdom, guidance, and thoughtfulness shared. I actually took an aura photograph a couple days after the camp/retreat and I was glowing a golden yellow throughout a lot of the picture which means happiness and joy.
I’m inspired to continue learning the Kulintang on a deeper level and finding more ways to link nature to my music. A forever journey of understanding myself, my culture and my musical voice. One of our master artists, Datu Waway Saway had meaningful lessons about using “nature” as our “teacher” when chanting and to “make sure you give justice to every note you created.” I will always take this guidance with me wherever I go.
We especially enjoyed Warrior Nun (Season 2) here at Vox Groovy, so we're tempted to ask... can you tell us an interesting fact or two about your work on this project? One which other people might not know about yet.
Thank you! Warrior Nun was such an incredible project to be a part of. Simon Barry is as inspiring as he is creatively inquisitive and he gives his collaborators the chance to have creative freedom which is extremely rare in this industry. A fun fact is that I actually did write music for the famous kiss scene in Season 2, as just an option. But that only exists in my secret music vault. Ames is the talented artist who wrote the song for that scene. It’s called “Hymn for Her” which was so perfect and moving for the kiss scene.
There was nothing else that could have been better than that song. We actually just met for the first time about a month ago and she is a wonderful, kind, and inspirational soul. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
What is the best advice you've been given?
Right before graduating from Berklee College of Music, I had an interview at Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions. I was really nervous so I texted George S. Clinton, who is an amazing Film Composer and was the Chair of the Berklee Film Scoring Department. I asked him if he had any advice to give before I had my interview and he said, “No one else can be you.”
What's next for Tangelene Bolton?
I’m focusing a lot on features right now but I’m also navigating between some inspiring projects that I can’t share just quite yet. I’m staying curious, moving through life with an open mind, and continuing to nurture my musical roots.
End of Interview
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