Kristen, thank you so much for sharing your artistry and experience with us. To begin, what do you see as your mission as a composer? What do you most hope audiences take away from your music?

As a composer, my mission is to serve as a sonic architect of emotion, translating a director’s creative vision into a visceral auditory experience. I believe that film scoring is not merely an accompaniment but a psychological bridge between the narrative and the subconscious of the audience. My primary goal is to provide the ’emotional subtext’ that dialogue alone cannot reach, ensuring that every harmonic shift and tonal choice aligns with the core intentionality of the project.

I hope my music provides intuitive emotional clarity. Whether the narrative calls for joy, sorrow, frustration, or hope, I want the audience to feel those emotions instantly and authentically. My aim is to create immersive sonic environments that allow the audience to lose themselves in the moment—to be so deeply affected by the emotional ‘heartbeat’ of the score that the cinematic journey becomes a truly transformative and human experience for them.

You worked on Seasons 3 and 4 of Love, Death & Robots. How did you first become involved with the series? And between the two seasons, did you notice any evolution in your workflow, creative approach, or musical language?

My journey with Love, Death & Robots (LDR) actually began as early as Season 2, initially working under the esteemed composer Rob Cairns. I started in a highly technical capacity—printing stems and managing the complex delivery of the scores. However, I viewed this role as a deep-dive masterclass; as I processed every track, I meticulously analyzed how each scene was approached, deconstructing the specific techniques and psychological motivations behind the instrumentation.

Over time, this analytical rigor built a strong foundation of trust. Rob began to give me more creative autonomy, allowing me to source and design unique sounds, which eventually evolved into me composing entirely original cues for the series. This organic progression within such a high-profile production allowed me to internalize the DNA of the show’s sonic world from the ground up.

Between Season 3 and Season 4, the most significant evolution was the shift from creative hesitation to definitive artistic confidence. In the earlier stages, I was constantly questioning whether an idea or a specific texture was ‘correct’ for the universe. By Season 4, that uncertainty was replaced by a profound sense of narrative intuition. Technically, I became much more proficient in translating abstract directorial feedback into precise musical solutions. I stopped trying to ‘fit in’ and started focusing on what the story truly needed, leading to a more authoritative and emotionally resonant musical language.

You’ve also contributed to large-scale reality television productions such as The Bachelor and The Golden Bachelor. What was that experience like? How does composing for reality TV differ from your work on narrative or scripted projects?

Working on a cultural phenomenon like The Bachelor franchise is an exhilarating exercise in both scale and emotional precision. Unlike scripted narrative projects where the story is locked before the scoring begins, reality television is a living, breathing entity. My experience here has been about creating a massive, versatile sonic architecture that can adapt to the unpredictable nature of human drama. It requires a unique blend of high-speed creativity and rigorous organization.

The primary difference lies in the structural workflow: For narrative projects, the music is usually tailored to a specific, final edit. However, for The Bachelor, we begin the creative process long before the final scenes are cut. We start each season by composing an extensive library of ‘Pre-scores’—thematic suites designed to cover a wide spectrum of emotional tension, such as anticipation, hopeful romance, psychological tension, and resolution. Once the season production is underway, the process becomes highly collaborative with the editors. This ‘hybrid’ approach—combining a foundational library with custom-to-picture scoring—allows for a level of narrative agility that is essential for reality TV, but rarely required in traditional scripted filmmaking.

You worked on Secret Level, an adult animated anthology series featuring fifteen stories set in the worlds of different video games and franchises. What kind of research did a project of that scope require? How did you prepare to musically inhabit such distinct universes?

Scoring a series as ambitious as Secret Level required an immense amount of ‘sonic research.’ Because each episode is set in a different legendary video game universe, my first step was to deeply immerse myself in the original source material. I had to deconstruct the existing musical DNA of each game to understand its harmonic language and iconic textures. The research wasn’t just about listening to the soundtracks; it was about understanding the expectations of the directors, the producers, and the game’s original creators (the IP holders).

My preparation varied significantly depending on the creative brief for each episode. For instance, in the ‘Honor of Kings’ episode, the IP holders specifically wanted us to incorporate the game’s original theme. My approach here was one of ‘re-contextualization’—I took the original theme and reimagined it through new orchestrations and my own bespoke sonic textures. Conversely, for other episodes, the directors wanted to move away from the original game’s sonic elements to focus on the standalone narrative. In those cases, I created an entirely new sonic palette from scratch. This constant shifting between ‘legacy-honoring’ and ‘innovative world-building’ was the most rewarding aspect of the project.

Across such a wide range of genres and formats, how do you approach your creative process? What remains constant for you, and what shifts depending on the project?

Navigating a diverse range of genres requires a balance between a fixed artistic compass and a fluid technical approach. What remains constant for me is an obsessive sensitivity to the relationship between sound, emotion, and visual pacing. My creative ‘north star’ is always the synchronization of these three elements; I believe that music should never just ‘sit’ on top of a picture, but rather breathe with it. This fundamental intuition—deciding exactly when a harmonic shift should occur—is the core of my musical judgment.

What shifts is the ‘sonic vocabulary’ and the strategic use of silence. Every project demands its own unique palette. For some productions, the narrative requires a dense, maximalist score. In others, I find that the most powerful contribution I can make is musical restraint—knowing when to let the scene breathe and when silence will be more impactful than any note I could write. I approach each new brief as a blank canvas to discover the specific ‘voice’ of that story.

Finally, looking ahead, what are you most excited about in 2026?

Looking ahead into 2026, I am incredibly energized by a slate of projects that span diverse cultural and technological landscapes. One of the highlights will be the release of my Chinese Documentary Album with West One Music Group. This project is deeply personal, as it allows me to weave my cultural heritage into a modern cinematic framework for a global library.

Additionally, I am currently back in the studio for several high-profile sequels to acclaimed adult animated series, where we are pushing the boundaries of immersive scoring even further. These projects demand an intensely visceral sonic world, and I’m excited to continue evolving those established musical universes. Beyond these studio productions, I am also launching my own dedicated digital media platforms to share my creative process and original compositions. I see this as an essential evolution for the modern composer—building a direct bridge to the community and fostering a deeper dialogue about the intersection of technology and musical storytelling.

Interview by Esin Aydingoz

Check Out Kristen’s Directory Page here!