Thanks for joining us, Natasha! I always like to start with a “get to know you” question. How did you arrive at where you are today? Can you share with us a bit about your background, musically or otherwise?

Hi Connor! I’m so happy to be chatting with you today!

I’d say the urge to write music came incredibly early. As soon as we got a piano in the house, I began to compose – just silly little songs and pieces at first, but I quickly caught the bug and never stopped.

The penny dropped that I wanted to be a film composer a few years later, after watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember hearing the cue “Buckbeak’s Flight” and thinking, “Wow, I just have to do this.” There was something about the heroic timpani, soaring strings, and darting woodwind lines that completely electrified me. From that moment on, I was immersed in the dream of becoming a film composer and set on a path that would eventually lead me to LA.

As for my musical background, I would say I have a bold contemporary style that is deeply rooted in my love for both classical and modern traditions alike. I did my undergrad at the University of Oxford, where alongside my Philosophy degree I was immersed in choral singing and conducting. I then went on to do my Master’s at the San Francisco Conservatory, focusing on contemporary and non-traditional approaches to composition as well as scoring.

You’ve worked on numerous projects across different genres and mediums. What is your philosophy around searching for the sound for the score of a project? Do you have a specific process, or is it different each time? Something I’ve noticed about all of your work is that it has a singular Natasha-ness; you’ve got a strong voice that is very unique to you.

I put a lot of stock in “the search for the sound” – I really believe that music needs to be woven into the very fabric of the film, and should sit as crucially to the nature of the project as, say, the choice of colour or casting.

My search usually happens through a deeply collaborative process of discussion with the filmmaker. I really need to get in their head and understand what the film is to them and why they have made that particular story. So much can be revealed in these chats that lets me see beyond my first impressions and access a deeper emotional layer, which is what I think a good score should expose.

As for my compositional voice, I suppose it comes from following instinct as much as intention! I’ll gather the information from these conceptual chats, internalise it, and then kind of let it go and just do what feels right. I’d also say my scoring influences are pretty wide; I take as much inspiration from Charli XCX as I do from Beethoven!

Recently, Achiever (Madhouse Films), which you scored, premiered at SXSW 2026, congratulations! What was the festival like? How was the collaboration with the director, and how did you arrive at the sound for this film?

Thank you! Achiever is an absolute hoot, and I cannot recommend it enough. It will make you cry laughing. I sadly couldn’t make it to SXSW as I’ve been working on a new project, but I heard it went down a storm. The story follows a young woman who, after starting antidepressants, finds she can no longer orgasm and sets out on a highly organised but chaotic mission to “get there” by any means possible, only to find connection in a completely unexpected way.

Working with Charlie Traisman was nothing short of a delight. They’re fantastic, and we honestly had too much fun. Achiever was one of those scores where we had a slightly nuts idea, ran with it, and then just kept pushing it further. We knew the score had to be totally unhinged and relentless, while still leaving room for something surprisingly sincere by the end. So naturally, we landed on a genre that I like to call “sex techno”… Take from that what you will, but you will have to watch the film to see what I mean, haha!

You also recently worked on Queerbait (Netflix-backed, with Cate Blanchett as Executive Producer), as well as the TV show Too Romantic. How do you go about working on different projects at the same time? What were or are the scores for each of these projects like?

Working on Queerbait was such a dream! Nate Gualtieri is the visionary behind it, and working with him was fantastic. I am genuinely so proud of this score.

Queerbait follows a precocious Classics student, Ezra, who piques the interest of his tenured professor. But when that mentorship starts to push boundaries, he’s forced to make a choice: protect his academic future or protect his dignity?

We wanted the score to touch the classical world in some way whilst still sounding contemporary and cinematic. From the start, we knew we wanted to invoke the idea of the Greek tragic chorus and the sense of forewarning that it inspires. We did this using TTBB and a solo countertenor, singing (and sometimes chanting) a setting of Catullus’ Odi et Amo, which translates as follows:

“I hate and I love… I do not know, but I feel it happening, and I am tormented”

The music had to sit in a very specific space: ominous, almost cult-like and ritualistic, but still elegant and even beautiful. It was a fantastic challenge. Alongside quite lyrical choral writing, I set an abrasive low cello, bass drum, and low piano, all quite percussive and almost ceremonial, together creating a deeper layer of menace.

Too Romantic was a very different, but incredibly fun, sound world to build. From our first conversation, the brilliant director Talia Light-Rake and I knew it needed to feel as much like a rom-com as an anti-rom-com! Our story follows Samantha, who is firmly “anti-love,” and the show reflects the state of dating in 2026, shaped by Instagram and influencer culture.

I knew there had to be some genre-bending here. The score needed to carry elements of the rom-com language we all recognise, while still feeling current and authentic to Sam’s character. I found myself drawn to classic romantic elements like strings, but also to hyperpop, particularly artists like A. G. Cook, alongside the angsty pop-punk influences of my teens. The score ultimately became a meeting point of those three worlds in a really fun combination. In many ways, it became its own sonic contradiction: an anti-love rom-com score.

As for balancing projects, I try not to take on too many at once, but sometimes it is unavoidable. I find that the “finding the sound” stage is really sacred, so I try not to overlap projects too much during that part. After that, the craft side of things kicks in.

You’ve been selected for both the highly competitive VIFF Composer Filmmaker Accelerator as well as the BMI Composer Lab. What were your experiences with the labs, what did you learn, and what were your takeaways?

I feel so lucky to have taken part in both the VIFF Composer Filmmaker Accelerator and the inaugural BMI Composer Lab, the former under the guidance of Miriam Cutler and Tony Scudellari, and the latter with Peter Golub and Tracy McKnight. Both experiences were totally unique, but equally magical to be part of.

These programs really helped me take steps forward in my craft. Getting your cues reviewed by people who are truly the best in the world at what they do is priceless. I also loved that I had the chance to work with an orchestra in both LA and Vancouver, which is so rare early in a career. Getting to conduct at Bandrika was mind-blowing and a major life highlight!

Above all, I made lifelong friends, and that includes you, Connor!!! I was so inspired by the other composers in the program, and we really bonded. Everyone had such unique musical voices and was so generous and kind.

I also want to shout out my paired filmmaker from VIFF, Caityn Sponheimer, who is talented beyond belief!

What’s lighting you up these days? Anything you want to share with us about upcoming dates, releases, or projects to keep our eyes out for? Any exciting news or closing thoughts?

I am so excited to share that the soundtrack to Too Romantic has just been released. The album features my score alongside gorgeous original songs by Arly Scott and Talia Light-Rake.

Talia and I are also about to share a score breakdown video of the final scene of episode 1. (Spoiler: it is a very fun cue, so definitely give that a watch if you have time!)

Also so excited to say that the first three episodes of Switch will premiere at Tribeca this June! The series stars Pauline Chalamet and Coral Peña, with incredible work from creators Isabelle Platt and Sofya Levitsky-Weitz. Can’t wait to share more about that soon!

Otherwise, I am really happy to share that I recently signed with Defiant Talent and could not be more excited for this new chapter!

Finally, it was so lovely to chat with you, Connor. Thank you so much for having me!

Interview by Connor Cook

Edited by Jocelyn Schofield

Check out Natasha’s Directory Page here!