Crafting Melodies: Grant Kirkhope on Creativity and Inspiration

Meet Grant Kirkhope, a prolific composer known for his iconic contributions to the world of video game music. With a career spanning decades, Kirkhope has left an indelible mark on gaming soundtracks, enriching the experiences of players worldwide. From the whimsical melodies of Banjo-Kazooie to the adventurous themes of GoldenEye 007 and the strategic compositions of the Mario + Rabbids series, Kirkhope's work has captivated audiences across generations. In this exclusive interview, he shares insights into his creative process, his experiences working on beloved franchises, and his aspirations for the future of his craft.

What initially inspired you to pursue a career in music composition for video games?

Well, I didn't really plan on doing that; it was a complete fluke. So Robin Beanland got a job at Rare, and until that point, I never thought about it. And he got a job at Rare, and I was on unemployment because I was working and playing in bands and all that stuff. He said to me, 'You've been unemployed for about 11 years; why don't you get a job?' I said, 'What can I do?' He said, 'Well, why don't you try and write me some video games?' So I spent a year doing that for Rare. So I really feel if Robin Beanland hadn’t done it, I'd never have done it. So I kind of owe my life to Robin; I kind of feel like I owe my entire career to him.

Can you describe your creative process when composing music?

Right, I'm not a very intelligent composer. I'm sure you can gather that from talking to me. Honestly, I just sit down and load up a sample, a French horn, a clarinet, or a synthesizer. And I just mess around until I hear a sound that I like or a chord that I like or a tune that I like. That's it. It's not very technical. I've got no magic formula. I just mess around until I think it sounds good, and that's it.

Is it the same for all games you worked on?

Yeah, no different. Not from '95 till this day. I do it the same way. I mess around until I like it.

You've worked on a lot of great games that are based on various atmospheres, either a funny atmosphere like Banjo-Kazooie or even a serious one. So how do you approach capturing the essence and atmosphere of your game through music?

If someone says to me, 'It's a frozen ice castle,' my brain is already thinking about things that are spiky. So like a glockenspiel or a celeste or pizzicato strings. It sounds like ice to me in my head. Or a warm forest, like I think about a bassoon or a cello or something. So I think that your mind straight away thinks about, even for your writing music, it's starting to think the kind of things you're going to use. So I think it's not very technical. It's just like what I imagine it should sound like. What does underwater sound like? I don't know. So I feel like it's just one of those things that just comes to you.

And do you prefer to play the game before you start composing music for it?

I don't think I've played any games apart from when I worked at Rare that I composed for, since that point. So I feel like, you know, a good sort of general description to me. I get some text that says it's a forest or it's whatever, it's a submarine or a rocket. I don't know. So you just use your imagination. You close your eyes and go, 'What does a rocket sound like? What is this like?' So I think it's like that. Again, I'm not very technical, sorry.

And what role do you believe music plays in enhancing the overall gaming experience?

I always feel like the pictures tell the story and the music tells you how to feel—happy, sad, scared, whatever—in movies, TV, and games. And I feel like if you have a game and you turn the music off, it's only half the experience, right? I always like when you hear a tune and you remember where you were in the game or in a movie. You hear that theme or remember Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. I think that it adds to the experience. So really, a great theme can enhance the whole experience. I feel like it's super important, but I would say that I'm a composer, so that's what I think.

You've composed music for established IPs and for new IPs as well. So how does the process differ when you're composing music for games like Mario, World of Warcraft, or GoldenEye, compared to when you are composing for Kingdoms of Amalur, for example?

Honestly, I just do it the same way. To get to use Monty Norman's theme from James Bond was amazing. To get to use some of Koji Kondo's themes was amazing. I don't mind doing that. I think some composers don't want to do it, but I'm happy to do it. If I can use some of Koji Kondo's themes, I'm super honored to get to use those because they're such amazing pieces of music. I'm like, 'Oh my god, I'm using Mario's theme!'

I'm always respectful; if they say to me, 'Can you use this theme?' I'll do it. So I think that I don't mind that at all. I just think it's part of the process, and I'm a really big fan of games like you guys are. To get to use any of those themes is amazing for me, to get to do that. So I'm happy to do it, really.

Is it difficult to come up with something new when you're composing music for games like Mario and Rabbids?

Well, I just feel like I do what I do, right? And I feel even when I try not to sound like me, I sound like me. Some people say to me, 'You've got a Kirkhopian sound,' and it's not a plan. Like, I always feel like if you listen to Brian May play the guitar or Eddie Van Halen play the guitar, you can hear the style, right? I feel like everybody's got a style built in that you can't escape. And I feel I write in a certain way because that’s how my brain works. And John Williams writes the way his brain works; this is the way you are. So I just feel like I can't escape being me. So even when I do use Koji Kondo's themes or whatever, it still has a bit of me in it because I can't help it.

For Kingdoms of Amalur, you worked with the Prague Orchestra. Do you prefer to work with an orchestra or in the studio?

I think that working with real people is fantastic. I feel like there's nothing like that. I think for a composer, that's the best thing. You get to work with real human beings. But I work a lot with samples. For example, my Rabbids soundtracks, they are not entirely live orchestra; just some of it is live orchestra. Both games are a mix of live orchestra and samples. I feel like the sample libraries these days are so good. People sometimes don't notice that it's not a live orchestra, but I feel like when you have real human beings doing it, I think that they do that natural kind of 'get louder, get quieter, get faster, get slower' thing. It's just built into human beings. So it always sounds better with real people, but it's expensive.

I think sometimes you can't afford it. So the bigger games can afford the entire soundtrack, like Amalur was all live orchestra. Then Mario had a bit of live orchestra. Well, Warcraft was all live orchestra. So it just depends on budget, you know. But as a composer, if you get real people, that's just fantastic. I mean, you're just in tears all the time, so it's really great. That's fantastic to do.

And after working on so many great IPs, are there still any brands that you would like to work on, for example, like Doctor Who or anything else?

Well, I'd love to do movies, some more movie stuff. I love Doctor Who, I love Harry Potter, I love Lord of the Rings. But for games, it would be Zelda. But I'd love to do a big Marvel movie like the Avengers. I'd love to do something like that. You know, it'd be incredible. So I do love that big, epic thing. So, I don't know, fingers crossed. That's unlikely, but you never know.