Star Wars: Andor Composer Explains How Growing Up in the 1980s Influenced His Sound

The first volume of Andor’s soundtrack is now available online, and Star Wars fans are especially excited to have access to “Niamos! (Morlana Club Mix)” from the show’s seventh episode. The show’s music was composed by Nicholas Britell won an Emmy for creating the Succession theme song and was nominated for three Academy Awards for his work on Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Don’t Look Up. In honor of the soundtrack’s release, Britell spoke with StarWars.com about the music and explained how growing up in the 1980s has influenced his sound. 

“I have a variety of musical periods in my life, in a sense. I grew up, as you did, in the 1980s. And I loved film, I loved music, I loved film music. I also was, for a very long period of time, on the track of being a concert pianist. So I was a pianist and classical music was very, very important to me, sort of foundationally. But then in high school, I did a lot of jazz. And then actually in college, I was in a hip-hop band. It was really in college that, through my band, I wrote a lot of the music, and I played keyboards and synthesizers,” Britell revealed. 

He continued, “And so, interestingly, in college it was when I really started scoring films for friends of mine who were making short films, or I had one dear friend who was making a feature film in college, and then also making beats in my band and writing synthesizer lines and things like that. So for me, in a way, there was always kind of a fusion of these elements. You know, a classical musician, but also in a hip-hop band. So for whatever that’s worth, a lot of my love of music is in some of those spheres. And I think we’re all products of our times to some extent, right? Like, we absorb what we’re surrounded by. So I love lots of different types of music, and to me, I think that all of these sounds are really in service of feelings, ultimately. I don’t think in terms of genres, I really don’t. I think in terms of like, ‘What do those sounds mean to me?’ You know, what do they mean and, in combination, what do they do to us?”

Britell was also asked about his history with Star Wars, and he talked about seeing Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in theatres. 

“I have very scant memories of this, but my parents told me that they took me to see Return of the Jedi in the theater,” Britell shared. “So I think that’s probably my first actual, you know, trip to a Star Wars event. [Laughs.] But I watched, obsessively, Star Wars, Empire, and Return of the Jedi. I watched those obsessively as a kid and, obviously, have been just such a major fan of John Williams since as long as I can recall. I have a little brother and, I mean, it was a part of our life. I think it’s hard to overstate how much Star Wars, I think, was a part of so many of our lives growing up. Just the fascination of it and certainly as a musician, and a music lover, the sound of it. So yeah, Star Wars occupies a very iconic place and a very, very special place, I think, for so many of us, but certainly for me. I don’t think in my wildest dreams I ever would imagine that I would be somehow a part of this. [Laughs.] It’s very humbling and very special and very emotional, to be able to get a chance to contribute in some way.”

Was Andor Renewed For a Second Season?

Andor takes place five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and has already been confirmed to have two seasons with the second season expected to go into production soon. Tony Gilroy, who also co-wrote Rogue One, doesn’t have plans to direct any episodes. Benjamin Caron, Toby Haynes, and Susanna White are all credited for helming episodes in the first season, and it looks like a Yellowjackets alum, Ariel Kleiman, will be tackling some of the second season.

Andor releases new episodes on Disney+ on Wednesdays.