Kris Bowers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bowers in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Kristopher Bowers (1989-04-05)April 5, 1989 (age 36) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Film score,jazz,electronic,ambient |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards, synthesizer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Spouse | |
| Website | krisbowers |
| Children | 1 |
Kristopher Bowers (born April 5, 1989) is an American composer, pianist, and director. He has composed scores for films includingGreen Book,King Richard,The Color Purple, andThe Wild Robot and television seriesBridgerton,Mrs. America,Dear White People,When They See Us, andSecret Invasion.
At the96th Academy Awards, Bowers won theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Short Film forThe Last Repair Shop, along with his co-directorBen Proudfoot.[1] Their previous collaboration,A Concerto Is a Conversation, also received a nomination at the93rd Academy Awards.[2]
Bowers is the recipient of theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition forAmazon Prime Video's adaptation ofThe Snowy Day. He has garnered multiple nominations at thePrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards,Grammy Awards, andCritics' Choice Awards.
During his career, Bowers has recorded, performed and collaborated withJosé James,Jay-Z, andAlicia Keys. He has also collaborated with filmmakersBlitz Bazawule,Ava DuVernay,Reinaldo Marcus Green,Malcolm D. Lee,Chris Sanders, andJustin Simien.
Bowers was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 5, 1989.[3] His father is a film and television writer, and his mother is an executive atDirecTV.[4] Although neither of his parents received more than a high school education,[5] they wanted their son to play the piano, so they played recordings of pianists while he was still in the womb.
Bowers began piano lessons at the age of 4 and private classical music lessons starting at around the age of 9.[4] Growing up, Bowers listened to "classic soul records and hip-hop before falling under the spell of jazz, classical music, and film scores."[3]
Bowers studied jazz and classical piano atLos Angeles County High School for the Arts[3] where his teachers includedMulgrew Miller andDonald Vega.[6] He studied jazz atColburn School for Performing Arts.[7] He graduated in 2006, then attendedJuilliard and obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz performance.[7][3] While a student, he performed frequently in New York City.[3]
Bowers played onJay-Z andKanye West's 2011 albumWatch the Throne, and later toured withMarcus Miller throughout 2012.[8][9] Bowers' debut album,Heroes + Misfits (Concord, 2014), premiered at No. 1 on the iTunes Jazz charts.[10][11] One AllMusic reviewer commented that Bowers was "based in jazz but with an ear for contemporary R&B, film scores, and electronic music".[10] Bowers' first film composition was for the 2013 documentaryElaine Stritch: Shoot Me.[12] In 2014, Bowers performed at theInternational Jazz Day Concert in Japan,[13][14] the Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain,[15] and at theLondon Jazz Festival.[16]
Bowers' work on the showtime documentaryKobe Bryant'sMuse (2015) gained him attention as an up-and-coming composer well-versed in a wide range of compositional styles.[17][8] In the same year, he scored two other Showtime documentaries:I Am Giant, about the football playerVictor Cruz, andPlay It Forward, aboutTony Gonzalez.[8] He was one of six composers invited to the Sundance Composers Lab in 2015.[18] Bowers also teamed up with the choreographerKyle Abraham, to createAbsent Matter, which premiered at theJoyce Theater in New York City.[19] During the following year, Bowers and Abraham collaborated again onUntitled America forAlvin Ailey.[20][21]
Bowers performed atThe White House in 2016 for theInternational Jazz Day Concert hosted byPresident Barack and First LadyMichelle Obama.[22]
Bowers has also paired his music with immersive dining experiences; in 2016, he was hired byBang & Olufsen to create a score to accompany a multi-course meal prepared by chefFredrik Berselius, founder of Aska.[23] The next year,Krug commissioned Bowers to write compositions inspired by and paired with one of their signature champagnes.[24]
Bowers developed his scoring career across film and TV with the 2017 documentaryNorman Lear: Just Another Version of You and the filmLittle Boxes, as well as the television programsReligion of Sports andDear White People.[25][26] Bowers' music for the Amazon children's Christmas special,The Snowy Day (2016), based on the 1962 book of the same title by Ezra Jack Keats, won him aDaytime Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition.[27][28][29][30][31] For his score toAva DuVernay's mini-seriesWhen They See Us (2019), Bowers received his firstPrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards nomination forOutstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special.[32][33]
Bowers composed the score forGreen Book (2019), earning him a nomination for theCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score.[34]Green Book was ultimately nominated for five awards at the91st Academy Awards, winning three awards forBest Picture,Best Original Screenplay andBest Supporting Actor forMahershala Ali. For the film, Bowers also served as Ali's on-screen hand-double for the film's piano close-up shots and taught Ali to play piano.[34]
Bowers' debut as a director began withA Concerto Is a Conversation (2020), a documentary short film he co-directed withBen Proudfoot. Centering on Bowers' conversations with his grandfather about personal and family history,[35] the film premiered at the2021 Sundance Film Festival and received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Documentary (Short Subject) at the93rd Academy Awards.[36]
For their next collaboration,The Last Repair Shop (2023), Bowers and Proudfoot won anAcademy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.[37] The film spotlights some of the individuals working at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s music instrument repair shop, the last to provide free instrument repairs to the city’s public school students.[37] Following theThe Last Repair Shop’s success, Bowers and Proudfoot launched a $15 million capital campaign, in partnership with theLAUSD Education Foundation, to support the music education of the next generation of Angelenos.[38]
In 2022, theMonterey Jazz Festival commissioned a composition from Bowers, which he presented at the annual event. The piece,Ásylo (Greek forsanctuary), commemorates the 30th anniversary of the nearby Monterey National Marine Sanctuary. Bowers had previously performed at the festival as a high school student for three years starting in 2003.[39][40]
Since 2020, Bowers has composed the score forNetflix's period drama,Bridgerton. Upon each season's release,Bridgerton has been the most-watched or among the most-watched original series launch on the service.[41][42][43][44] For his work on the show, Bowers received Primetime Emmy nominations forOutstanding Music Composition for a Series andOutstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. He also producedtwo original soundtracks forNetflix'sQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023): the first as the series' score,[45] and the second with classical reinterpretations of pop songs.[46] Bowers collaborated withAlicia Keys to reimagine her song "If I Ain't Got You" for the album's lead single.[47]
Bowers's film scoring work accelerated in this period with Justin Simien's comedy horror filmBad Hair (2020),Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) and theChevalier (2022).[48][49][50][51] In 2023, Bowers scored three films and two television projects, includingHaunted Mansion,Origin,The Color Purple,Secret Invasion, andQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, continuing his working relationship withJustin Simien andAva DuVernay.[52] Bowers' score forThe Color Purple garnered aGrammy nomination forBest Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.[53]
Bowers received further acclaim for his score forDreamWorks Animation’sThe Wild Robot (2024), which garnered nominations from theAcademy Awards,Golden Globes,Critics’ Choice Awards, andBAFTAs, as well as the award for Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film from theSociety of Composers and Lyricists (SCL).[54]
The New York Times' 2011 review of one of Bowers' early shows as a bandleader referred to his playing as "serious, thoughtful, organized, restrained; he made the piano sound good. His set had range and ambition and said something strong, sweet, and normative about phrasing and rhythm in jazz right now."[55]
Bowers' influences include "Oscar Peterson,Wynton Kelly ('for his comping and incredible feel'),Duke Ellington ('for his compositions'),Ahmad Jamal andCount Basie",[9] as well asJohn Williams.[56]
| Ceremony | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2021 | Best Documentary Short Subject | A Concerto Is a Conversation(withBen Proudfoot) | Nominated | [57] |
| 2024 | The Last Repair Shop(with Ben Proudfoot) | Won | [58] | ||
| 2025 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [59] | |
| African-American Film Critics Association Awards | 2024 | Best Music | The Color Purple | Won | [60] |
| 2025 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Won | [61] | |
| Annie Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production | The Wild Robot | Won | [62] |
| Astra Film and Creative Awards | 2024 | Best Short Film | The Last Repair Shop | Nominated | [63] |
| 2025 | Artisan Achievement Award | Himself | Honoree | ||
| Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | |||
| Black Reel Awards | 2019 | Outstanding Music (Comedy, Drama or Limited Series) | When They See Us | Nominated | [64] |
| 2022 | Outstanding Original Score | Respect | Nominated | [65] | |
| Outstanding Musical Score (TV Movie or Limited Series) | Bridgerton | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Outstanding Original Score | Chevalier | Nominated | [65] | |
| The Color Purple | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Independent Short Film | The Last Repair Shop(directior with Ben Proudfoot) | Nominated | |||
| 2025 | Outstanding Score | The Wild Robot | Won | [66] | |
| Calgary International Film Festival | 2023 | Best Documentary Short Film | The Last Repair Shop | Won | [67] |
| Celebration of Black Cinema and Television | 2024 | Composer Award | The Wild Robot | Won | [68] |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 2018 | Best Score | Green Book | Nominated | [69] |
| 2025 | The Wild Robot | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 2023 | Best Short Documentary | The Last Repair Shop | Won | [70] |
| Best Score | Nominated | ||||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Musical Score | The Wild Robot | Won | [71] |
| Daytime Emmy Award | 2017 | Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | The Snowy Day(with Rossanna S. Wright) | Won | [72][73] |
| Golden Globe Award | 2025 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | 2020 | Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella | "Blue Skies" | Nominated | [74] |
| 2022 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | Bridgerton: Season 1 | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | The Color Purple | Nominated | ||
| 2026 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | The Wild Robot | Pending | ||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2018 | Best Original Score in a Feature Film | Green Book | Nominated | [64] |
| 2019 | Best Original Score in a TV Show/Limited Series | When They See Us | Won | [75] | |
| 2021 | Best Original Score in a Feature Film | King Richard | Nominated | [76] | |
| Best Original Song in a TV Show/Limited Series | "Together All the Way" fromDear White People(with Siedah Garrett) | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Best Original Score in a Feature Film | Chevalier | Nominated | [77] | |
| Best Original Score – Short Film (Documentary) | The Last Repair Shop(with Katya Richardson) | Nominated | |||
| Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series | Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Best Original Score – Animated Film | The Wild Robot | Won | [78] | |
| Best Exhibitions, Theme Parks or Special Projects | Dreaming Freedom(as part of musicians) | Nominated | |||
| Middleburg Film Festival | 2023 | Sheila Johnson Vanguard Award | Himself | Won | [79] |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | Bridgerton Season Two (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) | Nominated | [80] |
| 2024 | Outstanding Original Score for TV/Film | Kris Bowers | Nominated | [81] | |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2019 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special | "Part 2" inWhen They See Us | Nominated | [82] |
| 2020 | "Reagan" inMrs. America | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Bridgerton(with Michael Dean Parsons) | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Series | "Diamond of the First Water" inBridgerton | Nominated | |||
| San Francisco International Film Festival | 2021 | Best Family Film | A Concerto Is a Conversation(with Ben Proudfoot) | Nominated | [83] |
| Special Jury Award | Won | ||||
| 2024 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [84] | |
| Satellite Awards | 2025 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [85] |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | 2024 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [86] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards | 2020 | Outstanding Original Score for a Television or Streaming Production | When They See Us | Nominated | [87] |
| 2022 | Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production | "Together All the Way" inDear White People(with Siedah Garrett) | Nominated | [88] | |
| 2025 | Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film | The Wild Robot | Won | [89] | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [90] |
| Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition | 2011 | Himself | Won | [91] | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Original Score | The Wild Robot | Nominated | [92] |
| World Soundtrack Awards | 2019 | Discovery of the Year | Green Book | Nominated | [93] |
| Television Composer of the Year | When They See Us | Nominated | |||
Honor
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Little Boxes | Rob Meyer | |
| 2018 | Monsters and Men | Reinaldo Marcus Green | |
| Green Book[34] | Peter Farrelly | ||
| 2020 | Bad Hair | Justin Simien | |
| 2021 | The United States vs. Billie Holiday | Lee Daniels | |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy[50] | Malcolm D. Lee | ||
| Respect | Liesl Tommy | ||
| King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green | ||
| 2022 | Chevalier | Stephen Williams | |
| 2023 | Haunted Mansion | Justin Simien | |
| Origin | Ava DuVernay | ||
| The Color Purple | Blitz Bazawule | ||
| 2024 | Bob Marley: One Love | Reinaldo Marcus Green | |
| The Wild Robot | Chris Sanders | Bowers' first score for a fully-animated film | |
| 2026 | Goat | Tyree Dillihay |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Seeds of Time[97] | Sandy McLeod | |
| Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me[98] | Chiemi Karasawa | Credited as Kristopher Bowers | |
| 2015 | Kobe Bryant's Muse[99] | Gotham Chopra | |
| I Am Giant: Victor Cruz[96] | |||
| Play It Forward[96] | Andrea Blaugrund Nevins | ||
| 2017 | Copwatch[100] | Camilla Hall | |
| 2021 | A Concerto Is a Conversation | Co-director withBen Proudfoot and composer | |
| 2023 | The Last Repair Shop | Co-director withBen Proudfoot and composer | WonAcademy Award for Best Documentary Short Film |
| 2025 | The Eyes of Ghana | Ben Proudfoot | [101] |
| Year | Title | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Madden NFL 20 | EA Sports | |
| 2020 | Madden NFL 21[102] | ||
| 2024 | EA Sports College Football 25 | Campus Clash Theme only |
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Heroes + Misfits | Concord | With Adam Agati (guitar), Burniss Earl Travis II (electric bass), Jamire Williams (drums); some tracks withCasey Benjamin (alto sax, vocoder) added; some tracks withKenneth Whalum (tenor sax) added; vocalists added are Chris Turner (3 tracks),Julia Easterlin (1 track),José James (1 track) |
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Jay Z andKanye West | Watch the Throne | Roc-A-Fella,Roc Nation,Def Jam |
| 2013* | Etienne Charles [de] | Creole Soul | Culture Shock |
| Next Collective | Cover Art | Concord | |
| 2014* | Robin Eubanks | Klassik Rock, Vol. 1 | Artist Share |
| José James | While You Were Sleeping | Blue Note | |
| Takuya Kuroda | Rising Son | ||
| Harvey Mason | Chameleon | Concord Jazz | |
| 2016* | A Tribe Called Quest | We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service | Epic |
| 2017* | Maurice Brown | The Mood | Ropeadope |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
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