Daniel Pemberton | |
|---|---|
 Pemberton at SXSW London 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1977-11-03)3 November 1977 (age 48) United Kingdom |
| Genres | Film score,video game score,electronic,ambient,rock,jazz,funk |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Piano,keyboards,synthesizer,guitar,bass guitar |
| Website | danielpemberton |
Daniel Pemberton (born 3 November 1977) is an English composer and songwriter. Primarily working in film, television, and video games, he is best known for composing the scores for the filmSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequelSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the latter of which earned him a number of award nominations, including at theGolden Globes and theCritics' Choice Awards. He has also received recognition for his work in films such asSteve Jobs,Motherless Brooklyn,The Trial of the Chicago 7,Being the Ricardos, andThe Rescue, as well as theLittleBigPlanet series of games.[1][2] ForThe Trial of the Chicago 7, Pemberton was nominated for theIvor Novello Award for Best Original Film Score as well asAcademy Award for Best Original Song alongsideCeleste for the song “Hear My Voice”.[3]
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Pemberton grew up inEast Molesey and attendedHampton School. At the age of 12, he completed work experience for the video game magazineZero. Following the launch of Game Zone, 13-year-old Pemberton ran the cheats and tips section (PG Tips) for the magazine. He subsequently bought a keyboard and a tape player with his earnings.[4]
In 1994, at the age of 16, Pemberton recorded his debut album,Bedroom, on a multitrack cassette recorder, which caught the attention of ambient musicianPete Namlook and was released on the latter'sFax label as part of its sub-label series.
This album impressed TV directorPaul Wilmshurst who asked 17-year-old Pemberton to score a TV documentary he was working on.[5] Following this, he became a very in-demand composer for British television[6] eventually segueing into feature film[7] with his debut score ofThe Awakening from directorNick Murphy.
In 2013, Pemberton completed his breakthrough score of directorRidley Scott's filmThe Counselor, which was recorded atAbbey Road Studios in London.[8]
In 2021, he was named "Film Composer of the Year" by theWorld Soundtrack Awards[9] andInternational Film Music Critics Association.[10]
Pemberton was originally named the "Discovery of the Year" in 2014 at theWorld Soundtrack Awards[11] and nominated as "Film Composer of the Year" in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.[12]
Pemberton has been nominated for anAcademy Award,[13] won anEmmy Award[14] and been nominated four times for aGolden Globe award and three times for aBAFTA Award. In 2021 he was nominated for theAcademy Award For Best Original Song andGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song[15] for the song "Hear My Voice" from the filmThe Trial of the Chicago 7 which was performed and co-written withCeleste. Pemberton and Celeste performed the song during the 2021 Oscars Ceremony from the roof of the newly openedAcademy Museum in Hollywood.[16] A new arrangement of the song was also used as a central part of the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games[17] featuring a 1,000-piece choir and guitar solos[18] fromBlack Sabbath founderTony Iommi.
In 2016 his score forSteve Jobs was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Score.[19] In 2017 he was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song[20] for the songGold from the film of the same name which he co-wrote withIggy Pop,Danger Mouse and the directorStephen Gaghan. In 2019 his score forMotherless Brooklyn was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Score.[21] He won an Emmy for his work on the acclaimed Paralympic documentaryRising Phoenix creating a score and song working alongside numerous musicians and artists with disabilities.[22]
Pemberton's other notable works include theRidley Scott-directedThe Counselor (2013) andAll the Money in the World (2017); theDanny Boyle-directedSteve Jobs (2015) andYesterday (2019); theGuy Ritchie-directedThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) andKing Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017); theAaron Sorkin-directedMolly's Game (2017),The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), andBeing the Ricardos (2021);Cuban Fury (2014); the French filmMal De Pierres (2016); thescore to the American 2018 animated filmSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as well as thescore to its 2023 sequelSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse;Ocean's 8 (2018);Enola Holmes (2020); andThe Rescue (2021), for which Pemberton won aCritics' Choice Award for Best Score.[23]
Earlier work includesThe Awakening (2011); the live-action shortGhost Recon: Alpha (2012), directed byFrancois Alaux and Herve De Crecy and edited byPietro Scalia;Blood (2012); andIn Fear and the television filmComplicit (both 2013). Pemberton also scored directorGareth Edwards' breakthrough sci-fi short filmFactory Farmed.[24]
Pemberton has also composed title tunes and incidental music for several award-winning television series includingThe Game,Prey,Ambassadors,Peep Show,Desperate Romantics,Space Dive,Occupation,Prisoners' Wives,Black Mirror,My Mad Fat Diary,Suburban Shootout,Hell's Kitchen,Great British Menu,[6]Hiroshima,Bad Lads' Army,That'll Teach 'Em,George Orwell: A Life in Pictures,The Yellow House,Monster Moves,Dirk Gently,Napoleon[25] and the first series of the 2010 revival ofUpstairs Downstairs. He also has composed music for video games such asLittleBigPlanet,Kinect Adventures,LittleBigPlanet 2,The Movies andTrackmania Turbo. Using the alias The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra, some of his television themes were released on the albumTVPOPMUZIK in 2007, while his video game work—primarily that fromLittleBigPlanet—was released on the albumLittleBIGMusic.
For the 2020 Paralympics documentary filmRising Phoenix as well as working with disabled musicians on the score Pemberton also collaborated with disabled rappers Toni Hickman, Georgetragic and Keith Jones to create the end credits song "Rising Phoenix".[26] which was also used in the closing ceremonies of both the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Pemberton has also co-written songs such as "Jokes on You", the title track performed byCharlotte Lawrence from the filmBirds of Prey; "Good Tonight" performed byAnthony Ramos and "Brand New Day" performed bythe Heavy from the animatedDreamWorks feature filmThe Bad Guys; and the title theme "Come With Me" performed byYola from the secondNetflix series ofGreen Eggs And Ham. He co-wrote and produced the end titles song "Time" from the movieAmsterdam withDrake and performed byGiveon[27] which was shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars.[28]
In 2022 Pemberton co-wrote and produced the title song "Strange Game" withMick Jagger[29] for the Apple TV seriesSlow Horses.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–2006 | Bad Lads' Army | Broadcast onITV |
| 2003–2006 | That'll Teach 'Em | Broadcast onChannel 4 |
| 2003–2015 | Peep Show | Broadcast onChannel 4 |
| 2004–2009 | Hell's Kitchen | Broadcast onITV |
| 2006 | Great British Menu | Theme music for season 1, broadcast onBBC Two |
| Prehistoric Park | Broadcast onITV | |
| 2009 | Commanders at War | Broadcast on theMilitary Channel |
| The Lost World of Communism | Episode: "The Kingdom of Forgetting" | |
| Runaway | Serial, broadcast onCBBC | |
| Best: His Mother's Son | TV movie, broadcast onBBC Two andBBC Northern Ireland | |
| Occupation | Serial, broadcast onBBC One | |
| Desperate Romantics | Broadcast onBBC Two | |
| Wildest Dreams | 2 episodes, broadcast onBBC One | |
| 2010–2012 | Dirk Gently | Broadcast onBBC 4 |
| 2010 | Upstairs Downstairs | Series 1, broadcast onBBC One |
| 2012 | Public Enemies | Broadcast onBBC One |
| 2012–2013 | Prisoners' Wives | Broadcast onBBC One |
| 2012 | Pramface | Episode: "Like Narnia But Sexy" |
| 2013 | Complicit | TV movie, broadcast onChannel 4 |
| Ambassadors | Serial, broadcast onBBC Two | |
| 2014–2015 | Prey | Broadcast onITV |
| 2014 | The Game | Serial, broadcast onBBC Two |
| 2017; 2025 | Black Mirror | Episodes: "USS Callister", "Bête Noire", "USS Callister: Into Infinity" |
| 2018 | One Strange Rock | Miniseries, broadcast onNational Geographic |
| 2019 | Brexit: The Uncivil War | TV movie, broadcast onChannel 4 andHBO |
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | Netflix miniseries, co-composer withSamuel Sim OriginalDark Crystal theme byTrevor Jones | |
| 2021 | Welcome to Earth | Disney+ series |
| 2022–2023 | The Afterparty | Apple TV+ series, co-composer with David Schweitzer for season 2 |
| 2022 | Slow Horses | Apple TV+ series, co-composer withToydrum |
| Green Eggs and Ham | Netflix series, season 2 theme with Gary Go Performed by Yola Score composed by David Newman |
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Factory Farmed | Gareth Edwards |
| 2012 | Ghost Recon: Alpha | Francois Alaux Herve de Crecy |
| Year | Title | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Movies | Lionhead Studios |
| 2008 | LittleBigPlanet | Media Molecule |
| 2010 | Kinect Adventures! | Microsoft Game Studios |
| 2011 | LittleBigPlanet 2 | Media Molecule |
| 2019 | Knights and Bikes | Foam Sword Double Fine Productions |
| 2024 | Concord | Firewalk Studios |
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