Daniel Pemberton

Early life

Pemberton grew up in East Molesey and attended Hampton School. At the age of 12, he completed work experience for the video game magazine Zero. 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.

Career

In 1994, at the age of 16, Pemberton recorded his debut album, Bedroom, on a multitrack cassette recorder, which caught the attention of ambient musician Pete Namlook and was released on the latter's Fax label as part of its sub-label series. This album impressed TV director Paul Wilmshurst who asked 17-year-old Pemberton to score a TV documentary he was working on. Following this, he became a very in-demand composer for British television eventually segueing into feature film with his debut score of The Awakening from director Nick Murphy.

In 2013, Pemberton completed his breakthrough score of director Ridley Scott's film The Counselor, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

In 2021, he was named "Film Composer of the Year" by the World Soundtrack Awards and International Film Music Critics Association.

Pemberton was originally named the "Discovery of the Year" in 2014 at the World Soundtrack Awards and nominated as "Film Composer of the Year" in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Pemberton has been nominated for an Academy Award, won an Emmy Award and been nominated four times for a Golden Globe award and three times for a BAFTA Award. In 2021 he was nominated for the Academy Award For Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song "Hear My Voice" from the film The Trial of the Chicago 7 which was performed and co-written with Celeste. Pemberton and Celeste performed the song during the 2021 Oscars Ceremony from the roof of the newly opened Academy Museum in Hollywood. A new arrangement of the song was also used as a central part of the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games featuring a 1,000-piece choir and guitar solos from Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi.

In 2016 his score for Steve Jobs was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. In 2017 he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song Gold from the film of the same name which he co-wrote with Iggy Pop, Danger Mouse and the director Stephen Gaghan. In 2019 his score for Motherless Brooklyn was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He won an Emmy for his work on the acclaimed Paralympic documentary Rising Phoenix creating a score and song working alongside numerous musicians and artists with disabilities.

Pemberton's other notable works include the Ridley Scott-directed The Counselor (2013) and All the Money in the World (2017); the Danny Boyle-directed Steve Jobs (2015) and Yesterday (2019); the Guy Ritchie-directed The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017); the Aaron Sorkin-directed Molly's Game (2017), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Being the Ricardos (2021); Cuban Fury (2014); the French film Mal De Pierres (2016); the score to the American 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as well as the score to its 2023 sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Ocean's 8 (2018); Enola Holmes (2020); and The Rescue (2021), for which Pemberton won a Critics' Choice Award for Best Score.

Earlier work includes The Awakening (2011); the live-action short Ghost Recon: Alpha (2012), directed by Francois Alaux and Herve De Crecy and edited by Pietro Scalia; Blood (2012); and In Fear and the television film Complicit (both 2013). Pemberton also scored director Gareth Edwards' breakthrough sci-fi short film Factory Farmed.

Pemberton has also composed title tunes and incidental music for several award-winning television series including The 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, Hiroshima, Bad Lads' Army, That'll Teach 'Em, George Orwell: A Life in Pictures, The Yellow House, Monster Moves, Dirk Gently, Napoleon and the first series of the 2010 revival of Upstairs Downstairs. He also has composed music for video games such as LittleBigPlanet, Kinect Adventures, LittleBigPlanet 2, The Movies and Trackmania Turbo. Using the alias The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra, some of his television themes were released on the album TVPOPMUZIK in 2007, while his video game work—primarily that from LittleBigPlanet—was released on the album LittleBIGMusic.

For the 2020 Paralympics documentary film Rising 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". 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 by Charlotte Lawrence from the film Birds of Prey; "Good Tonight" performed by Anthony Ramos and "Brand New Day" performed by the Heavy from the animated DreamWorks feature film The Bad Guys; and the title theme "Come With Me" performed by Yola from the second Netflix series of Green Eggs And Ham. He co-wrote and produced the end titles song "Time" from the movie Amsterdam with Drake and performed by Giveon which was shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars.

In 2022 Pemberton co-wrote and produced the title song "Strange Game" with Mick Jagger for the Apple TV series Slow Horses.

Filmography

Film

Television

Short film

Video games

Discography

• Bedroom (Fax +49-69/450464, 1994)
• Octopus 3 with [Charles Uzzell-Edwards] (Fax +49-69/450464, 1998)
• Enhanced Environments [with Charles Uzzell-Edwards] (Subversal Records, 1999)

Soundtrack releases

• Ferrari (Milan Records, 2023)
• The Afterparty: Season 2 (Madison Gate Records, 2023)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Classical, 2023)
• Slow Horses: Season 2 (Apple Video Programming, 2023)
• Enola Holmes 2 (Milan Records, 2022)
• Amsterdam (Hollywood Records, 2022)
• See How They Run (Hollywood Records, 2022)
• Brian and Charles (1812 Recordings, 2022)
• The Bad Guys (Back Lot Music, 2022)
• The Afterparty: Season 1 (Madison Gate Records, 2022)
• Welcome to Earth (National Geographic Partners, 2021)
• Being the Ricardos (Lakeshore Records, 2021)
• The Rescue (National Geographic Partners, 2021)
• The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Varèse Sarabande, 2020)
• Enola Holmes (Milan Records, 2020)
• Rising Phoenix (1812 Recordings, 2020)
• Birds of Prey (WaterTower Music, 2020)
• Motherless Brooklyn (WaterTower Music, 2019)
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Vol. 1 (Cutting Edge Music, 2019)
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Vol. 2 (Cutting Edge Music, 2019)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Classical, 2018)
• Ocean's 8 (WaterTower Music, 2018)
• Molly's Game (Sony Classical, 2018)
• Black Mirror: USS Callister (1812 Recordings, 2017)
• All The Money in the World (Sony Classical, 2017)
• Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House (Filmtrax Ltd., 2017)
• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (WaterTower Music, 2017)
• Gold (BMG, 2017)
• From The Land Of The Moon (Mal De Pierres) (Les Productions Du Tresor, 2017)
• Steve Jobs (Back Lot Music, 2015)
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Watertower, 2015)
• The Game (MovieScore Media, 2015)
• Cuban Fury (Decca Records, 2014)
• The Counselor (Milan Records, 2013)
• Blood (MovieScore Media, 2013)
• Space Dive (1812 Recordings, 2012)
• Dirk Gently (Moviescore Media, 2012)
• The Awakening (Moviescore Media/Screamworks, 2012)
• Desperate Romantics (1812 Recordings, 2012)
• LittleBIGMusic (1812 Recordings, 2011)
• The Haunted Airman (1812 Recordings, 2011)
• Upstairs Downstairs (1812 Recordings, 2010)
• Kinect Adventures (1812 Recordings, 2010)
• Monster Moves: Songs + Sounds (1812 Recordings, 2009)
• Heroes and Villains: Attila the Hun / Napoleon (Moviescore Media, 2009)
• TVPOPMUZIK (1812 Recordings, 2007)
• Prehistoric Park (1812 Recordings, 2006)

References

References

1. "Official website biography". Danielpemberton.com.
2. (2014). "Daniel Pemberton". [[The New York Times]].
3. Taylor, Mark. (2021-08-10). "Nominations announced for The Ivors with Apple Music 2021".
4. Parkin, Simon. (4 February 2025). "Daniel Pemberton, composer (Slow Horses, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Concord)".
5. "My Screen Life: UK composer Daniel Pemberton talks biggest mistake and 'Spider-Verse 2'".
6. Moody, Paul. (2009-07-10). "Paul Morley showing off ... Daniel Pemberton".
7. (8 February 2012). "The Awakening soundtrack review | Daniel Pemberton | movie-wave.net".
8. "Daniel Pemberton Scoring Ridley Scott's 'The Counselor' – Film Music Reporter". Filmmusicreporter.com.
9. "Awards".
10. Jon. (18 February 2021). "IFMCA Award Winners 2020". [[International Film Music Critics Association]].
11. "Daniel Pemberton Named Discovery of the Year by World Soundtrack Academy". ascap.com.
12. "World Soundtrack Awards 2016".
13. "The 93rd Academy Awards | 2021".
14. (9 June 2021). "Sports Emmys: TNT & ESPN Lead Networks as Seven Programs Score Two Wins Apiece – Full List".
15. "Golden Globe Nominations 2021".
16. "Celeste - Hear My Voice (Live from the Oscars 2021)".
17. "Commonwealth Games open with celebration of host Birmingham". theguardian.com.
18. (20 July 2022). "TONY IOMMI to Perform at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony".
19. "Daniel Pemberton".
20. "Best Original Song 2016".
21. "Winners & Nominees 2020 {{!}} Golden Globes".
22. "Netflix's 'Rising Phoenix' wins two Sports Emmy Awards".
23. (15 November 2021). "'Summer of Soul' Wins Best Documentary Feature & More at Critics Choice Documentary Awards".
24. "FACTORY FARMED".
25. "Danielpemberton.com". Danielpemberton.com.
26. (September 2020). "'We sound like superheroes!' – the rappers inspired by the Paralympics".
27. (16 September 2022). "'Amsterdam' Enlists Drake & Giveon For End-Credit Theme "Time," – Deadline".
28. (21 Dec 2023). "Oscars 2023 Song Surprises – Billboard".
29. (6 May 2022). "Mick Jagger's Improvised Riffs Led to the 'Slow Horses' Original Song "Strange Game" – Sound & Screen".
30. "The news is now out there so this is probably a good time as any to say I've been working away for quite a while on a super fun big new animation feature from ⁦@Dreamworks and ⁦@UniversalPics:- "THE BAD GUYS" -".
31. (April 8, 2024). "Daniel Pemberton Scoring Greg Berlanti's 'Fly Me to the Moon'". Film Music Reporter.
32. (March 26, 2024). "Daniel Pemberton to Score DreamWorks Animation's 'The Bad Guys 2'".
33. Murty, Megha. (September 21, 2023). "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse Composer Provides an Update Amidst Delay, Reveals Details About the Planned Score". [[IGN]].
34. Murray, Emily. (June 14, 2024). "''Beyond the Spider-Verse'' composer provides update on sequel and reveals they are feeling the pressure concluding the trilogy: 'You don't want to ''Godfather'' it'". [[GamesRadar+]].