Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish musician, composer, conductor, songwriter, and record producer. For his work in music, film and television, he has won several accolades including two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, a

British Academy Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

and four

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

. As a record producer, he has frequently collaborated with Childish Gambino, producing his studio albums '' Camp'', '' Because the Internet'' and '' "Awaken, My Love!"'', among others. Göransson's producing work on Gambino's 2018 single " This Is America" was met with acclaim and accolades, including two

— for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

and Song of the Year. He has also produced for other recording artists, such as

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

Haim Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo. Etymology Hebrew Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, Travis Scott and Moses Sumney. On television, he received his first break as a composer for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

comedy series ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

'' (2009–2015) followed by the Fox

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...

'' (2011–2018). He transitioned into dramatic work, scoring the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

series ''

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...

'' (2019–2020), which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. He also composed the main theme for '' The Book of Boba Fett'' (2021–2022). For his work on film he has earned two Academy Awards for Best Original Score, for

Ryan Coogler Ryan Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe ...

's superhero film ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'' (2018) and

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

's epic biopic '' Oppenheimer'' (2023). He was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

for " Lift Me Up" performed by

featured in ''Wakanda Forever'' (2022). He has collaborated with Coogler serving as composer for '' Fruitvale Station'' (2013), ''Creed'' (2015), ''

Creed II ''Creed II'' is a 2018 American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Creed'' (2015), a follow-up to '' Rocky IV'' (1985), and the eighth installment in t ...

'' (2018), and '' Sinners'' (2025). He is also known for scoring ''Venom'' (2018), '' Tenet'' (2020) and '' Turning Red'' (2022).

Early life

Göransson was born and raised in

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

. His mother Maria, a florist, is from

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland, and his father Tomas, a guitar teacher, is Swedish. He has an older sister named Jessika. He is named after

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

. He began music lessons at a young age and went on to graduate from the Stockholm Royal College of Music. In 2007, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to study at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Scoring for Motion Picture and Television program. It was at that university that Ludwig met

, for whom Ludwig composed the score for the award-winning short film ''locks'' in 2009, which Coogler wrote and directed while at USC. Soon after graduating from USC, he began work assisting Theodore Shapiro, a composer known for films such as ''

Along Came Polly ''Along Came Polly'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg and starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown and Alec Baldwin. The sto ...

'', '' The Devil Wears Prada'', '' Idiocracy'', and ''

Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 Satire (film and television), satirical Action comedy, action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., ...

''. Göransson's first break came in 2009 as the composer for the sitcom ''Community''.

Career

Film and TV

In 2013, Göransson's first feature film came from fellow USC graduate

. Göransson composed the score to Coogler's critically acclaimed drama '' Fruitvale Station'', based on the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant. The film won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience awards in the Dramatic category at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, also taking home the Avenir Prize and Un Certain Regard awards at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. In August 2013, Göransson signed a management deal as a composer for

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

's label,

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

. That year he also composed the music for the movie '' We're the Millers''. In 2015, Coogler and Göransson again worked together this time on the critically acclaimed Rocky franchise film ''Creed''. By 2016–17, he was scoring '' True Memoirs of an International Assassin'', '' Central Intelligence'' and '' Everything, Everything''. In 2018, Göransson and Coogler came together for their third collaboration, ''Black Panther''. Göransson set out to create a score that would sit somewhere between traditional African instrumentation and a traditional superhero score. In order to do this he travelled to Senegal to research traditional African music and instruments. There he met musician Baaba Maal whose voice is featured in the score, singing in his native Fula language. He later traveled to the International Library of African Music in South Africa, founded by Hugh Tracey, where he listened to recordings of traditional musicians to ensure the score had a culturally traditional sound. In 2019, Göransson's score for ''Black Panther'' won the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

and the

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media is an honor presented to a composer (or composers) for an original score created for a film, TV show or series, or other visual media at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was establishe ...

. On 22 May 2019, it was announced that Göransson was composing the film score for

's '' Tenet''. Göransson was chosen after Nolan's frequent collaborator and first choice,

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

, turned down the offer in favor of the 2021 film ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

''. Göransson experimented with retrograde composition and sampling to match the themes and tone of the film. The first scoring session was held in November 2019, and sessions continued into early 2020. He worked on original songs and music with

for the 2020 film '' Trolls World Tour''. Since 2019, Göransson has composed the score for the

television series ''

'', which is set in the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' universe, as well as the fanfare for the franchise's brand logo. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for both season 1 and season 2's finales. In 2021, he started scoring sessions for ''The Mandalorians spinoff series, '' The Book of Boba Fett'', which premiered on 29 December 2021. In 2021, he was chosen to be the composer of the new fanfare for Warner Bros. Pictures, which combines a new arrangement of " As Time Goes By" with elements of the original

Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (10 May 1888 – 28 December 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and became one of cinema of the United States, Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodi ...

fanfare. In 2022, he worked on the scores of the

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

film '' Turning Red'' and the second ''Black Panther'' installment, '' Wakanda Forever''. For the latter, he co-wrote the song " Lift Me Up" performed by

, which earned him a nomination for the

. He worked for a second time with Christopher Nolan on his 2023 film '' Oppenheimer''. Its accompanying soundtrack received critical acclaim and earned Göransson the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score, the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

, and the

Record producer

In 2010, when Donald Glover first approached Göransson about his side project, Childish Gambino, the two were working on the set of ''

''. Since then they have released four albums: '' Camp'', '' Because the Internet'', '' "Awaken, My Love!"'', and '' 3.15.20''. Göransson served as producer and writer for every song on the album ''"Awaken, My Love!"'', inspired by

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...

and black power music of the '70s. In November, they earned four Grammy nominations for their work, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for " Redbone". Overall, his work with Gambino earned him six Grammy Award nominations. In 2012, Göransson produced

's debut EP and helped establish the band with a new sound on the song "

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

". He also produced two songs on the band's debut album '' Days Are Gone''. On 5 May 2018, " This Is America" was released. Produced by Gambino and Ludwig Göransson, the song features a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-style choir and background contributions from various American rappers

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

Slim Jxmmi Aaquil Iben Shaman Brown (born December 29, 1991), known professionally as Slim Jxmmi (pronounced Slim Jimmy), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Slim gained mainstream recognition as one half of the Mississippi-based hip-hop duo Rae ...

BlocBoy JB James Lee Baker (born May 19, 1996), known professionally as BlocBoy JB, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. Baker is best known for his 2018 single " Look Alive" (featuring Drake), which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

, 21 Savage, Quavo and Offset. "This Is America" debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the 31st song to do so in the chart's history. The song won in all four of its nominated categories at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

for

, Song of the Year,

Best Rap/Sung Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

, and Best Music Video.

Personal life

Göransson married American violinist Serena McKinney in 2018. Their first child was born in 2019. He has two sons.

Filmography

As a composer

Films

Television

Discography

Awards and nominations

Göransson composed the

drama series ''

'', which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for both season 1 and season 2's finales. He composed the main theme for ''The Mandalorian''s spinoff series, '' The Book of Boba Fett'', which debuted in 2021. On film, he composed the

directed 2018 superhero film ''

'', for which he won the

and the

. He further scored the second ''Black Panther'' film, 2022's ''Wakanda Forever'', achieving a nomination for the

for " Lift Me Up" performed by

. His work on

's epic biopic '' Oppenheimer'' (2023) earned his first wins at the

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

and

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

, and a second win at the

References

External links

*
Official website
at the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

, archived from th
original
on Feb 7, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Goransson, Ludwig 1984 births Animated film score composers Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Grammy Award winners Hollywood Records artists Interscope Records artists Living people Swedish male film score composers Male television composers Musikförläggarnas pris winners People from Linköping Musicians from Östergötland County Primetime Emmy Award winners Royal College of Music, Stockholm, alumni Swedish expatriates in the United States Swedish film score composers Swedish people of Polish descent Swedish television composers University of Southern California alumni