From winning a Grammy with Rihanna to collaborating with the likes of J Hus and Gretta Ray, the musical adventures of London-based producer and songwriter Maestro TheBaker have been eclectic and successful in equal measure. But the art of composing and producing music to picture has proven to be his most testing creative task to date.
‘This project has been the most challenging yet fun thing I’ve done so far,’ he says about his latest sync composition, which soundtracks a short Balmain film advertising their new Lion King-inspired luxury fashion collection with Disney.
‘The film changed quite a few times. I originally scored an eight-minute visual, which was then condensed to five. I wrote full songs with lyrics for collaborations with high-profile artists that never happened. There were so many twists and turns, but I relished this. There wasn’t a single day when I wasn’t really excited to get locked in on whatever they would throw at me.’
The Balmain x Disney film was directed by his cousin Femi Oladigbolu, who previously helped Maestro — real name Ifeoluwa Oladigbolu — secure his first sync in 2013.
‘Early on I wanted to make music for video games, but couldn’t work out an entry point,’ he tells M. ‘Femi was working on this project for Bose speakers and needed some music and an actor. I’d never done either, but we responded to the brief, delivered it and it worked out. Bose loved it.’
The pair reunited last year for Femi’s short film Oba, before linking up again to work on the Balmain project: ‘We aimed to capture the same powerful soundscape we created for Oba, drawing on inspiration from Black Panther and Dune.’
Shot in South Africa, the film’s striking soundtrack features choral vocals, wild chants and cinematic drums while incorporating sweeping swells of strings and horns.
‘Disney and Balmain had an idea of what they wanted, in that it had to fit in with The Lion King and be true to that,’ Maestro explains. ‘Everyone was devoted to the cause, and the end result was incredible.’
'There wasn’t a single day when I wasn’t really excited to get locked in on whatever Disney and Balmain would throw at me.’
This isn’t the first time that Maestro has worked with major household names. Back in 2013, he won a Grammy for his work on What Now, an anthemic single from Rihanna’s seventh studio album Unapologetic.
‘Working with Rihanna informed me when it came to being versatile,’ he tells M. ‘We weren’t afraid of experimenting and working with different sounds, and the track we made with her — an EDM-style ballad — is testament to that. It’s a real hybrid of styles.’
This versatile creative approach paid dividends in his work on J Hus’ Mercury Prize-shortlisted 2023 album Beautiful and Brutal Yard, on which he co-produced the opening track Intro (The GOAT).
‘I had the chance to use what I’d learned from the sync world to create a moody scene,’ Maestro explains. ‘Producer TSB asked me to create a musical world where J-Hus, as a 10-foot-tall giant, was living in a castle somewhere in east London, on the verge of breaking his silence. I’m mega proud of how it turned out.’
He’s equally proud of another hip hop project he worked on in 2022, Who Killed Biggie and Tupac?. Composing the music for this investigative miniseries led to Maestro re-immersing himself in the classic sounds of the titular rappers’ ‘90s heyday.
‘I was initially hired to make hip hop beats from that time. Then, midway through the process, they asked me to score other sections of the doc,’ he explains. ‘This required strings and brass, so the workload grew really quickly.
‘I was working solidly on this for a month, including weekends. I’d sleep on the studio’s sofa! Some days I would be making hard-hitting beats, then the next it would be a dramatic string section for an emotional scene. But I had a lot of fun throwing outlandish ideas at the wall.’
For Maestro, this creative variety is a key part of the appeal of working in music sync. His advice for producers wanting to get into sync? Try and immerse yourself in that world ‘as early as possible’.
‘There are a lot of things that we learn as we develop our skill set as producers or songwriters that we don’t get to use in artist sessions,’ he continues. ‘In sync, the possibilities are almost endless. Working to picture opens up a part of your brain that you don’t get to use with writing for artists.
‘Listen to a huge amount of music, as well as watching TV, films, documentaries or whatever you want to work in. Being able to adapt to a brief can be crucial when finding projects and getting work.’
‘In sync, the possibilities are almost endless.'
Networking is also an essential part of the journey, Maestro says, when it comes to sourcing new sync projects.
‘Approach directors and scriptwriters about short films and indie films. Even [approach] music supervisors, as they know what is current and what people are looking for,’ he adds. ‘Music supervisors might hear you do an advert for something, and they’ll somehow work out that you could do an Apple fitness ad [next]: they have that vision.
‘Go to film festivals; network at events where you wouldn’t normally find musicians. You’ll stand out.’
Strict deadlines can often pose a serious challenge to contemporary composers working in the world of content and visual media. As creative teams can now be based across the world — meaning that collaboration is often achieved across different time zones — having a pragmatic approach as a music creator can be beneficial.
‘Deadlines can give you mild-to-excruciating anxiety if you let them,’ Maestro says. ‘However, if you apply yourself, the time constraints can sometimes push you to deliver something great and that pressure can work in your favour. As a composer, it forces me to make decisions and focus.’
With the Disney and Balmain project now out in the world, Maestro is already working on new opportunities and recently signed to Concord Music Publishing to further his options in sync. But what would his dream commission be?
‘I would love to do a feature film, specifically in sci-fi,' he replies. 'Or if anyone reading this is a Christian film director, get in touch! My train is now moving, and I’m really excited about the next few destinations.’
