Joy Ngiaw

Joy Ngiaw
Born
Jing Yi Ngiaw

(1994-11-23) November 23, 1994 (age 29)
Pahang, Malaysia
OccupationComposer
Years active2018–present
Notable workBlush, WondLa

Joy Ngiaw (born November 23, 1994) is a Malaysian composer for film and TV. Her score for Apple TV+ and Skydance's debut animation Blush has won Best Music Award from Hollywood Music in Media[1] and was nominated for an Annie.[2] She also scored Skydance Animation's inaugural studio logo. Other recent projects include Skydance Animation's TV series WondLa,[3] Netflix and CBS's TV show Glamorous, Walt Disney Animation Studio's Short Circuit: Jing Hua,[4] and Netflix's Rescued by Ruby.

Early life and education

Joy was born in Pahang, Malaysia and raised in Shanghai, China. She started playing classical piano at the age of 6, and had played piano for the New Shanghai Orchestra[5] in her high school years. She then attended Berklee College of Music for a major in Film Scoring and minor in Video Game Scoring. At Berklee College of Music, Joy was one of the eight students chosen to compose a new score for F.W. Murnau's 1922 Classic, Nosferatu, which was performed by the Boston Pops at Boston Symphony Hall on Friday, October 30, 2015.[6]

Career

After moving to Los Angeles in 2016, she worked on the music team for TV shows Legion (FX), Cobra Kai (Netflix), The Night Of (HBO), films Impractical Jokers: The Movie (WarnerMedia), and video games What Remains of Edith Finch.[7]

Joy scored Skydance Animation's first short film Blush, executive produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and John Lasseter. Her score had won the 2021 Hollywood Music in Media awards for Best Music, and nominated for an Annie award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Media Production.[8] In 2022, she was also nominated with the inaugural David Raskin Emerging Talent award by the Society of Composers and Lyricists.[9] She then went on to score Skydance Animation studio's first studio logo. The animated sequence made its debut on the studios' first feature Luck, and will be attached to Skydance's animated film slate, which includes the Alan Menken-scored Spellbound and Brad Bird's Ray Gunn, going forward.[10] She is also the composer for Skydance Animation's TV series WondLa, an animated sci-fi fantasy television series based on the books The Search for WondLa, A Hero for WondLa, and The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi. [11]

In 2023, she scored her first episodic TV series, Netflix's Glamorous, created by Jordon Nardino (Star Trek: Discovery) and starring Kim Cattrall and Miss Benny. Her score was released by Lakeshore Records on July 7, 2023.[12]

Her soundtrack for Skydance Animation's TV series WondLa was released by Milan Records on June 28, 2024.[13]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Distributors(s) Notes
2022 Rescued by Ruby Katt Shea Netflix —
2021 Blush Joe Mateo Apple Original Films Animated Short Film
2021 Petit Rat Vera Wagman PBS Documentary Feature
2021 June & Kopi Noviandra Santosa Netflix —
2019 In A New York Minute Mandy Li Gravitas Ventures —

Television

Year Title Creators Distributors(s) Notes
2024 WondLa Bobs Gannaway Apple TV+ Upcoming series
2023 Glamorous Jordon Nardino Netflix Season 1
2018 Short Circuit Jerry Huynh Walt Disney Animation Season 1 Episode 10: "Jing Hua"

Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Work
2022 Nominated The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) Awards David Raskin Award for Emerging Talent[14] Blush
2022 Nominated Annie Award Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Media Production Blush
2022 Won Music + Sound Awards, International Best Original Composition in a Short Film Blush
2022 Won London International Film Festival Best Original Score Mutiny!
2021 Won Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score - Short Film Blush
2019 Won Asians On Film Festival[15] Best Original Score Fish Head[16]

References

  1. ^ Willman, Chris (19 November 2021). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Honor Billie Eilish, Hans Zimmer, Nicholas Britell, Rufus Wainwright and More". Variety.
  2. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (December 21, 2021). "'Raya and the Last Dragon' Leads 2022 Annie Awards Feature Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ "Joy Ngiaw Scoring Skydance Animation's Apple TV+ Series 'WondLa' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  4. ^ Anderson, Corban. "An EXCLUSIVE Interview with Disney+ Short Circuit Jing Hua Composer Joy Ngiaw". Retrieved 21 Jan 2021.
  5. ^ Stories, Local (15 October 2019). "Meet Joy Ngiaw - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com.
  6. ^ Juul, Matt (28 October 2015). "Boston Pops, Berklee Students Breathe New Life into 'Nosferatu'". Boston Magazine.
  7. ^ Sean, Wilson. "Blush composer Joy Ngiaw on the beauty of composing music for animation". composer.spitfireaudio.com.
  8. ^ Stronk, Jan P. (5 January 2022). "BMI Congratulates its 49th Annual Annie Award Nominees". BMI.com.
  9. ^ Chagollan, Steve (4 January 2022). "Diane Warren, Nicholas Britell and Jonny Greenwood Lead Society of Composers & Lyricists Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ^ "Joy Ngiaw Scoring Netflix's 'Glamourous [sic]' | Film Music Reporter". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "Joy Ngiaw Scoring Skydance Animation's Apple TV+ Series 'WondLa' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  12. ^ Danoff, Owen (6 July 2023). "Netflix's Glamorous Drops Two Uplifting Tracks By Joy Ngiaw [EXCLUSIVE]". ScreenRant. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  13. ^ Danoff, Owen (27 June 2024). "Listen To The World Of WondLa With Two Tracks From The Apple TV+ Series". ScreenRant.
  14. ^ Chagollan, Steve (4 January 2022). "Diane Warren, Nicholas Britell and Jonny Greenwood Lead Society of Composers & Lyricists Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. ^ "Asians on Film Festival of Shorts 2020 - AWARD WINNERS". Asians on Film. 22 January 2020.
  16. ^ Gayen, Sristi (21 May 2019). "Short Film Review: 'Fish Head' Is A Picture Of Daydreams and Broken Hearts of Little Boys... - Indie Shorts Mag". Retrieved 22 May 2019.