Composer Andew Kawczynski’s obsession with finding new ways to build musical narratives has led to a career working alongside some of the most iconic storytellers spanning across a diverse body of work that includes film, TV, video games and commercials. Andrew got his start working with composers such as Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer, and those creative relationships are still going strong today.
Andrew’s ability to tackle any genre and find the emotional core of the story has led to scores such as Gran Turismo (2023) [Co-Composed with Lorne Balfe], Ping Pong: The Triumph (2023), The Eight Hundred (2020) [Co-Composed with Rupert Gregson-Williams], Sky Hunter (2017), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) [As part of “The Magnificent Six” with Hans Zimmer] among many more.
Andrew’s skills with building sonic worlds has also kept him in high demand with his old friends Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer, making him an essential part of the music team as an additional composer on Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Dune (2021), Dunkirk (2017), Terminator: Genisys (2015), Chappie (2015), Woman In Gold (2015), and many more.
Outside of the world of film and television, Andrew has also composed scores for high-profile marketing campaigns for clients such as BMW and Apple.
For his entire life, Andrew was always fighting against routine, and looking for detours off the beaten path. Music was one of those beautiful detours that Andrew attached himself to. His dad was a big fan of music, and would bond with Andrew through music. His dad played him “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” by Pink Floyd, and explained that people perceive these weird sounds as music. Music all of a sudden was not just melody and harmony. Music could be squealing pigs, crazy textures, long builds, and so much more. A turning point happened at age 17. A hockey injury put Andrew in bedridden recovery for six months. With not much else to do but explore the sounds in his head, Andrew picked up a guitar. He played all day, but specifically he played stuff that he was writing. He didn’t play other people’s music, he was writing.
While Andrew has built his entire career within a supportive and collaborative environment, he still loves working alone to be free from outside pressures when it comes to creating. Once he feels that creation is ready to be shared, that’s when the collaborative process begins. Like most composers, Andrew is comfortable in the quiet refuge of his studio, but also loves the group effort it takes to bring a score to life.
Andrew recalls working with Hans on Inferno (2016). Hans truly pushed him to try and find his unique voice as a composer instead of trying to embody Hans’s own sound. It was trying to fight the familiar pattern of feeding off of other people’s voices instead of his own. Seeing Hans not conform to expectations inspired Andrew to do the same. Fulfillment as an artist is creating what speaks to Andrew first, and if that connects with others then that’s the beautiful bonus.
Whether it’s a a classic synth or the newest plugin, Andrew loves experimenting to find new sounds and approaches to musical storytelling. His unique voice as a storyteller has made him one of the most versatile composers working today that always brings something different to each project while still maintaining an identifiable sound that people connect with.
