Joy Ngiaw Explained

Joy Ngiaw
Birth Name:Jing Yi Ngiaw
Birth Date:23 November 1994
Birth Place:Pahang, Malaysia
Occupation:Composer
Years Active:2018–present
Notable Works:Blush, 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 (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 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

YearTitleDirectorDistributors(s)Notes
2022Rescued by RubyKatt SheaNetflix
2021BlushJoe MateoApple Original FilmsAnimated Short Film
2021Petit RatVera WagmanPBSDocumentary Feature
2021June & KopiNoviandra SantosaNetflix
2019In A New York MinuteMandy LiGravitas Ventures

Television

YearTitleCreatorsDistributors(s)Notes
2024WondLaBobs GannawayApple TV+Upcoming series
2023GlamorousJordon NardinoNetflixSeason 1
2018Short CircuitJerry HuynhWalt Disney AnimationSeason 1 Episode 10: "Jing Hua"

Awards and nominations

YearResultAwardCategoryWork
2022NominatedThe Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) AwardsDavid Raskin Award for Emerging Talent[14] Blush
2022NominatedAnnie AwardOutstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Media ProductionBlush
2022WonMusic + Sound Awards, InternationalBest Original Composition in a Short FilmBlush
2022WonLondon International Film FestivalBest Original ScoreMutiny!
2021WonHollywood Music in Media AwardsBest Original Score - Short FilmBlush
2019WonAsians On Film Festival[15] Best Original ScoreFish Head[16]

Notes and References

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