Can’t get our soundtrack out of your head? We know you can’t 💅
As a special treat this month, we’re going to be doing not one but TWO…
✨Dev Storytimes✨
…where we meet the composers behind Don’t Stop, Girlypop!’s soundtrack!!!
In this first interview, we’re meeting with Candice Susnjar ❤
Before we get into the interview though, I’ll give a quick introduction on how I met Candice, because it was super random! There’s this belief in Perth, the city in Western Australia where Funny Fintan Softworks is based, that you always meet Perth people when you’re not in Perth, and that’s exactly how it happened. Candice and I are Perth people, but we met in San Francisco!
We were both at GDC when we first met and then we met up again at an event in Perth called Tokyo Alley. I asked Candice what type of music she made, she told me she mainly did orchestral, and then I asked her if she could do pop music. Candice said she wanted to give it a try and sent me over a demo track, which ended up being the start of the song Paint the Town Red in the Don’t Stop, Girlypop! soundtrack. After the demo track, we decided to work together!
Candice Susnjar.
When did you first know that you wanted to pursue a career in music?
Candice: I knew early on in life, when I was about 15 years old. I decided I wanted to pursue music around that time and become a guitarist. Then I started composing music and realised that was what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life!
Did you study music at university or college? Or are you self-taught?
Candice: I went to the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts and studied jazz guitar. My major was in Performing and Arrangement. My studies definitely helped me when it came to writing for large ensembles and orchestral instruments, not so much pop music. It gave me a really good grounding in melody and harmony though!
The Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts.
If it’s not too much trouble, please could you describe what your career has been like so far.
Candice: After I graduated from the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts, I started singing and song-writing. I was doing a lot of gigs and just really working on my voice. My guitar was good but my voice…not so much! I decided to move to Melbourne so I could get my confidence up when it came to performing.
It was actually only about 4 years ago that I decided I wanted to start making music for film, TV, and games. I write and produce my own music, which has been my main focus. Writing for Don’t Stop, Girlypop! has been such a pleasure. In my time, I’ve also had the opportunity to write for the Perth Symphony Orchestra, for 2 short films, and for various orchestral compositions. My ultimate dream is to write for a feature film or game soundtrack for with a full orchestra and conduct it at Abbey Road or Air Studios!
What challenges do you face as a composer?
Candice: I love so many different styles of music, so pinpointing who I am as a composer can be difficult. I’ve got the jazz background, plus classical, plus singing, plus guitar, plus a strong love for pop music. How do I mix all of those passions together and explain who I am to the world? It’s a tough challenge!
On top of that, finding work as a composer and maintaining regular work has also been challenging. It’s always really hard to find the next job, particularly when I’m looking for jobs I believe in or that resonate with me. Getting consistent work as a composer is very difficult.
What would you say has been your greatest achievement as a composer to date? What are you most proud of?
Candice: I’d say it’s the album I’m recording at the moment! I’m combining my love of jazz, pop, classical, guitar, and singing all into my own album. It means I’ve been able to pull together all of the skills I’ve learnt from composing for games, TV, and film, from my pop influences, and from my experience writing for string quartets. It feels like I’m finally starting to nail down my unique style. I’m hoping I can give my new style a name!
Have you ever worked on a game’s soundtrack before?
Candice: Don’t Stop, Girlypop! has actually been the first game I’ve worked on! I’m super thankful and excited to be part of the project. It’s really pushed me outside of my comfort zone, because most of my background up until this point had been more orchestral, singer-songwriter, jazz, and soundscapes. Composing pop music and producing a pop track has been challenging! I’ve learnt so much and having Jane’s guidance has been invaluable, since she knew exactly what she wanted for the soundtrack. I learnt so much about sounds and where to go with my voice. I’ll be taking a lot of these learnings and this whole experience forward into my future compositions!
What artists, TV shows, movies, or other media do you draw inspiration from when making music for Don’t Stop, Girlypop!?
Candice: When I first discussed the soundtrack with Jane, she provided me with a playlist of a bunch of artists, mostly from the Y2K era. There was Chase Icon, PinkPantheress, a bit of Doja Cat, Charli xcx, Von Dutch, SOPHIE etc. I pulled a lot of ideas and sounds from these artists, such as the industrial sounds from SOPHIE (not something I’d ever done before, but it was really fun!) and then the soft vocals from artists like PinkPantheress.
What has been the best part of working on Don’t Stop, Girlypop! so far?
Candice: Working with Jane, 100%. She knew exactly what she wanted and she’s really professional, so working with her has been such a pleasure. I also love the music and the aesthetic of the game. Composing for the soundtrack has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to move into new genres, which has been amazing!
If you want to follow Candice’s work you can follow her on Instagram, Spotify, and on her website.
To finish up with, I just wanted to say how insanely thankful I am for all of the work that Candice has done on the Don’t Stop, Girlypop! soundtrack. Whenever we worked together on a track, I would first list a bunch of tracks and then give her a brief based on what vibe I wanted to lean into, what instruments we should focus on, what type of style I wanted, when the industrial part of the track should kick in, and how I wanted the vocals to be.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2610650/Dont_Stop_Girlypop/
Candice was the real guinea pig though when it came to our process! We had to figure out together how we were going to do the blending for each track. For context, we start out by creating an ambient version, which leads to the pop version, which can then transfer into the industrial version (more hardcore hyper-pop), and then they’re all mixed together to form the final version. Creating multiple versions means they can be blended together in different ways so that they transfer seamlessly into one another while you’re playing the game.
We didn’t start out with this process though and we basically had to figure out together how to write music that fit the structure of the game! That’s also the reason why Candice has the only track in the whole game that has a Combat 4 version.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview, girlypops! And don't forget to check out the second part with composers Sarah Wolfe and Xavier Dunn ❤
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2610650/announcements/detail/624430710732620758
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