Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
Amélia Rolland performs professionally as AMÉLIA., a bold declaration of the young French composer’s singular talent. You will remember her name because few other rising talents share Amélia’s impressive skill set. The HMMA-nominated composer is a graduate of both Berklee College of Music and the USC Thornton School of Music, and perhaps most notably serves as the arranger and producer on all of her original works, which range from film scores to pop songs.
Amélia’s HMMA nomination came for an original song she penned for Jee Suk Kim’s short film Sean The Baby entitled “Sean Is Three.” At just 40 seconds, the song manages to tell an entire story through music. It is a testament to Amélia’s abilities as both a songwriter and a storyteller, further illustrated by her more expansive work on the upcoming video game Unchained: Tale of Enra, a highly anticipated tactical RPG which most notably gives players the chance to achieve victory without committing violence of any kind. The soundtrack will be made available alongside the game when it releases later this year.
Check out our full conversation with Amélia as we dive into Unchained, Sean The Baby, and her global journey towards success.
Hi Amélia! Having studied at both the Berklee College of Music and the USC Thornton School of Music, can you describe how a formal education in songwriting and scoring can help a young composer grow?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me at Vents Magazine. It truly means a lot to me.
That’s a great question. I originally come from France, where music education has always been a fundamental part of who I am, both as an artist and as a young individual. I come from a classical background, having studied piano and flute, before gradually finding my way toward the pop and scoring world, with a deep desire to bring those two worlds together.
I truly believe that knowledge is power, and in my case, my formal education in music helped me explore my musicianship in a deeper way. From harmonic and melodic choices to orchestration and storytelling, it gave me tools and a foundation that I continue to rely on every day.
What feels really special to me now is that I can approach writing with a certain sense of trust. Instead of constantly questioning whether something “works,” I can focus more on expression and emotion, which makes the process feel more intuitive.
I also believe that my education has given me both confidence and a sense of freedom in how I approach scoring. It continues to support me as I grow, and I am still learning every day, which is one of the most exciting parts of being a composer.
You are accomplished in several instruments, including piano and flute. Do you have a favorite instrument to play, and how does your approach to each instrument impact a final composition?
At my core, I am a singer. I sing all the time, and I often find myself thinking of the orchestra almost as a choir. That perspective naturally shapes the way I write and hear music.
To answer your question, I mostly compose at the piano. My jazz background often leads me to improvise rather than follow a fixed idea from the start. There is a real sense of freedom when I sit at the piano, it feels very intuitive, almost as if I can step out of the way and let the music guide me.
It is interesting, because I often do not remember exactly how a piece comes together. The process can feel like a bit of a blur, which I think has a lot to do with that improvisatory approach and my relationship with the instrument.
The flute is quite different for me. I mainly pick it up when I need to record parts for my scores or play for friends and colleagues. However, knowing the instrument well has been incredibly valuable, as it allows me to write more naturally and thoughtfully for it.
With other instruments, I am still learning, and I always try to approach them with curiosity and respect for what they can do.
Can you tell us more about your HMMA-nominated song “Sean Is Three” for Jee Suk Kim’s short film Sean The Baby?
I often get a bit emotional talking about this song because, once again, the process felt incredibly organic. Some songs simply seem to want to be written, and Sean Is Three was one of them.
My writing partner, Cameron Adams, created the instrumental and sent it to me quite late at night, as we needed to show Jee some progress. Cameron was navigating how to approach a 40-second piece with so much to say, and when I heard what he had done, it immediately sparked something for me. I put my musical theatre hat on and drafted the song quite quickly.
We did go through a few revisions afterward, but the initial idea came together very naturally. Cameron created such a beautiful foundation that it made it easy to imagine a theatrical melody and story on top of it.
I am definitely a bit of a night owl, and I think that moment, combined with Cameron’s work, really inspired me. More than anything, I wanted our director to truly connect with the story we were trying to tell.
We had no expectations that the song would receive a nomination, so being recognized in that way was incredibly meaningful. It is something we will always be grateful for and never forget.
I understand you are also scoring the upcoming video game Unchained, slated for a June 1st release. Can you tell us more about the project and your approach to the music?
Unchained is truly a dream come true for me. The score was recorded about a year ago here in Los Angeles, with incredible musicians, and I feel very fortunate to have been given so much creative freedom on the project.
The game developer, Will Alvarez, shared that the team connected with my demo, and from there, I was given the opportunity to develop the themes for the score. That level of trust meant a great deal to me.
What made the experience so special was the chance to help shape the musical identity of an entirely new world. Watching Will and the team connect with the characters, and being able to express that musically, was incredibly meaningful.
The soundtrack will be released alongside the game, and I am truly excited for people to discover this project and hear what our team created together.
You have described your work as sitting at the intersection of cinematic drama and mainstream pop. How do you tend to balance those two dimensions in a score?
I don’t think I consciously analyze it too much; I feel like my two musical identities naturally meet somewhere in the middle and create a blend of both worlds.
Of course, some scores lean more toward a traditional classical approach, depending on the genre or simply the needs and vision of the director. But most of the time, while my instrumentation tends to be quite classical, my harmonic language is often more contemporary, sometimes influenced by pop rather than strict traditional counterpoint.
You also have a background as a producer and arranger. How does that knowledge and experience inform your scoring process?
I believe that every experience you gain contributes to making you a better composer. My work as both a producer and arranger has gradually helped me become more efficient in my writing process.
It allows me to approach elements like drums and textures from a more contemporary, pop-influenced perspective, while also incorporating arranging techniques I have learned over the years.
I often think of my knowledge as a toolbox, and I really enjoy continuing to add new tools to it. It also gives me more confidence in my orchestration, although that is something I am still actively developing every day.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your career or any upcoming projects?
I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to say that, today, thanks to the people who support me and my career, I am able to fully dedicate myself to what I love. That is a truly special place to be, especially considering how challenging this industry can sometimes be.
I am very excited about two new short films I am currently working on, Thread and Second Chances, as well as the upcoming soundtrack release of Unchained, and a few other projects that I am keeping under wraps for now.
I am really looking forward to what the next few months will bring.
Thank you so much again for having me!
Keep up with AMÉLIA. on Instagram or via her official site.
