My goal in life is to give a voice to as many stories as I can.
Hello there! I am Michelle Lai, a composer for film, TV and video games. I was born and raised in Singapore, and currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. I feel extremely grateful and blessed to be living my dream of composing music for linear and interactive media. Everyone has a unique story to tell that is important and worth listening to, and I believe that music serves as a powerful voice those stories can use to let themselves be heard. Growing up, I was not always the best with words, and I often found myself misunderstood and unable to say what was on my mind. I was introduced to music early in my life, from picking up the piano and trumpet to joining school bands and community orchestras. Music quickly became my best friend, as well as an outlet for me to understand and express myself in a way I previously could not. I wish to contribute to the world in the best way I know how: writing music to amplify people’s stories.
Perhaps not so surprising for a media composer, my primary sources of musical inspiration are the soundtracks to movies, TV shows and (especially) video games I consumed. Of particular significance to me right now are the games Genshin Impact, Minecraft, Octopath Traveler 2, Hollow Knight, as well as the Fire Emblem series and The Legend of Zelda series. I also really enjoyed the music of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the How To Train Your Dragon movies, and the Studio Ghibli films. My favorite composers of concert music are Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Debussy. The result of this mix of influences on my music is a compositional voice which favors hybrid orchestral instrumentations, simple and memorable melodies, colorful but “inevitable” harmonies, and highly episodic forms.
In 2020, I got accepted to Berklee College of Music on scholarship to study Film and Media Scoring, as well as Games and Interactive Media Scoring. I have since graduated summa cum laude and earned my Bachelor’s, and now I am so lucky to be working on a number of student films and game projects. I am currently waiting to begin the Graduate Certificate Program in Music Education and Autism at Berklee, and in the meantime, I am venturing into composing music from cultures all over the world and exploring unfamiliar genres.
If you ever have a story to tell and need custom music to go over it, drop me a line and tell me everything about it! It would be my honor and privilege to listen, and possibly give another story its voice!