We had the chance to chat with Icelandic composer Herdis Stefansdottir about her score for the series Y: The Last Man on Hulu which premiered on September 13, 2021.
Image credit: Jeaneen Lund

How did you get first get into to music?

HS: I first got into music as an 8 year old kid that really wanted to learn to play the piano! I played for a few years but lost interest as a teen and quit. During my teen years and high school, I never thought of becoming a musician and went to law school after high school! It was during that first year of studies that I started playing the piano again and studying music theory on my own. I really did not find myself studying law and put all my energy into music after the school day was over and eventually I decided to apply for art school and there was no turning back.

What was the first genre of music you fell in love with?

HS: I have never fallen in love with one genre of music but there were certain moments of discovery that are memorable! I discovered electronic music and trip hop as a teen and I remember being totally mind blown listening to sounds and productions I hadn’t heard before, that was very influential for me and especially when I was discovering my own writing and production later on! 

What can you tell us about your score for Y: The Last Man?

HS: The score is  thematically and character driven. Certain worlds within Y have their own sonic palette! The score is also very vocal driven but my first idea for the overall theme of Y was to use female vocals as a core sound. I recorded a lot of strange vocal textures and sounds that I wove and processed all over the score! Another part of the score has some ironic western references to portray the lawless world that forms in this apocalyptic event! And then finally I have a whole electronic section of modular synth driven soundscapes! A couple of unusual instruments were key elements in the score, the magnetic harp that an Icelandic friend of mine built, only three of those exist in the world. It’s a beautiful electro acoustic instrument and you can hear that sound following the Amazons. Another sound that follows and blends in with the vocals are wine glasses!

What were some challenges with this score?

HS: I started writing to picture but eventually abandoned that and started writing to script. I learned in the early process that I had to think of the whole story to be able to interpret it musically and create the sound world. The frame was too small starting to only write individual cues, but abandoning that opened up the whole world for me! 

Did you have any specific goals in mind when you were putting together this score?

HS: Not really, I usually go by instinct and get lost in the flow when writing music, I try not to analyze things too much early on! 

What were some learning experiences for you working on a project like this?

HS: I thought it was incredibly inspiring to write and create music without being bound to picture all the time! It doesn’t work on every project but certainly did in this one and I felt it allowed me to go deeper into developing and writing longer more evolved pieces of music!

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Follow Herdis Stefansdottir: Instagram|YouTube

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