Raphaelle Thibaut was encouraged at age four to learn the piano. After she was born, Raphaelle suffered from a series of severe ear issues that led to single-sided deafness. Following the doctor's recommendation, she started an intense piano practice. Music became her path to recovery. This sparked a passion in the world of composition, with Morricone, Goldsmith, and De Roubaix scores playing on her Discman all through her teenage years. In 2015, she decided to leave her impressive marketing career at Google to pursue her lifelong passion for music and film scoring. She quickly started writing for independent films and music houses as well as for brands like Ubisoft, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and Nike. Eager to reach her goal to score for the film industry, she then began composing music for trailers, with notable credits including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil trailer, the Incredibles 2, and Hulu’s The Act. Other score credits include The Familiar Fingers of Culture (short film), and Amor Matris (short film), and she’s recently been tapped to score the forthcoming Nat Geo series Secrets of the Whales.
Where did the journey start for you?
The answer to this depends on the perspective! I started playing the piano at four and composed with a voice recorder in my teens. But it was only five years ago that I dared to dream bigger and go full-time as a music composer.
Who are some composers/artists you pull inspiration from?
My all-time weaknesses are Italian and French soundtracks from the ’60s-’70s (Ennio Morricone, François de Roubaix, George Delerue, Maurice Jarre...) and neo-classical composers (Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson…).
What do you do to decompress after a long day in front of the monitors?
Listen to music that’s not mine, hug my 1-year-old, and binge-watch dark series.
What's your favorite piece of gear in your studio?
My Komplete Kontrol S-88 MK1.
Other than your studio, where does inspiration most often strike? (or rather "Where is the second most common place you come up with ideas?")
I’m not particularly sensitive to places. I find my inspiration in people and their emotions. Anything from a movie, or a lifetime celebration, to people hugging in a train station will spark crazy inspiration.
What's your favorite score of the year?
I adored Newman's 1917.
What's your favorite score of all time?
Another impossible one! Can I have two? Bernstein’s To Kill a Mockingbird for the US, Delerue’s Agnes of God for Europe.
Who is your favorite composer and why?
One of my favorite composers in recent years is Jonny Greenwood. He has crafted some of the most beautiful and sophisticated scores for some while. I think Nicholas Britell is also a genius at mixing genres.
Who is your "guilty pleasure" artist?
I love Harry Styles! His song "Sign of the Times" makes me tear up every time.
What's the oddest job you've ever had?
I’ve had to create a whole cue out of soundbites from different TV shows. It also had to be a public-domain song cover. Probably the toughest job, too!
What is the best advice you've been given?
Don't listen to people who tell you there's only one way to achieve your goal. There's no such thing as a fixed career path in film music.