Adolescence’ & ‘Monsters’: The Power of Solo Vocals
Explore how “Adolescence” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” leverage the power of solo vocals for profound storytelling. Composers are innovating, using the human voice to shape the emotional core of a scene, adding layers to drama. discover how Emilia Holliday’s voice haunts “Adolescence” while unsettling vocalizations drive the psychological depth of “Monsters,” demonstrating how music, specifically the primarykeyword: vocal music adds a key aspect to the secondarykeyword: storytelling. News Directory 3 keeps you informed on these shifts. Learn how “Adolescence” and “Monsters” are redefining the true-crime and drama genres. Wondering what musical approaches will emerge next? Discover what’s next …
Netflix Series Explore Power of Vocal Music in Storytelling
The human voice, even without words, can profoundly shape the emotional landscape of a scene. Two recent Netflix series, “Adolescence” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” showcase this principle through innovative uses of vocal music.
In “Adolescence,” a four-hour drama about a 13-year-old accused of murder, composers Aaron May and David Ridley sought to maintain realism through subtle scoring. A key element was the inclusion of Emilia Holliday’s voice. Holliday plays Katie Leonard, the victim. May noted that while Katie’s presence is felt, she never speaks. Director Philip Barantini discovered Holliday’s singing talent, leading to the decision to feature her “beautiful adolescent vulnerability” in the score. This choice, May said, allowed her character to “haunt the whole story.”
Ridley added that the score emphasizes “air and breath” alongside Holliday’s vocals. They incorporated instruments like a bass recorder and an old Victorian pump organ. A 35-voice children’s choir,initially intended for Sting’s “Fragile,” contributed vocal exercises that were woven into the score. “The theme that you hear at the beginning of every episode,” Ridley said, “there’s the voice, but then behind that there’s this chatter of school children. It just feels present and alive.”
Conversely, “Monsters” uses voices in a more unsettling manner. in the second episode, as the Menendez brothers revisit the scene of their parents’ murder, a female vocalist repeats the word “hum” over quiet piano and synth. thomas Newman explained that the idea came from Julia Newman. It tapped into the “deep psychological or emotional subtext behind the murders.” He described the motif as conveying “a kind of emotional hunger.”
Thomas Newman said the showrunners’ reaction was like “cold water,” but they found it “enticing.” Julia Newman confirmed that her voice is featured, along with other vocal textures like “haha” and “shhh,” throughout the nine-hour series.The composers, who previously collaborated on “Feud,” aimed for neutrality. “We didn’t want to lend any idea of what we thought was guilt or non-guilt,” Thomas Newman said. Julia Newman added that the characters possessed “great style and great humor, too,” and music played a role in highlighting those aspects.
Julia Newman said that the true-crime genre didn’t necessitate “subdued drones.” She added, “There was a lot of room to play with style and feeling that wasn’t just spooky or sympathetic.” They collaborated with musician friends, incorporating guitars and woodwinds alongside keyboards and synths.
What’s next
Expect more composers to explore the nuanced use of vocal music to deepen storytelling in film and television, moving beyond traditional scores to create immersive and emotionally resonant experiences.