Kevin Penkin
{{short description|Australian composer}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Kevin Penkin
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|05|22|df=yes}}
| birth_place = United Kingdom
| origin = Perth, Western Australia
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| occupation = Composer
| years_active = 2011–present
| website = {{URL|http://kpenkmusic.com}}
}}
Kevin Penkin (born 22 May 1992) is a British-born Australian composer, primarily for video games and anime. He is best known for composing the score of the anime Made in Abyss, which won Best Score at the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards, and the score for the Tower of God anime adaptation, which won Best Score at the 5th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.{{cite web|last1=Trumbore|first1=Dave|title=Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners Revealed: Who Took Home the Big Prize?|url=http://collider.com/crunchyroll-anime-awards-winners-2018/|website=Collider|accessdate=10 March 2018|date=26 February 2018}}
Biography
Penkin was born on 22 May 1992 in the United Kingdom,{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522113249/https://twitter.com/kevinpenkin/status/998582948973764610|title=Apparently in some places in the world I'm already 26. That's a laugh.|last=Penkin|first=Kevin|date=21 May 2018|website=Twitter|access-date=22 May 2018}}{{cite interview |last=Penkin |first=Kevin |interviewer=Shimpei Yamashita |interviewer2=Hiromitsu Iijima |title=Kevin Penkin Long Interview |work=Made in Abyss |publisher=Kadokawa Corporation |language=ja}} (republished by Sentai Filmworks) and grew up in Perth, Western Australia.{{cite web|last1=Greening|first1=Chris|title=Kevin Penkin Interview: Writing Soundtracks with Nobuo|url=http://www.vgmonline.net/kevinpenkininterview/|website=VGMO -Video Game Music Online-|accessdate=10 March 2018|date=27 February 2014}} Penkin's interest in video game music started from when he first heard the "Phendrana Drifts" theme from Metroid Prime; in a 2012 interview, he referred to the theme's electronic synths and acoustic instruments as "absolute bliss".
Penkin began his career with composition credits in the 2011 short films Play Lunch and The Adventures of Chipman and Biscuit Boy. In the same year, Penkin composed the soundtrack of the video game Jūzaengi: Engetsu Sangokuden; this soundtrack represented Penkin's first collaboration with Nobuo Uematsu. Penkin has continued to collaborate with Uematsu in titles such as Norn9 and Defender's Quest II: Mists of Ruin.{{cite web|last1=Doucet|first1=Lars|title=Nobuo Uematsu to work on Defender's Quest 2|url=http://www.fortressofdoors.com/nobuo-uematsu-to-work-on-defenders-quest-2/|website=Fortress of Doors|date=2 April 2014|publisher=Doucet, Lars|accessdate=10 March 2018}}
In 2013, Penkin received a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Music Technology at Edith Cowan University's Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In 2015, Penkin graduated from the Royal College of Music with a Master of Composition degree in Composition for Screen.{{cite web|title=Biography|url=http://www.kpenkmusic.com/biography|website=Kevin Penkin|accessdate=10 March 2018}} His studies were supported by a grant from the Tait Memorial Trust as the inaugural Tait Scholar at the Royal College of Music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.taitmemorialtrust.org/2013/11/07/kevin-penkin-inaugural-tait-scholar-at-the-royal-college-of-music/|title=Kevin Penkin, Inaugural Tait Scholar at the Royal College of Music – Tait Memorial Trust|date=7 November 2013}}
In 2016, Penkin collaborated with Kinema Citrus on the Norn9 anime and the Under the Dog original video animation soundtracks. Penkin's relationship with Kinema Citrus continued through to 2017 for the soundtrack of Made in Abyss, winning the 2017 Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Score with it. In 2018, Penkin composed the score for the video game Florence.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wshu.org/post/kevin-penkins-intimate-conversational-soundtrack-florence|title=Kevin Penkin's Intimate, Conversational Soundtrack For 'Florence'|last=Remington|first=Kate|website=www.wshu.org|date=21 June 2018 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}} Penkin composed the music for Kinema Citrus' anime adaptation of The Rising of the Shield Hero and NetEase's VR game Nostos in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/kevinpenkin/status/1032271518976434177?lang=en|title=So, speaking of more to come... honoured to announce I composed the music for my first VR title, @nostosgame Nostos is an VRMMO Sandbox game and the main theme features the incredible singer of Nier Automata, Emi Evans! |last=Penkin|first=Kevin|date=2018-08-22|website=@kevinpenkin|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}} He composed the score for the 2020 anime adaptation of the South Korean webtoon Tower of God.{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-02-28/crunchyroll-reveals-tower-of-god-anime-video-cast-staff/.156958|title=Crunchyroll Reveals Tower of God Anime's Video, Cast, Staff|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}} Penkin was working with artist Takashi Murakami on the sequel to the movie Jellyfish Eyes, but the project was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite tweet|user=kevinpenkin|date=11 July 2020|title=ANNOUNCEMENT: I've been working with artist Takashi Murakami on the music for his movie "Jellyfish Eyes 2". Due to Covid-19 the project has been abandoned. Regardless, we worked extremely hard on the music and I hope one day I can share it. It was an honour to work with Murakami.|number=1281706716220944384|accessdate=14 July 2020}} In 2021, Penkin composed the score for "The Village Bride" episode in the Disney+ animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions.{{Cite tweet |number=1411455374939459585|user=kevinpenkin |title=I'm composing for a Star Wars anime. Specifically, an episode of the new Disney+ series "Star Wars Visions", which is a collection of original animated shorts based in the Star Wars universe. Beyond honoured. Please enjoy "The Village Bride" by Kinema Citrus, this September. |author-link=Kevin Penkin |date=July 3, 2021 |access-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703232433/https://twitter.com/kevinpenkin/status/1411455374939459585 |archive-date=July 3, 2021 |url-status=live |last=Penkin |first=Kevin}}
Penkin lived in the United Kingdom for some time,{{cite web|last1=May|first1=Callum|title=Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2017-10-04/interview-made-in-abyss-composer-kevin-penkin/.122246|website=Anime News Network|accessdate=10 March 2018|date=4 October 2017}} but now lives in Melbourne, Australia.{{Cite web|last=Penkin|first=Kevin|date=2019-06-09|title=Less than 2 weeks until I call Melbourne my home. Pretty keen..|url=https://twitter.com/kevinpenkin/status/1137711535902666754|access-date=2020-07-23|website=Twitter|language=en}}
Works
=Anime=
=Video games=
= Concert works =
References
External links
- [http://www.kpenkmusic.com/ Official website]
- {{anime News Network|people|137322|Kevin Penkin}}
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Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music
Category:Australian film score composers
Category:Australian male film score composers
Category:Australian video game composers