Thomas Bergersen

Bergersen is self-taught. He began playing piano at the age of 6 and started writing symphonic music in his teens.{{Cite web |title=Biography |url=https://www.thomasbergersen.com/bio/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Thomas Bergersen |language=en-US}}

He started his musical career as a demoscener, writing tracked modules under the name Lioz in the group Index.{{cite web |url=http://ducker.org/~jrodman/kmods/mods/artists/Zauron/Docs/Beneath_The_Blue_Moon.nfo |title=What is index?|access-date=14 January 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130807222917/http://ducker.org/~jrodman/kmods/mods/artists/Zauron/Docs/Beneath_The_Blue_Moon.nfo |archive-date=7 August 2013 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.scenemusic.net/demovibes/artist/665/ |title=LioZ - Nectarine Demoscene Radio |website=Scenemusic.net |access-date=18 July 2017 |archive-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602003723/https://www.scenemusic.net/demovibes/artist/665/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://amp.dascene.net/detail.php?detail=modules&view=4299 |title=Amiga Music Preservation |website=Amp.dascene.net |access-date=18 July 2017}} Bergersen worked with fellow Norwegian artist Boom Jinx on the 2007 trance single "Remember September".{{cite web|title=Boom Jinx feat. Thomas J. Bergersen – Remember September (CDr) at Discogs|url=http://www.discogs.com/Boom-Jinx-feat-Thomas-J-Bergersen-Remember-September/release/2456878|publisher=Discogs.com|access-date=18 July 2017}}

In May 2010, Bergersen and his business partner, Nick Phoenix, released a debut public Epic Music Two Steps From Hell album titled Invincible.{{cite web |url=http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/invincible_booklet.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717120659/http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/invincible_booklet.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2011 }} Several additional commercial album releases followed, including Archangel and SkyWorld.{{cite web|title=Music|url=http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/page3/index.html|publisher=Two Steps from Hell|access-date=18 June 2014|archive-date=26 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126140313/http://www.twostepsfromhell.com/page3/index.html|url-status=dead}} Bergersen also performed in a 2013 live concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.{{Cite magazine |last=Rome |first=Emily |date=2013-06-15 |title=Movie trailer music composers Two Steps From Hell perform live |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/06/15/movie-trailer-music-two-steps-from-hell-concert/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en}} In 2010 Bergersen composed the original music for the movie The Human Experience. The Soundtrack CD was released on 29 March 2011.

Bergersen released a solo-produced soundtrack titled Illusions in 2011.{{cite web |title=Illusions |url=http://www.thomasbergersen.com/album/illusions/ |website=Thomas Bergersen official site |access-date=23 April 2019}}{{Self-published source|date=April 2019}} His second solo album, Sun, was released in September 2014. He has also released several commercial singles since 2011, including "Heart" and "The Hero in Your Heart," which were intended to provide disaster relief in the wake of the Tōhoku earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan, respectively.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In March 2020, the album series Humanity was announced. Humanity is intended to be a seven-part set exploring all aspects of human emotion. On 1 July 2020, Humanity - Chapter I was released. Humanity - Chapter II was released on 11 November 2020, followed by Humanity - Chapter III. Humanity - Chapter IV was published on 2 September 2021, and on 21 April 2023 Humanity - Chapter V was released.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/humanity-chapter-v/1677178747 |title=Thomas Bergersen, "Humanity - Chapter V"|website=Apple Music |access-date=21 April 2023}}

Two Steps From Hell went on their first tour in 2022, performing with a live orchestra and choir at thirteen venues across Europe, and went on to release a live concert album that same year. They performed at the Wacken Open Air music festival in 2023, kicking off a second live tour.

Bergersen was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway. He moved to the US in 2009 to pursue a musical career. Bergersen said he moved from Los Angeles to Miami, and then to Seattle between 2010–2014 in the liner notes of his album Sun. The song "Cassandra" on the same album was inspired by his then-girlfriend. Bergersen considers himself a gamer and he used to play games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Doom, Quake and Hitman: Absolution.

Bergersen stated that he has been influenced by musicians from many genres, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Katy Perry. However, he stated that Gustav Mahler is among his primary influences. He dislikes the concept of music genres, which he thinks limit music to certain structures for the purpose of classification. For this reason he generally avoids following genres and industry conventions and follows his own intuition instead.{{Cite web|last=Wright|first=Chris|date=2016-05-06|title=Meet Thomas Bergersen — Master of Powerful, Epic Music|url=http://gearpatrol.com/tech/audio/a234691/thomas-bergersen-composer-interview/|access-date=2020-07-26|website=Gear Patrol|language=en-US}}

He draws inspiration from his personal emotions and events in romantic relationships,{{Cite web |last=Riley |first=Luke |date=2013-09-02 |title=Interview: Thomas Bergersen, Composer |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interview-thomas-bergersen-composer |access-date=2020-07-26 |website=Starburst |language=en-GB}} and anything "unique and beautiful" in his surroundings.

While Bergersen uses some publicly available sample libraries, most of his sounds are bespoke. He has sampled many orchestras, world instruments, and other sounds himself from all over the world, and those samples are available only to him. He uses Steinberg's Cubase to compose music.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMTcDpfkI7o&feature=youtu.be&t=138 |title=Thomas Bergersen Q&A |date=2020-08-14 |last=Koopadon |access-date=2025-03-25 |via=YouTube}} Besides electronic composing, many of his melodies originally come to life on his Grand piano.{{Cite web |last=Bergersen |first=Thomas |date=2012-04-11 |title=My trusted grand piano has given birth to many melodies |url=https://www.facebook.com/thomasbergersen/photos/472030339507448 |access-date=2025-03-25}}

{{main|Thomas Bergersen discography}}

• Illusions (2011)
• Sun (2014)
• Humanity (2020–)
• Chapter I (2020)
• Chapter II (2020)
• Chapter III (2021)
• Chapter IV (2021)
• Chapter V (2023)

• American Dream (2018)
• Seven (2019)
• A Christmas Carol (2024)

• Invincible (2010)
• Archangel (2011)
• Halloween (2012)
• SkyWorld (2012)
• Classics Volume One (2013)
• Miracles (2014)
• Colin Frake on Fire Mountain (2014)
• Battlecry (2015)
• Classics Volume Two (2015)
• Vanquish (2016)
• Unleashed (2017)
• Dragon (2019)
• Myth (2022)

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|id=1322381|name=Thomas Bergersen}}
• [http://amp.dascene.net/detail.php?detail=modules&view=4299 Modules by Lioz] (Playable with VirtualDub)

{{Two Steps from Hell}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergersen, Thomas}}

Category:Living people

Category:1980 births

Category:Two Steps from Hell

Category:Musicians from Trondheim

Category:Norwegian composers

Category:Norwegian male composers

Category:Demosceners

Category:Chiptune and tracker musicians

Category:Norwegian record producers