Vik Sharma
{{Short description|English film and television composer}}
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{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
Vik Sharma is an English film and television composer best known for his soundtracks to the TV series An Idiot Abroad, The Moaning of Life, and Hello Ladies. He composed the original score for the film Fighting with My Family,{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/composer-vik-sharma-discusses-fighting-with-my-family-score/|title=Composer Vik Sharma Discusses "Fighting with My Family" Score|first=Dan|last=Moore|date=23 January 2019|website=Tvovermind.com|access-date=9 August 2020}} written and directed by Stephen Merchant.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/22/fighting-with-my-family-review|title=Fighting With My Family Review - IGN|access-date=9 August 2020|website=Ign.com|date=22 February 2019 }} Sharma worked with Blur's guitarist and founder member Graham Coxon along with Jason Cooper of The Cure to create a 'quintessentially British' soundtrack for the film.{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2019/01/exclusive-interview-composer-vik-sharma-discusses-his-score-for-wwe-studios-fighting-with-my-family/|title=Exclusive Interview – Composer Vik Sharma discusses his score for WWE Studios' Fighting with My Family|date=17 January 2019|website=Flickeringmyth.com|access-date=9 August 2020}} In July 2021 he released Listen Without Listening, a binaural ambient album, incorporating sounds of nature.
Career
In 1997, Sharma joined Asian Underground collective Joi,{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Joi-One-And-One-Is-One/release/4710471|title=Joi - One And One Is One|website=Discogs.com|date=12 April 1999 }} contributing electric guitar and bass on their 1999 album, One and One is One,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-one-and-one-is-one-joi-simplify-the-maths-1086019.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220817/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-one-and-one-is-one-joi-simplify-the-maths-1086019.html |archive-date=17 August 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Pop: One and one is one: Joi simplify the maths|website=Independent.co.uk|date=8 April 1999 }} released on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/1061137-Vik-Sharma|title=Vik Sharma|website=Discogs.com}}
From 2010, Sharma composed the soundtrack for three series of the television programme, An Idiot Abroad, which featured Karl Pilkington, Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, and a spin-off series, The Moaning of Life. Both shows engendered a cult following.{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/01/28/idiot.abroad/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129052100/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/01/28/idiot.abroad/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 January 2011|title='Idiot Abroad' unimpressed by world's wonders|first=Danielle |last=Paquette|website=CNN}} 'Constantly hilarious... part travelogue, part social experiment, part practical joke, 'An Idiot Abroad' is easily the best thing you'll ever see on a Saturday night for seven weeks'.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/tv-review-ricky-gervais-idiot-74530|title=TV REVIEW: Ricky Gervais' 'An Idiot Abroad' Is a Constantly Hilarious Practical Joke|website=Hollywoodreporter.com|date=21 January 2011 }}
In 2013 and 2014, Sharma composed the music for Hello Ladies, an American series and feature film created by Stephen Merchant for the network HBO. The soundtrack references the blue-eyed soul of the 1970s and 1980s.{{cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/audiobuffer/sets/hello-ladies|title=Hello Ladies - Music from the HBO series|website=SoundCloud.com}}
Sharma collaborated with Merchant again, as he wrote an original score for Merchant's Fighting with My Family, described as "a movie that puts your heart in a headlock."{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/fighting-with-my-family-review-wwe-paige-movie-will-suplex-your-emotions/|title=WWE comedy Fighting With My Family puts your heart in a headlock|first=Richard|last=Trenholm|website=Cnet.com|access-date=9 August 2020}} The story centres around a real-life family of professional wrestlers,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/01/vik-sharma-talks-to-wrestling-inc-talks-composing-paige-650338/|title=Vik Sharma Talks To Wrestling Inc. About Composing Paige "Fighting With My Family" Biopic|date=28 January 2019|website=Wrestlinginc.com|access-date=9 August 2020}} with Florence Pugh starring as WWE professional wrestler Paige and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as himself.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/01/fighting-with-my-family-review-florence-pugh-the-rock-wrestling-wwe-sundance-1202037063/|title='Fighting With My Family' Review: Florence Pugh Makes Even Non-Fans Care About Wrestling|first1=Kate|last1=Erbland|website=Indiewire.com|date=29 January 2019|access-date=9 August 2020}}
Sharma provided the soundtrack for the International Emmy award-winning comedy Hoff the Record,{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/hasselhoff-show-wins-best-comedy-at-international-emmy-awards-10667293|title=Hasselhoff show wins Best Comedy at International Emmy Awards|website=News.sky.com|access-date=9 August 2020}} starring the actor David Hasselhof as himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/11683335/Hoff-the-Record-episode-one-review-pluck-and-chutzpah-in-spades.html|title=Hoff the Record, episode one, review: 'pluck and chutzpah in spades'|first=Michael|last=Hogan|date=18 June 2015|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}
Sharma has previously composed incidental and title music for Channel 4 documentary series The Undateables,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/jan/26/the-undateables-to-return-for-fifth-run-after-sweary-wedding|title=Channel 4's The Undateables: five series and a wedding|last=Monkey|date=26 January 2015|newspaper=The Guardian}} Mary Queen of Frocks (presented by Mary Portas), The World's... and Me, Bleach, Nip, Tuck : The White Beauty Myth, What's Killing Darcus Howe?, The Family: Teen Stories and a short starring Christopher Eccleston entitled The Happiness Salesman.{{cite web|url=https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/films/2009/uk-shorts-1/full-details|title=Event List - Edinburgh International Film Festival|website=Edfilmfest.org.uk}}
Sharma was a contributor to The Steve Show, Stephen Merchant's Sunday afternoon BBC Radio 6 Music radio show.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/stephen_merchant/|title=BBC - 6 Music - Stephen Merchant|website=Bbc.co.uk}}
The album Listen Without Listening was released in 2021, is an ambient exploration into the perception and representation of space and place- experimenting with the enhancement of listener mood using binaural recordings of sounds of nature.{{non-primary source needed|date=February 2024}}
References
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External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2320164/ Vik Sharma] at the Internet Movie Database
- [https://soundcloud.com/audiobuffer Vik Sharma] on SoundCloud
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Category:English television composers
Category:English film score composers
Category:English male film score composers
Category:English male composers