John Powell on scoring the “completely absorbing world” of ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

In composing the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story, John Powell brought together an eclectic mix, blending classic elements from the saga’s original music with his own unique accents.

There’s a professional symphony, complete with orchestral callbacks to John Williams’ legendary compositions and even a new piece contributed by Williams himself.

Powell has also brought in a Bulgarian women’s choir and had the brass section play plastic vuvuzelas. For one piece, he composed a cantina-like tune in the style of post-modern funk complete with lyrics that are all about eating a chicken and sung in (what else?) Huttese.

Powell, an Oscar-nominated composer who has scored over 60 films in his career, recently sat down with StarWars.com to talk about tackling the daunting task of creating the sound of Han Solo’s youth, finding the right theme for the Kessel Run creature, and working alongside the father of Star Wars scores.