Meet Joseph D McQueen | Multi-media Composer and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joseph D McQueen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joseph, why did you pursue a creative career?
From a very early age my life was surrounded with pure creativity. My mother was a west end actress and song writer, my father was a worship leader and entrepreneur, my brother is a filmmaker and actor, my British uncle is a painter and artist, my American uncle is a drama teacher, my grandmother is a watercolour artist and my grandfather is a sculptor. It was no real surprise I would inherit the musical talents of my family and fill the classical pianist and composer role.

I would just like to say that being an artist of any kind is a difficult path to follow. The constant need for a creative mindset, the self-motivation, the grueling stages of criticism, these are all trials we must face as creative thinkers. Yet somehow all of these things fade away in the moments where you look back at what you’ve made and you finally think to yourself, “I love what I do”. The thrill and excitement you gain as a result of creating something from the heart, something you’ve put yourself into, something you love, in that moment everything is perfect.

However this isn’t always how it goes. The perfection we all seek isn’t consistently achievable in what we do. As a composer, the number of times I have written pieces and by the end of the twentieth hour you think to yourself, this is absolute rubbish. That feeling of excitement turns into fears and you self-doubt your abilities. You ask yourself, “Can I still do this?” or “Could I ever do this in the first place?”. My personal favourite, “Was everything simply an accident?”. It can get harder because there are many times where you love something, but the one whom it is for does not. My professor once told me “you will face moments where you need to say a funeral to your magnum opus”. What this really means is sometimes as a composer / artist you have to let go of something you love for the satisfaction of others. For me this is probably the hardest part of being a composer because sometimes I truly love what I’ve made.

Regardless of this inevitable back and forth between loving and struggling with what I do, I wouldn’t change anything. Here’s why: Creativity is a gift. No matter how many times I feel unable to push through something, it is often in those moments where something beautiful prevails. There are so many people blessed with marvellous gifts and whenever I hear / see what others do, especially people I know, I am blown away. I love seeing what people create and it motivates me to work harder because no matter how I feel at the time, I know I can do some pretty cool things too. Something that helped me is if you want to love what you do, you have to love what others do and know that you are equally capable to learn and create something special. I adore storytelling, I adore art, I adore everything that inspires me and my desire to compose for artwork, film and videogames is a direct result of these things. As exhausting as it is, I like to put 100% of myself into everything I do because if there’s anything I want, it is to have a unique voice and to bring genuinely beautiful music to please others. My job as a creative artist is obviously to make music for myself, music that I enjoy, but more importantly it isn’t about me. It is so much more than that. It is about bringing joy and emotion to the audience, to enhance others’ work and creativity, to bring new life and inspiration into what people do and into the world of music. This is why I pursue a creative career, because I know I have been given an opportunity, and when the time comes, something will bear fruit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a British multi-media composer, scoring and composing music for films, TV and video games. I also compose for live performances, mainly piano works (often performed by myself) and I love writing songs. My music can often go from sparse ambient soundscapes to intense cinematic film score but my number one love is to tell stories through my music, either for media, for the listener, or just for me. Despite living in England, I am currently getting my degree in Music for New Media at the Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University, USA.

What I think really sets my music apart from most music today is my artistic /musical voice. As a classical pianist, I took lessons for 15 years but I went against following a fixed system so that I could focus on what I wanted to do.
With my piano teacher I would learn challenging works from composers like Ravel, Debussy and Liszt, seeking specific piano techniques that would help my skills grow. I would learn all my pieces dominantly by ear due to my difficulties with reading sheet music and this naturally developed my personal touch for piano playing. Ultimately this all lead to the development of my own style as I began combining all of my skills, techniques and ideas into something new.
This only developed further the more I learnt how to utilise technology and in time the unique sounds and harmonies I would find led to my own harmonic sound palette.

I decided from a very young age that whatever music I make, I wanted it to sound different, but not so different that you lose your audience. That’s my number one piece of advice for new composers.
If there’s anything I would say to the world, it’s finding your voice. Everyone has one, and more people need to be heard.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am fortunate to live in an area close to so many lovely towns in the south west of England. London is very close as well but despite how lovely it is, a smaller place I would bring friends to is a little town called Henley-On-Thames. This town has lovely cafes, shops, the river Thames flowing through it and it is surrounded by rolling hills, lovely historic pubs and hamlets. Another place would be Windsor. The castle, the old train station and the high street are something worth seeing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is nothing I could have done if it wasn’t for how supportive my family is. They have supported me through everything. My mother’s beautiful music and songs first introduced the idea of composing to me, my father’s unbelievable support and his American roots are the reason why I am in the States today, my grandfather’s kind words are pure encouragement and my brother is just incredible. Everything he does is nothing short of amazing. I am so thankful for my family.

Instagram: jdmcqueenmusic_

Other: https://play.reelcrafter.com/SpBoX6YFRDWABDzr-LhlwA jdmcqueen1374@gmail.com