Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Hardy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I always knew I wanted to do music for a living, and I knew that creating music for film and video games was my dream, but I didn’t think it was an attainable goal when I first began to pursue music. I went to University to study music and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, but the education I received was quite classical and didn’t really equip me for a career in writing and producing music for media in the modern age. Because of this, a lot of the skills that I utilize now on a daily basis were things I had to practice and learn on my own; how to use a DAW and create realistic mock-ups, how to mix a track, how to work and communicate with developers, how to design and implement interactive music into a game… honestly, the learning process never truly ends when you work in this industry.
I will say that my journey of learning has been quite an organic process. I’ve never had a ‘to-do’ list of skills I needed to learn, the learning process just sort of happens as new opportunities arise. In my experience so far, I’ve found it immensely valuable to always be open to trying things. That willingness to learn and experiment has led to me to participate in so many fun and interesting opportunities in my career. It never hurts to add a new tool to your tool belt!
My best advice for someone starting out would be to invest in your curiosity. Dedicate time to practicing, trying, failing, and learning. Get connected with a creative community and ask a lot of questions. I believe this is the best way to fast-track your learning.
Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a Canadian composer and vocalist working primarily in video games. Since my early teens, I’ve been passionate about storytelling through music, and over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to turn that passion into a full-time career.
I got my start in 2019, when I received a career development grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to intern at Sacred Tiger Music, a film music studio in Los Angeles founded by composer Henry Jackman. Although I was studying music at the University of Calgary at the time, participating in this internship was my first real exposure to the specific career path I was interested in pursuing. I made so many excellent connections during my summer in LA and was able to learn from the best in the industry.
Since then, I’ve worked on a variety of projects, from composing music for short films and indie games to supervising and producing music for AAA games. Some recent highlights include co-composing the soundtrack for the upcoming MMORPG BitCraft alongside Austin Wintory and working as a Music Supervisor at Hidden Path Entertainment on an unannounced open-world RPG in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Beyond my professional work, I also enjoy making covers of popular songs from video games, films, and TV shows on YouTube. Over the last ten years or so, my channel has amassed over 77 million views. I love being able to celebrate music from some of my favourite games, films and series, and to be able to share that love of music with my audience is a magical experience.
At the core of everything I do, my goal is simple: to create music that transports people — whether that’s enhancing the worlds of a game, deepening the emotion of a story, or simply giving someone a few minutes of escape through a piece of music.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Be mindful about what content you are consuming, and how you are consuming it. We live in an interesting time; the ways in which content is created and delivered to us are always evolving, and artists are increasingly feeling the effects of this. Certain platforms continue to raise their prices and pay artists less, algorithms are favouring easily-digestible content, and AI music is working its way into our algorithmic playlists. It’s not all doom-and-gloom — this is also an incredibly exciting time to be an artist — but I think we should be mindful of how we can support the art that we love. There are free ways to do this, such as using listening platforms that pay artists properly, or interacting with online content that you like.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I first started on my career journey, I definitely subscribed to the idea of ‘hustle-culture’. II think there’s a common belief, especially in creative fields, that you have to work nonstop to succeed — partly because these careers are so competitive, and partly because it’s true that consistent practice is essential for mastering your craft. That said, it wasn’t until I was diagnosed with a chronic condition that affected my energy levels that I realized growing as an artist is more about how you use your time than how much time you put in. Some of the greatest artists in history only dedicated a couple hours of focus to their craft per day.
I’ve learned that there is creative value in taking time away from my desk. Whether it’s spending time in nature, connecting with others, or experiencing different forms of art, these moments of living and observing the world are where I gather inspiration — and that inevitably shows through my own work. I think of creativity like a muscle: if you spend all day, every day at the gym, you risk injury from overusing your muscles. True physical growth happens during rest and recovery, and I believe the same is true for artists — taking time away from actively working is not time lost, but a necessary part of the creative process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rachelhardymusic.com/
- Instagram: @RachelHardyMusic
- Twitter: @RachelHardy306
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rachelhardymusic
