Interview – Jolene Khor
Our next interview is here! Join us as we speak to composer, orchestrator, and creator of High Roller's Altheya theme: Jolene Khor.
Jolene shared her introduction to TTRPGs, her musical influences, and some excellent advice for upcoming musicians in the tabletop scene. We also hear about the pioneering TTRPG music scene and get the inside scoop on Jolene's upcoming releases!
1. How did you first discover TTRPGs?
This is a funny story. After graduating from the Royal College of Music, I was trying to look for work. I graduated at a very unfortunate time (post COVID), where there wasn't many opportunities for new graduates. I saw a posting on reddit and went to apply for it but I did not get it in the end. However, someone found me via the posting, and they are from Nomnivores Games, a company based in Canada who makes TTRPGs.
Derek, the founder, said he enjoyed my music and asked if I would like to try composing for TTRPGs, it was different, so he understood if I was not interested. I thought it sounded fun because I never had any experience in TTRPGs until then, and I fell into the rabbit hole of DnD and TTRPG related things. It all started from there! I was really grateful Derek found me on reddit, and I am very indebted to him!
2. What inspires you when creating music?
It really depends, I think my recent soundtracks and songs are related to my home game which helped me create a lot of music! Thinking about the what ifs (such as what if we have some cafe music here in the game), sparks my imagination and I let it run wild! Also the film and video game music that I heard from the games I played inspires me to try different genres of music, or different orchestrations. The possibilities are endless!
3. Do your TTRPG games ever influence your music?
Most definitely! The upcoming album I am releasing will be based on my home game adventures, I play with my lovely and awesome friends, Fael Draws, eve_me_alone, and NerdishCosplay! (do check out their profiles, they are super cool and talented people). Sometimes we have other friends who join in on the fun for a small one-shot, like Mark/Mara Hulmes from High Rollers DnD!
4. We'd love to hear about your process when creating the main theme for Altheya: The Dragon Empire for High Rollers.
This is a fun one. So when High Rollers's Campaign 2 Aerois ended, the team approached me to discuss the next campaign's theme. They wanted to surprise me too so I was given information like dragons, magic, epic, orchestral and HTTYD vibes. I went with those ideas and sent a draft; they really like it. So I just casually popped the question, "what if we record this live?" and the team was like, yeah why not?
Chris Trott and Tom Hazel were so excited about the project, and all 3 of us planned out the recording session with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. I hired my friend, Mina Samy, to mix and master the music. It was an amazing experience because we got to work with a 60-piece orchestra, working with professionals, and had Trott and Tom to watch the whole session with us.
Honestly what made me so happy about it was the reaction from the HighRollers crew and fans, I was ecstatic to hear that everyone enjoyed the music, the reaction video was so much fun to watch and the comments from YouTube are so heartwarming. I'm grateful for the experience and I want to thank High Rollers for that!
5. What advice would you offer any aspiring musicians in the TTRPG scene?
Write music, keep writing and writing. Use the music in your own home game, you will find out what the players need, what the DM wants and how to make a great soundtrack for everyone. Also, be sure to learn about music production, composing and music theory. These skills are super useful to help you in writing a fantastic soundtrack.
6. How can we bring more music to the TTRPG space?
It is something I am trying to figure out, as it has been a niche area. The amazing and talented composers, musicians as well as songwriters who are currently writing bespoke music for the TTRPG space are kinda like the pioneers. As the hobby is now being exposed to a more mainstream audience, there is now a potential for artists of all kinds to join the storytellers in the same way they would in traditional media like films, tv and video games. If there are more demands for it (which I do hope!), composers would no doubt rise to meet it!
7. Where can we look forward to hearing your work next?
I compose live on twitch and release the music on my patreon. But I have something big that I'm releasing soon! It is my DnD album called Tails of Waterdeep, which is the music we used in our home game, Tails of Waterdeep, following the adventures of Frederick, the Wildmagic Sorcerer, Lidia, the cleric of Sune, and Lance the powerful wizard (technically druid but he does not know that). The album art is being drawn by Fael Draws!
Also, I have a single coming out soon which I worked with my friend Kathy Muir and Mirage (Kelli Siren), called MAYBE, a song about the maybes and doubts in life, but we should still try to do our best nonetheless!
Thank you so much to Jolene for taking the time to share her experiences and passions with us. And thank you so much for reading and supporting Women Of TTRPG. Now, go follow Jolene and check out her wonderful music!