Interview by Lissu Kirves
Picture by Bettina Bergström.
Bettina Bergström, 37, is a music producer and composer building an international career in synchronised music. She makes remixes for Universal Music artists such as Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Norah Jones and Maggie Rogers.
Bergström started studying piano based on learning by ear, the Suzuki method. Later, she discovered that composing film music came naturally for her. Bettina studied music production independently and offered her works for syncing. Through intensive self-studying and networking, she found a route to trailer house rosters after moving to Los Angeles in 2016. Finnish film music composer Lasse Enersen connected her with her current publisher Silo/Ultra Music Publishing with whom she signed a publishing contract in 2020. Bettina lived in the United States for six years and created strong networks within the industry. Her music has been synced to the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, trailers for The New Look (Apple TV+), White Bird: A Wonder Story (Lionsgate) and the LA Lakers Magic Johnson document, the teaser for The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 4 (Hulu), and to a Google commercial. She has composed the music to American film The Shuroo Process. Bettina mentors Finnish music creators who want to make music to film trailers on an international level.
Hello Bettina, how are you?
”Really good! I continue to build my career from Finland and maintain and create new relationships and opportunities. I am on calls with music supervisors in Los Angeles weekly, and I also mentor Finnish creators. I help them to develop, and get their music to international film trailers.”
You applied for a grant to purchase music production equipment to work on an international level. Can you tell us more about that?
”The grant made it possible to update my equipment. It improved the versatility and quality of my listening equipment, which has developed me as a creator and helped me to better support the creators I mentor, too. The standards in this industry are extremely high, you have to deliver high-quality material fast. The grant has helped me greatly in that. I have trained my ears to work with headphones and for that you need a really good setup because work is done on airports, cafés or anywhere; often under immense time pressure.”
The standards in this industry are extremely high, you have to deliver high-quality material fast. The grant has helped me greatly in that.
The logo of the Teosto Cultural Foundation is the whole rest symbol, we use it to symbolise the creative peace we want to offer to creators to make their music. What does the symbol mean to you?
”Well, in creative work, rest, taking a break, is essential – for your own inspiration. Composing trailer music is super intensive and deadlines are very tight. From start to finish, a high-quality world-class work can have a deadline of just two days. That was a huge learning curve to me in the beginning. In trailer music, from a production standpoint, a break is one of the most important elements. It makes the music editor-friendly and easy to cut to the picture.”
When applying for a grant, we encourage applicants to think what the next level for them as music creators would be. What are your professional goals at the moment?
”Right now, I am competing with the best music creators in the world for the big gigs. During my career, on a global level, I have been one of very few women who have composed and produced music to the biggest film trailers in the world. That has always been an advantage and has partly helped me to stand out in a male-dominated field. If you want to make trailer music, it does not actually get bigger than where I am now; this is what I love and want to do. Of course, you can always develop as a creator and get your music synced to more trailers and other types of media.
As for mentoring, I want to see that creators I have helped get their music synced and start succeeding with their own work. That’s the next step that I am looking forward to.”
During my career, on a global level, I have been one of very few women who have composed and produced music to the biggest film trailers in the world. That has always been an advantage and has partly helped me to stand out in a male-dominated field.
What is especially interesting, exciting or challenging, crazy, difficult in your work right now?
“It is exciting and challenging that the industry is constantly changing. It is interesting to see where it’s headed, especially now that AI is adding a new element to it. Will music supervisors start to use AI-generated music – even when the identity of music is super important. I am known for my remixes, and when energetic uplifting music or string arrangements are needed, music supervisors often reach out to me. I do remixes to labels all the time. It is important to have your own style because productions are looking for that signature sound, something unique.
As a trailer music composer, I am at the end of a long chain; it starts with the film production company goes to the trailer house, then to a licensing company or publisher and finally to me. When a request for a specific track comes, you need to give an answer in just a few hours, and the music must be ready in a couple of days. Now that I live in Europe, it has its pros and cons. Messages usually come in the middle of the night and that’s why I rarely go to bed before midnight. But on the other hand, because of the time difference, I can compose when it is night in the US and I can deliver a track early. I work mainly with American companies but now I have had some projects in Finland too.
The world of trailers is really interesting. There are so many different phases and creators involved, all super talented in what they do. Trailer editors, for example, work under huge time pressure and decide what is shown, how it is paced or built around the music so that the trailer is enticing but not too revealing.
For younger creators I want to say that it is not impossible. Just take steps toward what you want to do. Don’t let the fear of failure to stop you.”
For younger creators I want to say that it is not impossible. Just take steps toward what you want to do. Don’t let the fear of failure to stop you.
Follow Bettina’s career on Instagram @bettinabergstrom.