Jonathan Morali (born 22 May 1980) is a French composer, songwriter, singer, founder and frontman of the band Syd Matters. He is also the composer of many films and videogames original scores (e.g., Life Is Strange, Life Is Strange 2).

Biography

Debut and Syd Matters

Jonathan Morali was born in Paris on 22 May 1980. He began his performing career playing at small bars until he was noticed by Third Side Records and signed to a recording contract. His first album, A Whisper and a Sigh, which was recorded during the summer of 2002 and released 28 June 2004. Developing an atmospheric folk-pop style that featured acoustic settings combined with electronica-influenced touches that sounded a bit like a hybrid between Nick Drake and Radiohead. Since Syd Matters’ debut, their experimental genre has been continuously reviewed by critics. Their second album, "Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles", brought the band mainstream attention with a review in the 32nd issue of Music Week. The unique sound they produce has been said to draw inspiration from genres such as prog rock, dub music, and Traditional pop, while also resembling that of singer-songwriter artists but at its core is often considered a mix between folk and electronic genres. In their reviews, they have also been compared to other artists such as Fleet Foxes, Fionn Regan, Grandaddy, The Flaming Lips, and Nick Drake.

Songs featured in media

His songs "To All of You" ("American Girls") and "Hello Sunshine", a Super Furry Animals cover, were featured in the television series The O.C. in season 3's The Party Favor and season 4's The Metamorphosis, respectively. Additionally, "Obstacles" and "To All of You" were featured in Dontnod Entertainment's 2015 video game Life Is Strange. Featured Syd Matters songs :

Film score

In addition to his career with Syd Matters, Morali is a film composer. His most notable works are the soundtracks for Möbius, Les Adoptés (The Adopted), and La Question humaine, the latter of which was composed under the name Syd Matters. Morali also collaborated with director Rémi Chayé to create the score for the animated film Long Way North (2015), where he included two tracks by Syd Matters in the soundtrack.

Video games and Life Is Strange

Morali is also well-known for the creation of Life Is Strange and Life Is Strange 2 original scores. A gamer himself, he had been contacted by directors Raoul Barbet and Michel Koch to work on the first season of Life Is Strange at the very beginning of the development of the game. Director Raoul Barbet wanted to have some songs from his band in the game, and Morali agreed to compose the whole soundtrack in addition to allowing the use of "To All of You" and "Obstacles". The soundtrack of Life Is Strange has won numerous awards including: Best Soundtrack at the 2015 PlayStation Universe awards, best soundtrack at the Game Informer Best of 2015 awards and best soundtrack at the Titanium Awards. Morali also composed the Life Is Strange 2 original score.

Other projects

Jonathan has also composed music for plays, radio plays, opera and museums:

Video games

Film

As Jonathan Morali

As Syd Matters

Albums (Syd Matters)

Studio albums

Singles/EPs

Compilations

Awards