Optimism is Hope: Sofia Creates a Positive Future

Little Twig Records announces the release of HBO’s Prime Minister Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with music by Sofia degli Alessandri (“Red, White, & Royal Blue,” “All Of You,” “Dickinson”), available today.

The digital soundtrack is available at Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital platforms. The documentary from Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentaries, CNN Films and Madison Wells is available to stream now on HBO Max.

Alessandri approached the score for PRIME MINISTER with the intention of capturing the contrasting worlds Jacinda Ardern moved between, the public demands of political leadership and the quiet, often unseen moments of motherhood. To reflect this, she wove together two distinct musical palettes: one rooted in classical instrumentation, with performances by the London Contemporary Orchestra, and another built from ambient textures, analog synths, layered vocals, and the expressive tones of the Guitarviol.

Rather than serving as a backdrop, Sofia’s score becomes an emotional guide through the film, echoing its personal lens and enhancing the nuance of Ardern’s story.

I sat down with Sofia and we discussed everything from her new score, how she sets about composing, on through to what she is listening to, her Drum & Lace venture and, oh yeah, even her thoughts on penguins!

Being that you first watched a rough cut of the documentary before you began to compose the score for Prime Minister, just how far in advance did you watch the rough cut and how many times did you watch it over the period between start and finish of the score? - “Like with most documentaries, the cut was evolving on a weekly basis and what I first got to saw was a small part of the second reel of the film. When working on documentaries, in particular, I like to create some musical suites and themes based on initial conversations with the film makers and if I get to see any footage at all then it’s a big win. Once I got the scene to watch, I think I was essentially writing for the project within a week or two. ”

What were some of the biggest obstacles along the way to bringing your final score to fruition and how did you overcome them? - “It wasn’t necessarily an obstacle as much as something that is somewhat par for the course, but figuring out when the string recording session could happen, given the schedule of the documentary and the ever-evolving nature of the craft, was definitely the biggest challenge. Ultimately, I chose a date that I hoped would work and, for the most part, it was fine. We hadn’t locked picture by that time and I did have some revisions to do on the recorded parts, but it wasn’t anything unmanageable thankfully!”

As for the new score, I understand that it is one you created in which you wanted to showcase the contrasting worlds that Jacinda Ardern moved between re: political leadership and motherhood. So can you please explain just what these two different worlds, with regard their musical rhythms, movements and patterns meant to you within the context of how they came together, both thematically and musically. - “Great question - Jacinda Ardern, like all of us, is a multifaceted individual who just happened to have one side of her life amplified for the public. Most people, when thinking about her, will only think of the political side of her, usually bookended by news snippets and newscaster music. Having access to the personal/home footage of her that we see in the documentary gave me a really great opportunity to compose for her as an individual rather than a leader.”

“Ultimately, the music composed to showcase her political life was sort of what you’d expect - more traditional and featuring orchestral instruments and piano. Rhythmically and melodically it also very much stuck to a more classically inspired sound, once again riffing on what we would expect to hear for a person in a position of political leadership.”

“To contrast that, the music for her personal life was softer and more nuanced, often using more textures and swells than strict meter. I introduced instruments such the SOMA terra tactile synth, a prophet 6, manipulated and reverb-ed vocals and some softer flautando style strings.”

“In the documentary, it felt like we were being given access to something really special, and I thought the music should reflect that vulnerability.”

Indeed, a lot of words and terms have already been used to describe your soundtrack score for Prime Minister, but how would you yourself sum up your sound on this new score ... and in just five (5) words? - “Steadfast, grounded, tenacious, layered, gentle.”

As the documentary was filmed over a handful of years, how far ahead did you actually sign onto the project? - “I signed onto the project once most of the filming in present day was done and they were close to an assembly cut, and this was in September 2024. The film got into Sundance Film Festival 2025 that winter, which meant we needed to finish the film essentially by the end of 2024 so it could premiere in January.”

Being that we’re not called Exclusive Magazine for nothing, is there anything about the score that might, on first blush, not seem obvious to those listening to the score?:

“A lot of the textural and pad-like instruments in the score, that might seem purely played by a synthesizer, are actually organic sounds that have been manipulated. I recorded a lot of my vocals to create pads, or played a lot of GuitarViol (a sort of viola da gamba/cello hybrid) to create new sounds that I used throughout the score. It’s always important for me that each score I compose sound unique, and these techniques allow for this. Also, I hope people appreciate the London Contemporary Orchestra’s (LCO) incredible string performances!”

What are some of the last albums (CD, vinyl, cassette, and scores or otherwise) you physically purchased (vintage and/or new releases) and which one have you already gone back to listen to more and why? - “I tend to buy a lot of music off of Bandcamp, and don’t buy nearly as much physical good as I should. But recently I picked up two vinyl, one from an Italian electro-folk artist called Marta del Grandi (album called ‘Selva’) and one from my dear friends Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer called ‘Different Rooms’, which I’d describe as alternative electronic. I’ve listened to both quite a bit for different reasons, as each has it’s very own specific vibe that I’ll want to be immersed in. On the music download side, I’ve been listening a lot to a Superbad called Almost an Island, made up of a few amazing music friends, and the genre of that is ambient Americana - super cool.”

How does Drum & Lace factor into what you - Sofia degli Alessandri - bring to the composing table each time? - “A couple years ago, I made the conscious decision to separate my artist project Drum & Lace from my scoring persona, mainly because I felt that the sonic world that I was entering as a composer was not quite in line with the artist one. Which is exciting as I have these two voices to be able to take from and tap into. I’d say that my artist project Drum & Lace factors into my composing work in that it allows me a space to innovate and try out different sounds for myself, which I can then incorporate into my scoring world. It’s like it allows me to experiment freely on my own time, rather than taking too big of risks when composing for a film/tv.”

And yes, we ask everyone we interview this very same question (as we are putting together a kid’s book). We here at Exclusive Magazine love Penguins and so we were wondering if you had any love for them and/or had a story of one (soft toy, zoo, chocolate bar, relative, etc.) that you could share with us? - “That’s so sweet! I’ve always had a soft spot for penguins and often spend more time looking at them at an aquarium than all other aquatic creatures combined. I don’t have any interesting penguin story, sadly, but lately I have been reading a book about a penguin called Jonty Gentoo to my daughter and it’s taught me about the different types of penguins. But definitely love all arctic animals!”

And finally, we asked Sofia to kindly provide a never-before-seen photograph of herself. One that perfectly personified their readiness for the world to hear her new musical endeavor. Perhaps even one that encapsulated who she was today. And kindly, this is what she sent.