‘Paradise’ Composer Faced a Last-Minute Disney Pitch

Soundtrack for Hulu’s Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Emerged From Procrastination

The creative process can take unexpected turns, even for seasoned composers. For Siddhartha Khosla, the score for Hulu’s new series, Paradise, materialized only after a direct challenge from its creator, Dan Fogelman, and a looming presentation to Disney executives.

A Delayed Start

Khosla, a former college roommate of Fogelman and composer for shows like This Is Us and Only Murders in the Building, initially put the Paradise script aside. He described this as a typical part of his workflow, a period of incubation before diving into a project. However, the deadline arrived swiftly.

“I saw Dan one time and he was like, ‘Did you read the Paradise script yet?’” Khosla recalled. “And I was like, ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Well, we have a meeting with Disney executives in two days to talk about tone and the vibe. I want you on that call.’ Then he said, ‘You can just play the theme on your piano.’”

Despite not having begun work on the score, Khosla rose to the occasion. After reading the script, inspiration struck immediately.

The “Spielbergian” Theme

The resulting theme, heard within the first two minutes of the pilot as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (played by Sterling K. Brown) runs through what is later revealed to be an underground bunker city, is what Khosla calls their “Spielbergian theme.” He explained that it serves as the emotional core connecting the new world depicted in the series to the lost world of the past.

According to a 2024 report by the Motion Picture Association, streaming subscriptions accounted for over 38% of home entertainment revenue in the United States, highlighting the growing importance of original content on platforms like Hulu. Source: MPA

Looping Sounds and Artistic Freedom

Khosla prioritized a grounded score, downplaying the sci-fi elements in favor of exploring human connection. He drew inspiration from films like E.T., and created a soundscape built around repeating loops. “We wanted to feel like these people were trapped inside this world, sometimes against their own control. So I created the score as a series of loops, just looping and looping and looping, and it doesn’t stop,” he said.

The composer and his team generated many of the sounds themselves, eschewing pre-made digital sounds for live orchestral performances and even vocalizations. “I wasn’t using a keyboard and pushing a button,” Khosla explained. “I was taking pieces of live string and orchestral performances that we were recording. I was singing on the score and holding a note for 30 seconds and just repeating it over and over again, and then adding and creating this universe where I created these organic textures and looping them so we were almost in this infinite loop of something inescapable.”

Breaking the Mold

This project allowed Khosla to challenge expectations and demonstrate his versatility. He acknowledged the tendency to pigeonhole artists, but embraced the opportunity to prove his capabilities beyond his work on This Is Us. “The thing you realize in this business is that it’s very easy to get pigeonholed… I had that challenge when I went to Only Murders in the Building. I had to prove that I could do this other thing that was in me.”

Khosla downplayed any sense of boastfulness, attributing his success to a collaborative and natural creative process with Fogelman. “It’s more that it’s just the way we roll,” he concluded, emphasizing their “beautiful artistic partnership.”

This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.