Milan Records today releases RESPECT (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE) with music by Emmy® Award-winning composer and pianist KRIS BOWERS (Bridgerton, When They See Us, Green Book). Available everywhere now, the album features score music written by Bowers for the music biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as the legendary Aretha Franklin. The score finds Bowers utilizing his background as a classically trained pianist, and the resulting 10-track collection is a beautifully poignant companion to Aretha Franklin’s onscreen journey to stardom. With a star-studded cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige, Marlon Wayans and Tituss Burgess, Respect debuts in theaters Friday, August 13.
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice. Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Hudson (2007, Best Supporting Actress, Dreamgirls) -- handpicked by Franklin -- headlines an all-star cast that includes Oscar®-winner Forest Whitaker (2007, Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland), Mary J. Blige, Marlon Wayans and four-time Emmy®-nominee Tituss Burgess.
Kris Bowers is an Emmy® Award-winning composer and pianist who creates genre-defying music that pays homage to his jazz roots with inflections of alternative and R&B influences. From scoring documentaries like Kobe Bryant’s Muse and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, to scripted series including Shonda Rhimes and Paul William Davies’ For The People, Netflix’s Dear White People, and SHOWTIME’S Black Monday, Bowers’ work as a film and television composer is a testament to his versatility as an artist. In 2018, Bowers had the honor of collaborating with Emmy and Academy Award®-winning director Peter Farrelly and Academy Award®-winning actor Mahershala Ali on their critically acclaimed Green Book, not only scoring the film but also serving as Ali’s on-screen hand-double and piano coach. In early 2018, Bowers scored the critically acclaimed drama, Monsters and Men, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
His work also appears in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix mini-series, When They See Us about the Central Park Five, for which he received a Primetime Emmy® nomination. In 2020, Bowers received another Primetime Emmy® nomination for his work on the FX miniseries Mrs America. Recent releases for Bowers include the film The United States Vs Billie Holiday, starring Andra Day, directed by Lee Daniels, Bad Hair, written and directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People), and the Shondaland series Bridgerton for Netflix, for which he has received a further two Primetime Emmy® nominations, for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series and for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme.
At the 93ed Academy Awards®, Bowers was nominated for his documentary short, ‘A Concerto is A Conversation’, which he produced, co-directed and scored. Executive produced by Ava DuVernay, the documentary premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Most recently, Bowers has scored the biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin, and the comedy sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Upcoming for Bowers includes Season 2 of Bridgerton, and the Warner Bros biopic King Richard, starring Will Smith as the father of Venus and Serena Williams.
Bowers has recorded and performed with artists such as Q-Tip, Aretha Franklin, Ludacris, Christian Rich, Jay-Z, and Kanye West and has contributed to albums by Marcus Miller, José James, Moses Sumney, and Murs. Bowers is an official Steinway Artist and was named one of twelve ‘Artists to Watch’ by iTunes in 2014. In 2020, he was honored with the ‘Distinguished Film Composer Award’ by the Middleburg Film Festival. In 2019, he received the prestigious ‘ROBIE Pioneer Award’ from the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 2019. Bowers currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife.
Jeremy [Six Strings]
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