Musical Roots
Growing up in a big, blue-collar family in Canada, Ebony Tay developed a passion for music and a diligent work ethic. Years of national track and field competitions gave her the drive to be persistent, especially when the going gets tough.
When a rare infection left her temporarily blind and deaf, Tay gained a newfound awareness and appreciation for sound. To cope and heal, she practiced meditation and biofeedback therapy. Meanwhile, her guitar provided solace, rehabilitating her motor skills and healing her soul.
This life-changing experience sparked her curiosity for the wonders and mysteries of the universe. As a result, her passion for science and the cosmos, enhanced perception of sound, and musical education helped her evolve a unique style.
Her fascination with space inspired EarthTronica, her new LP. This project features real NASA spacecraft sounds and musical impressions of planetary atmospheres. Working with a Space.com writer, Tay transforms scientific data into music both artistically and realistically.
In 2014, Tay completed four years of music theory at The Juilliard School. While there, she studied with world-renowned professors to refine her expertise. Subsequently, her compositions were selected for Lincoln Center and off-Broadway debuts. These included The North Star, an atonal piece composition, which premiered at Juilliard’s celebration of Martin Luther King, and Maasai Queen, a score for piano, violin, and dual percussion which premiered at an off-Broadway dance production.
Film & Television
Tay made history as the first woman of color to score a theatrical feature film. As both composer and producer, she secured distribution forHate Crime(Image Entertainment). The film starred Brian J. Smith (Sense8) and Bruce Davison (X-Men). Moreover, the score benefitted AIDS organizations and won multiple audience awards.
Next, she produced and scoredSedona, featuring Frances Fisher (Titanic), Beth Grant (The Mindy Project), and Lin Shaye (Insidious). The score incorporated sacred tributes from the Apache and Lakota tribes. In fact, an Apache Elder led recordings in ancient 1200 B.C. caves with her Grammy-winning engineers. Ultimately, her score combined these recordings with Juilliard musicians, winning a 2012 Arizona Music Award.
Recently, Tay composed the music and created the sound effects for a nascent web series called The EXpert. The score features members of The Roots Crew (The Tonight Show) and presents unique sound samples and melodies—sometimes played in reverse—to support actress Jennifer Bareilles’ performance.
She is once again combining artistry with entrepreneurialism, producing and scoring Holy New York, a feature film directed by NYFF winner Sonya Goddy. The film, from an all-female producing team, stars Victor Rasuk (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Ione Skye (Say Anything).
Tay also creates online commercials for hip brands from her boutique studio, AWE and actively seeks to build high-quality artistry in post-production. Publications like Vogue, NBC, The Cool Hunter, and Huffington Posthave featured her music.
Follow Ebony Tay on Instagram, Youtube, Soundcloud, and IMDB.
