Sinners: original motion picture Soundtrack AND SCORE

A thrilling, genre-bending original concept set in the Mississippi Delta of 1932, Sinners marks the fifth feature film partnership between Oscar-winning composer and executive producer Ludwig Göransson and writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler, their deeply collaborative and research-intensive creative process giving rise to two distinct and complex musical narratives from the composer. In addition to crafting an Original Score, Göransson produces an Original Soundtrack alongside Coogler and Serena Göransson, featuring songs performed within and inspired by the film, with features from Rod Wave, James Blake, Don Toliver, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Howard, Buddy Guy, Rhiannon Giddens, Cedric Burnside, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and more. 

Having previously collaborated on Coogler’s blockbuster franchises Black Panther and Creed, Göransson describes the experience of scoring Sinners as “the most personal of his career.” Key to Coogler’s overall vision was the notion of exploring the film’s themes through the blues, not only as a musical tradition but as a distinct culture as well, prompting Göransson to begin his creative process with a trip to the Deep South to experience its birthplace firsthand. The attention to authenticity permeates throughout Göransson’s musical involvement, the heart of which is a 1932 Dobro resonator guitar that provides a distinct throughline across both the score and soundtrack albums. 

“I never imagined I’d score a film about a guitar player — it hits close to home,” said Göransson.  “My dad, a guitar teacher at the local school and a die-hard blues fanatic, put a guitar in my hands when I was six. If it were up to him, I’d be named Albert for Albert King, the legendary guitarist.  The score I composed for Sinners is the most personal of my career. It’s a reflection of my own musical journey, told through the voice of the instrument that means the most to me. I perform it on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator — the very same guitar that Preacher Boy Sammie carries throughout the film.

“I grew up with this music in my ear — but as I spent time in the Delta, digging into the roots of the blues and the people who shaped it, I realized I’d only been scratching the surface.  The fingerprints of the blues are present in virtually all popular music that has existed since, and we wanted the music of Sinners to reflect that. Beyond feeling raw and lived-in, we wanted it to be firmly rooted in its true origin story.  We weren’t aiming for nostalgia; we wanted it to feel immediate. Much of the music was written and recorded on set during the shoot, with the cast and crew working alongside us. That process gave the film a sound that’s connected to the past, alive in the moment. This is the music story of Sinners.”

Göransson began scoring in earnest after principal photography and often live on-set, his immersion and interactions with the cast and crew deeply influencing his creative process, which was further aided by Coogler’s casting of actual musicians in roles that featured on-screen performances. One of the main voices performing through the film as prodigy blues guitarist Young Sammie, aka Preacher Boy, is 19-year-old Miles Caton, who Coogler has referred to as “the discovery of a lifetime.” In addition to providing soulful improvisations across three of Göransson’s score instrumentals, Caton features across six original vocal songs on the soundtrack, including “I Lied To You,” a song written by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Raphael Saadiq with Göransson. Written as a tribute to the rich musical and cultural traditions that fed into and were born out of the blues, “I Lied To You” features one of the film’s key performances by Caton. 

“[‘I Lied To You’] is an idea I’ve had since I was 18, and it finally fell into the right hands,” said Saadiq. “I always knew that growing up with Delta blues would eventually satisfy my soul. Its ancestral vibes align perfectly with Michael B. Jordan’s performance, and Ryan Coogler’s vision brings the music to life. Big ups to Ludwig Göransson.”

In addition to songs performed within the film by actors and musicians Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson and blues legend Buddy Guy, the soundtrack album boasts contributions from musicians across genres and generations. Sinners star Hailee Steinfeld makes her return to music after a two-year hiatus on “Dangerous,” an uptempo pop anthem that builds pulsating rhythms from a moment from Göransson’s score, featuring a singing guitar solo by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Interpolating Göransson’s original theme for Steinfeld’s on screen character Mary, the track features lyrics written by Steinfeld and Sarah Aarons, and tells the story of Mary’s deep romantic yearning. Meanwhile, multi-platinum Rap/R&B powerhouse Rod Wave delivers the album’s lead single “Sinners,” written after Coogler had asked him to screen an early cut of the film. They connected immediately afterwards and at dawn the next day, Coogler and Göransson received Rod Wave’s track, quickly rallying to produce a music video directed by the Coogler Brothers (Ryan Coogler, Noah Coogler & Keenan Coogler). ‍

Don Toliver was also inspired to head directly to the recording studio to record “Flames of Fortune,” his vocals effortlessly gliding around the complex meters of Göransson’s banjo with ease.  James Blake features on “Séance,” one of his most inspired vocal performances to date — together, he and Göransson achieved what feels like a never-ending build from a simple slide guitar and arpeggiated accompaniment into a crescendo of strings and synth work. Elsewhere, Brittany Howard contributes her scorching original version of “Pale, Pale Moon,” brought to life in the film by Jayme Lawson, who captures the song’s emotional core and narrative spiral, while Rhiannon Giddens reunites with longtime collaborator Justin Robinson on the banjo and strings barnburner “Old Corn Liquor.” 

The soundtrack album is rounded out by contributions from blues legends like Bobby Rush, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Cedric Burnside, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and vocalist Tierinii Jackson, with whom the composer recorded alongside Grammy-winner Boo Mitchell at the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis. With both his Original Score and Original Soundtrack albums, Göransson has managed to craft a rich musical landscape for Sinners that is authentically rooted in the 1930s blues tradition of the Delta, whilst also showcasing its universality and permanence throughout contemporary art and culture.