Seattle Kraken team up with Hans Zimmer for hype music
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Seattle Kraken celebrate at Climate Pledge Arena on October 19. Photo: Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images
The Seattle Kraken will have their own original song from Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer this season, a team spokesperson told Axios Thursday.
Why it matters: The Kraken enlisted a Hollywood composer — who scored music for "Inception" and “Gladiator," among other blockbuster films — for their intro and promotional music, which is a rare occurrence in professional sports.
Details: Zimmer created an eight-minute original song for the Kraken, which is used during the three-minute introduction video before the team hits the ice, said Katie Townsend, the chief marketing officer for the Kraken, in an interview with Axios.
- Zimmer's song will be used during game breaks, TV commercials and on the Seattle Monorail when fans travel to the games, she said.
- Townsend said this might be a one-off occurrence. But the eight-minute song may be used over the next couple of seasons for promotional material.
Yes, but: The song isn't available for download anywhere, Townsend said. However, there are promotional videos viewable online.
How we got here: Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is an investor in the Kraken ownership group, pitched the idea to have Zimmer score the music for the team in a meeting with Townsend this past summer.
- Bruckheimer then met with Zimmer to discuss ideas. Zimmer created songs while performing in South Korea and other locations and then sent it over to the team.
- The Kraken, which had already been working on visuals for the upcoming season, held listening sessions to put the music and promo material together.
- "The main thing that I wanted was, let's make sure we use this right," Towsend said.
The big picture: Sports leagues have used themes from composers like John Williams, Ludwig Goransson and Danny Elfman in the past. But, according to Towsend, this is a rarity in the NHL.
What they're saying: "I think often teams will have their own sound, their own soundtrack, but I don't think most sports teams have the budget to go Hollywood," Townsend told Axios. "And so that's where we're incredibly fortunate that this was effectively a gift from Hans to Jerry."
One fun note: Zimmer composed the song "The Kraken" for the blockbuster film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
