![]() ![]() I had the lyrics taped to one of Darren’s hangers and would be able to talk to him about each take through my headphones. We probably did about 6 different takes of “Build That Wall” in one night - all in different tones, loudness, accents, etc. After a while, however, it felt super comfortable and I think it actually allowed the song to sound more raw and authentic than it would have if we used a traditional sound booth. At first it seemed very strange, staring into Darren’s graphic tees and his pairs of converse while singing Zia’s soulful song. How did the recording sessions work? Were you recording in a studio? All of the recording was done in Darren’s bedroom closet in his Brooklyn apartment. They used a song I wrote about my Dad, called “Little Birdie.” ![]() In terms of commercial jingles – the only thing you can see online is a song that was used in an Avon Breast Cancer Fundraiser Promotion in October 2008. I’m not sure that song actually went anywhere but it was a great experience. Next thing I knew, I was in a recording booth in Brooklyn recording a hook they had me write for a beat they were producing. Or better yet… can you point us to a YouTube link? I met some guys in NYC who were aspiring producers and when I told them I was a singer, they had me sing A cappella on the street. Tell me about some of the rap songs or commercial jingles. From the first chord I heard of the music for the game, I knew it would be something totally unique and something that I wanted to be a part of. but this one seemed like a lot of fun because not only did I get to work with my good friend, Darren but the music was ridiculously good. I’ve done rap song hooks, commercial jingles, etc. Singing has been my passion since I was about six years old. What made you interested in wanting to take on this opportunity? Any opportunity I have been given to sing, I have taken it. My lifelong dream has actually always been to voice a Disney princess character in an animated film – maybe one day we can convince Disney to make a Bastion film and I could voice Zia! ![]() I loved every second of the recording process and would definitely want to continue doing it. I actually did a lot of voice over work when I was younger for English as a Second Language tapes for Japan. Was this your first role in a videogame? Is this something you'd like to continue doing more of? Yes, this was my first video game role. I remember thinking that there was a lot of back story for this game (not to mention the entirely new language they had written!) and I could tell everyone working on it was super passionate about the Bastion story and production. He also told me about Zia, what her song meant to the Ura people and how The Kid finds her. How much did he tell you about Bastion before you signed on? Darren told me the story about the calamity and basically how The Kid wakes up at the beginning of the game on a floating rock with nothing and no one around him. As his brother Dan says: “Anything he touches turns to gold.” I was so flattered when he asked me if I could help him out with the Bastion soundtrack because I have always thought of him as a musical genius. Darren and I had worked together in the past on some side projects and we always kept in touch. How did you get recruited to sing the two main songs in the game? I have been friends with the Audio Director for Supergiant Games, Darren Korb, for years-we knew each other through our old theater company in the Bay Area. Ashley Lynn Barrett is the singer behind "Build That Wall", as well as "Setting Sail", "Coming Home (End Theme)" and she was kind enough to sit down and talk about how she got involved, the recording process and where you can see her sing live next. In fact, one of the main song’s, "Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme)" won Best Song in a Game at the VGAs in December. Besides the fairly flawless combat system, and unique narrative style that actually narrated based on how you played the game, one of the things people loved about the game was the incredible soundtrack. One of the most beloved action role-playing video games last year was Bastion, created by independent developer Supergiant Games and published by Warner Bros.
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