Freya Arde

Freya Arde’s not your run-of-the-mill composer—she’s got this knack for weaving together dreamy acoustic instruments with slick electronic touches, and honestly, her music just hits different. She’s racked up some serious cred, too. After nailing her Master’s in film scoring at the University for Film and Television Berlin Babelsberg in 2016 (yeah, not exactly a walk in the park), she didn’t waste time before snagging the German Film Music Award as Best Newcomer for “Nelly’s Adventure.” Not too shabby for a debut. Her track record’s stacked. She’s scored for the Dutch-German youth flick “My Extraordinary Summer With Tess,” which, by the way, is a total heart-warmer, and then took on “The Hidden Life Of Trees,” adapting Peter Wohlleben’s cult-favorite book—no pressure, right? Before all that, Freya sharpened her skills at the Conservatory of Music in Dresden and even did a stint at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris. Paris, Dresden, Berlin—girl gets around. What sets her apart is this wild blend of classical chops and a willingness to experiment. She’s collaborated with heavy-hitter orchestras like the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, but she’s just as comfortable dropping a solo EP—“Spirit Awake” came out in 2020 and it’s honestly a vibe. Freya’s one of those artists who doesn’t just stick to the script; she rewrites it, blending genres and moods into something all her own.