Prateek Rajagopal on Hollywood: ‘A Lot Of It Is Proving Your Loyalty, Finding Good People’

At the core of things, Prateek Rajagopal finds music – and creativity – to be “so malleable.” He might be working as a composer, producer and writer for soundtracks to shows and movies in Hollywood and winning awards for a VR project at SXSW Festival, but the guitarist from Oman/Mumbai-raised, Los Angeles-based is still drawn to the punk subculture. “It’s not helping, because it doesn’t pay but it can be really creatively fulfilling,” he says with a laugh over a video call.

Rajagopal leaned into that during his recent trip to Mumbai, reuniting with his bandmates in death metal act Gutslit. Arriving in India after nearly four years, he played a few songs on stage at their show as part of gig series Scarfest, all building up to the release of their third album Carnal, which was written by Rajagopal. Gutslit’s madcap music video for “The Killing Joke” also features Rajagopal riffing away, alongside bassist Gurdip Singh Narang, drummer Aaron Pinto and vocalist Aditya Barve. “I see myself writing metal music in various other ways,” the guitarist adds.

As it turns out, beyond composing scores and assisting the likes of Joseph Shirley and Ludwig Goransson in Hollywood, Rajagopal has been working with a “celebrity” on a song off their album which has metal elements. “The more you study music, the more you’re obsessed with it, the more you can find things that you like about specific genres,” Rajagopal says. From Aphex Twin to A.R. Rahman, they’ve all found a place in his current playlist.

During his music course at University of Southern California, he connected with Joe Shirley and ended up interviewing to work with composer Ludwig Goransson. Rajagopal didn’t get the gig, but Shirley saw a possibility of working together. It started off in 2021 and soon became a fulltime gig for Rajagopal, who helped Shirley in all composing, recording and production sessions, mostly on the technical front. From The Mandalorian to Creed III, Rajagopal calls Shirley and his ilk as a “boutique group of composers” in their 30s who want to write their own music.

The Mandalorian was Rajagopalan’s second project with Shirley, following their work together on The Book of Boba Fett from 2021. Season three of the Star Wars franchise brings in guest stars like Lizzo, for whom Rajagopal wrote flute parts. “There was a lot more creative work [on The Mandalorian]. Joe was also working on Creed III at the same time and it was a lot of work. Since we’re a small team, he asked if I can write the cues for a scene in the first episode,” he says. Soon, that became two cues and then he was writing music under Shirley’s direction and vision. Rajagopal likens it to a “second master’s degree” working with the composer.

When it came to writing for Lizzo, Rajagopal says they didn’t know she was originally going to be involved in the music. He adds, “We knew she was going to be on screen in episode six. I wrote this piece and one thing led to another. Joe was super stoked about it, and then [series creator and director, writer and producer] Jon Favreau suggested to Joe to get Lizzo to play this piece. She’s an incredible flautist, so I was like, ‘Fuck yeah!’” Rajagopal got in a session with Lizzo to record and produce the piece she played, with very few notes for the “About Damn Time” artist. “We didn’t have to tell her too much. It was a really cool opportunity.”

Rajagopal’s journey in Hollywood so far is indicative of what it takes, in a way, to be on your way in the music and film industry. “A lot of it is definitely proving your loyalty and finding good people,” he says. The likes of Shirley are around not just to work with others, but also support and nurture other composers without being afraid of competition. “I still want to take a lot more in terms of learning […] I’m trying to mimic what I see around me. It’s still unpredictable… the business has a lot of ups and downs,” Rajagopal says.

There’s still plenty to keep him busy now that he’s back in the U.S., including upcoming projects for a Dreamworks animated movie set in the works for two years and another Disney+ film as well. His instrument of choice for all writing remains the guitar. “It’s still my way of understanding and composing,” Rajagopal adds.