How the Spellbinding Soundtrack of 'My Royal Nemesis' Was Created: Blending Cinematic Techniques by Composing to the Screen

Music Director Park Sung-il of the globally hit series My Royal Nemesis has revealed the secrets and behind-the-scenes stories of the show's captivating music.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis is a romantic comedy about Shin Seo-ri (played by Lim Ji-yeon), a struggling actress possessed by the soul of a notorious Joseon-era villainess, and Cha Se-gye (played by Heo Nam-jun), a ruthless chaebol heir dubbed a "monster born of capitalism." The series is currently dominating the charts, ranking No. 1 in TV-OTT buzzworthiness and securing the No. 2 spot on Netflix's Global Top 10 Weekly TV (Non-English) list, continuing its unrivaled box office run.

With the show's soundtrack sweeping the top spots on music charts and receiving rave reviews from viewers, Music Director Park Sung-il shared his thoughts, saying, "I've received so many congratulatory messages recently. It finally sank in that we are receiving so much love, and I am incredibly happy."

Explaining the secret behind the OST that elevates every scene into a masterpiece, Director Park said, "Usually, for dramas, we compose the music first after reading the script and then fit it into the edited footage. However, this time, we blended in cinematic techniques by composing while watching the screen for key scenes. For the OST as well, we decided on the placement and role of each track beforehand." He added, "Thankfully, viewers accurately caught the timing and emotional lines I intended. As a creator, that gave me a real sense of thrill."

As a time-transcending romance that moves between past and present lives, he also highlighted how the music differentiates between eras. "For the emotional music of 'Dan-shim,' rather than playing traditional Korean music with Western instruments, we based it on Western music and blended in a minimal number of traditional Korean instruments," Park explained. "For Seo-ri's comedic scenes, we added the kkwaenggwari (small gong) and taepyeongso (double-reed oboe) to bring out the wit." He added, "For Se-gye's theme, we used the harpsichord, a classical Baroque instrument. Instead of limiting the past-life narrative to traditional Korean instruments, we brought in a classical Western instrument to musically connect Se-gye's past and present lives," revealing his meticulous design.

My Royal Nemesis has also been making headlines for its OST lyrics, which deeply resonate with the narratives of Seo-ri and Se-gye. Regarding the lyric-writing process, Director Park explained, "Writing lyrics is a process of looking into the inner thoughts of the characters in the script. That's why our team's lyricists read the script together before the music is even written. Because we analyze the characters beforehand, once I finish composing, we understand better than anyone how the music will be utilized."

He also boasted about the synergy with the production team during the lyric-writing process. "Director Han Tae-seop must have been incredibly busy with the final stages of filming, but he called me personally to give passionate feedback, paying attention to details like, 'The nuance of the words used in the draft was great, so please make sure to bring them back,'" Park shared. "I usually don't back down when it comes to details in my work, but this time, I gladly conceded to Director Han."

With only four episodes left until the finale of My Royal Nemesis, he shared the musical points to watch out for: "Every staff member worked fiercely, agonizing over and filling in every last word and syllable. If you listen closely to the musical details we've planted throughout the latter half of the drama and all the way to the final episode, you'll be able to enjoy the series with even greater depth."

My Royal Nemesis airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM KST.
 
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)