History Main / PopStarComposer

* Music/ToddRundgren did the score for ''Film/DumbAndDumber''. The Farrelly Brothers later got Pete Yorn to do the music for ''Film/MeMyselfAndIrene''.

* The Jim Davidson sitcom ''Up the Elephant and Round the Castle'' had a theme song by [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Keith Emerson]]. Davidson was both a friend of Emerson and a huge prog rock fan.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/MaximumOverdrive https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maximum_overdrive_acdc_credit.jpeg]]]]

* Music/ArcadeFire composed the score for ''Film/{{her|2013}}'' and have earned an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for it. They also composed "The Horn of Plenty" (Panem's NationalAnthem) for ''Film/TheHungerGames''.

** Sakamoto composed the soundtrack of ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou: Ziria'', the first multimedia EasternRPG, for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine CD]].
** Sakamoto composed the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast startup sound.
** The highly offbeat UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast game ''L.O.L.: Lack of Love'' was the product of an unusual collaboration between Ryuichi Sakamoto and obscure developer Love-de-Lic.

* Speaking of [[SingerSongwriter Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam]], he supplied the music for ''Film/HaroldAndMaude''. The film included two new songs "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out" and "Don't Be Shy" and alternate versions of "Trouble", "On the Road to Find Out", "I Wish, I Wish", "Miles from Nowhere", "Tea for the Tillerman", "I Think I See the Light", and "Where Do the Children Play?". None of the new material made it onto the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_and_Maude#1972_soundtrack 1972 soundtrack]], which only used previously released recordings.

* Prog Metal band Music/{{Mastodon}} composed the score for the 2010 film ''Film/JonahHex''.

** Music/MassiveAttack producer Neil Davidge co-soundtracked ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' alongside Kazuma Jinnouchi of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' fame.

* Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Music/NineInchNails wrote the score of ''Westernanimation/{{Soul}}'', with jazz musician Jon Batiste also contributing original songs in his genre.

* Similarly enough, anime composer Music/HiroyukiSawano also has his own music project SawanoHiroyuki[nZk].

* Music/YukiKajiura, the maker of many soundtracks for various anime series, is one of the two members of famous Japanese pop duo See-Saw (disbanded), and regularly contributes to Japanese music through the solo project Fiction Junction and the band Music/{{Kalafina}}.
** In case you were wondering, yes, this is why ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and its sequel have insert songs by Fiction Junction, and this is also why ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' has all of its ending themes by Kalafina.
** Also why ''.hack//SIGN'' has an opening theme, "Obsession" by See-Saw.

* {{Music/Supercell}}'s soundtrack was the main attraction of ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'', in much the same way that Music/YukiKajiura was the main attraction of ''Anime/DotHackSign''. Another famous Music/{{Vocaloid}} producer, livetune, was hired to write the [=OPs=] for ''Anime/DevilSurvivor2'' and the second season of ''Literature/{{Oreimo}}''. The latter is actually a double-example, written by livetune and performed by the pop idol duo [=ClariS=].

* Several Creator/CartoonNetwork series, including ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', and ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi'' featured music by Andy Sturmer, former frontman of early-90s power-pop band Jellyfish. Notably, the latter featured an actual cover of Jellyfish's "Joining A Fan Club". Sturmer's an unusual example though - nowadays he's almost as well known as one of Music/PuffyAmiYumi's songwriter/producers as he is for his former band.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animalympics}}'' has songs written and performed by Graham Gouldman of 10cc.

* The Jim Davidson sitcom ''Up the Elephant and Round the Castle'' had a theme song by [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Keith Emerson]]. Davidson was both a friend of Emerson and a huge prog rock fan.

* ''Film/TheProposition'', ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'' and ''Film/TheRoad'' all had soundtracks by Music/NickCave and his bandmate Warren Ellis. (Not that Creator/WarrenEllis.) They also arranged the cover-heavy soundtrack to ''Film/{{Lawless}}'', performing it with a number of guest artists including Mark Lanegan, Emmylou Harris, and Ralph Stanley. Cave also wrote the screenplays to both ''The Proposition'' and ''Lawless''.

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Future Soldier'''s soundtrack was co-produced by the symphonic electronica group Hybrid, alongside franchise regular Tom Salta.

* Trent Reznor of Music/NineInchNails and his collaborator Atticus Ross did the soundtrack for ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' and won an Academy Award for their efforts. They worked together again on the score to the 2011 adaptation of ''Film/TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo'', and also had [[Music/YeahYeahYeahs Karen O]] contribute guest vocals for the CoverVersion of [[Music/LedZeppelin "Immigrant Song"]] featured in the opening credits. Reznor and Ross once again collaborated on the soundtrack to ''Film/GoneGirl''. Interestingly, all three are were directed by Creator/DavidFincher, meaning that Reznor and Ross are now effectively part of Fincher's ProductionPosse.

* Music/DavidByrne, former lead singer of Music/TalkingHeads co-wrote the soundtrack for ''Film/TheLastEmperor'' with Music/RyuichiSakamoto, who was the composer for ''Film/MerryChristmasMrLawrence'' (which he also starred in alongside Music/DavidBowie) and ''Anime/RoyalSpaceForceTheWingsOfHonneamise''. Sakamoto was also once a member of SynthPop {{supergroup}} Music/YellowMagicOrchestra, which means ''The Last Emperor'' has ''two'' pop star composers.

* The highly offbeat UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast game ''L.O.L.: Lack of Love'' was the product of an unusual collaboration between Ryuichi Sakamoto and obscure developer Love-de-Lic.
** Sakamoto also composed the soundtrack of ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou: Ziria'' for [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine CD]] who was the very first multimedia EasternRPG.

* Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, from the bands System 7 and Music/{{Gong}}, composed the music for a few games: the Xbox 360 port of ''VideoGame/{{Centipede}} & VideoGame/{{Millipede}}'' (2007), and the FullMotionVideo game based on ''Film/TheLawnmowerMan'' (1993)[[note]]this one is only by Hillage, according to the credits[[/note]] and its sequel ''Cyberwar'' (1994).

This particular practice has been somewhat all-over-the-place since it first began. Earlier, {{Trope Mak|er}}ing examples sprouted up in TheEighties with examples such as Music/DavidBowie doing the songs for ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' and Music/{{Queen}} doing a lot of the music for movies such as ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'' and ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' (they did ''not'' do all the music for these films, however, as admirers of Howard Blake and Music/MichaelKamen will attest). But animated movies in TheNineties really [[TropeCodifier codified]] this trope, with examples such as Music/EltonJohn doing the songs for ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}.'' In particular, animated movies with this kind of musical casting are prone to {{Award Bait Song}}s and composers/performers who used to be kind of cool once.

* Music/{{Queen}} provided the music for [[Film/FlashGordon1980 FLASH! AH-AAAH--]] ...er, we mean ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}''. [[VerbalTic Sorry about that.]]
** Music/{{Queen}} also were "born to be princes of the universe" with ''Film/{{Highlander}}''.

* The title theme for ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheRobots'' was done by Music/{{Queen}}'s Brian May. He had composed a full soundtrack to the game, but his label asked for delays, which prompted the developers to make their own soundtrack to get the game out on time. May also did the theme for its sequel.

** In case you were wondering, yes, this is why ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and its sequel have insert songs by Fiction Junction, and this is also why ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' has all of its ending themes by Kalafina.

* Ai Maeda is a film actress and singer, and provides the distinctive voice of the main character in ''LightNovel/KinosJourney''. Naturally, she also sings the ending theme song. (Relatedly, the ending theme lyrics were written by the original book's novelist.)

* {{Music/Supercell}}'s soundtrack was the main attraction of ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'', in much the same way that Music/YukiKajiura was the main attraction of ''Anime/DotHackSign''. Another famous Music/{{Vocaloid}} producer, livetune, was hired to write the [=OPs=] for ''Anime/DevilSurvivor2'' and the second season of ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}''. The latter is actually a double-example, written by livetune and performed by the pop idol duo [=ClariS=].

* Azam Ali of VAS and Niyaz performed vocals on and composed the soundtrack to ''VideoGame/SyphonFilterLogansShadow'', as well as contributing to ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' and the track "Pakistan Run" from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII''.

* The score for ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'' was composed by noise/noise-rock band Music/{{HEALTH}}. The techno soundtrack in Club Moderno consists of various artists from the Trouble and Bass record label.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', along with pre-existing songs and Newman's score and "Our Town", also had original songs by Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley.
* will.i.am performed and co-wrote with composer Music/HansZimmer music for ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}: Escape 2 Africa''.
* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' had original songs by Pharrell Williams, who was also credited for the underscore along with Heitor Pereira. Pharrell not only came back for the sequel, but one of the songs from its soundtrack -- "Happy" -- became his biggest hit.