Interview with “Shift Up” composers who worked on Stellar Blade

Last updated on February 4, 2026

I had the opportunity to speak with two of the composers who worked on Stellar Blade for years.. namely “YoungJee Lee” and “Hyunmin Cho”.

Two very talented individuals who brought us an exceptional soundtrack in the EXCLUSIVE Playstation 5 experience (now also on PC).

In this “Q&A” type interview, I asked both of them 10 questions about their experience at the studio and details about other projects that are currently in the works, with direct approval from Shift Up.

Of course, they couldn’t answer all of my questions, so I decided to only ask the questions that had a concrete answer.

       Question 1 –

            What was the hardest obstacle you managed to overcome within Shift Up?

      Answer –

        YoungJee Lee –> The biggest challenge was the process of meeting my own “standard of satisfaction.” I believe every role faces its own hurdles when trying to elevate the quality of their work. As a composer, I vividly remember struggling to create music that perfectly fit the game. Even now, the act of writing music feels like an ongoing obstacle.

Creative work rarely flows effortlessly; it more often involves intense contemplation and constant revisions. In the early stages of development, I lacked experience and had to tackle genres I had never explored before. Balancing my personal style and technical skills while striving for synergy with the game made the process feel even more demanding.

        Hyunmin Cho –> The most difficult obstacle was breaking down my own long-held preconceptions. Before working on Stellar Blade, I firmly believed that game music should strictly play a supporting role, keeping a low profile to avoid overshadowing other elements.

Overcoming this mindset took a significant amount of time. I remember the entire process of listening to countless game scores and pouring endless hours into my work until I was personally satisfied, all in an effort to produce results that surpassed my own perceived limits.

        Question 2 –

            If you had to choose just one song from the entire soundtrack, which one would you choose?

      Answer –

        YoungJee Lee –> If I had to pick the most memorable track, it would be “Don’t Forget Me.” This song was included in a post-launch summer update. It was a style I had never tried before, but I took it on out of a pure passion to challenge myself.

It allowed me to break new ground by introducing a genre that didn’t previously exist in the game. More than anything, seeing the positive reception from players has made me feel a deep personal attachment to it.

        Hyunmin Cho –> If I had to choose just one, I would pick “Beyond Fate.” When I first heard the piano version, I immediately envisioned how the strings should complement it. The inspiration was so vivid that I finished the string arrangement in just two days. In my experience, that kind of creative flow rarely happens unless the underlying piece is truly exceptional.

It carries the central message of the game, which is ‘Beyond Fate’ itself. Since players can only see Enya perform this in a cutscene after completing many side quests, it feels even more special and elusive.

      Question 3 –

        Definitely, Nikke also had an exceptional soundtrack, but personally, the music in Stellar Blade was on a completely different level.. how did you come up with the ideas for choosing the song in a certain part of the game?

      Answer –

        YoungJee Lee –> It varied case by case. I believe I can compose as long as there is an element that sparks my imagination. Sometimes I drew inspiration from key art, while for boss battles, I watched the development of combat sequences and animations to tailor the music accordingly.

Other times, I focused on the scenario, immersing myself in the characters’ emotions and narratives. Looking back, the in-game elements themselves were so exceptional that simply focusing on the game allowed me to create unique melodies and sounds.

        Hyunmin Cho –> When composing for a specific segment, I gather all available information, including key art, concepts, and the synopsis. Through this process, I brainstorm how the music can most effectively serve the narrative or the direction of that scene. I usually start by creating a few samples or applying reference tracks to establish the overall flow.

For example, the music for the Orbital Elevator’s maintenance area was produced relatively late in development. This allowed me to incorporate various narrative clues and leitmotifs from existing tracks, resulting in a musically rich and story-driven piece..

        Question 4 –

          Were there any songs composed that were good, but at some point you canceled them?

      Answer –

        YoungJee Lee –> Most of the songs actually made it into the game. In the beginning, there were many drafts, and as development progressed, many tracks were rearranged or pivoted to fit a new direction. Our Sound Director wanted to incorporate as much of the produced music as possible, so many tracks ended up in the game in various ways, even if differently than originally intended.

A prime example is “Democrawler,” which was initially composed with the final boss in mind. However, the moment I saw the concept art for the Democrawler later in development, I was convinced the visual and the atmosphere of the music were a perfect match, which allowed me to further refine the track’s quality.

        Hyunmin Cho –> One particular song comes to mind. It was created for the final boss battle, and we even went through with the recording. However, there were two candidates for that final encounter, and the other track was ultimately chosen because it was a better fit for the narrative and emotional climax.

While I felt a bit of personal regret, I was satisfied because the selected track suited the scene perfectly. I hope that the unreleased track can find its way to the world through another opportunity someday.

        Question 5 –

          Although we already know that the game is largely inspired by Nier: Automata, did you also have any inspirations when it comes to music?

      Answer –

        YoungJee Lee –> As a huge fan of NieR: Automata, I was deeply moved by its musical world. I drew significant inspiration from its beautiful, ethereal vocal melodies, the soft nuance of its constructed languages, and its emotionally resonant harmonies.

For instance, “Beyond Fate” was inspired by the NieR series, but to give it its own unique charm, I created my own fictional language for the lyrics and performed the vocals myself.

        Hyunmin Cho –> While the NieR series is undoubtedly a masterpiece, I personally drew a lot of inspiration from the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series and Final Fantasy XIII-2. Those soundtracks were composed by Yoko Kanno and Masashi Hamauzu, respectively.

I had listened to their work extensively long before I began working on Stellar Blade. Even if it wasn’t intentional, I believe their music unconsciously influenced my creative process.

As I said, half of the 10 questions had to remain private, the studio is still working non-stop on the other titles like “Project Spirits” and “Stellar Blade: ??? sequel”. We were told that it is not yet the time to discuss those titles, so we will have to be a little patient.

A big thank you to Shift Up and the two composers for taking the time to answer our questions, I wish you all the best!

Dante Alexandru

A true fanatic of the Asian gaming industry, especially China. Passionate about modern gaming, cinema and mythology. Dante always gives us a helping hand when it comes to a Chinese title.