Sony Music releases Thomas Newman's score for He Named me Malala. The film is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old (she turned 18 this July [2015]) was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund...

Thomas Newman's score for He Named me Malala contains 26 tracks (53 min, 11 sec) of intricate, beautiful themes. Being based on the life of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, it will come as no surprise to hear that Newman attempts to evoke, through his music, some of the film's settings and culture.

This, in the wrong hands, could have come off a little cliched, but Newman takes a subtle approach here and the end results speak for themselves. Fans of his work over the years will want to add this score to their collection, and fans of the movie will already know just how beautiful this soundtrack is.

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Darren Rea