Alumni and Supporters

Certificate IV in Music (2009)

Bachelor of Music (Composition and Music Technology) (2012)

Winner of the 2022 International Alumni Award

Kevin Penkin was never afraid to dream big.

These days, the 30-year-old Dianella native is a BAFTA-nominated Japanese animation and video games composer with an impressive reputation as one of the world’s best. His music has been recorded by orchestras all over the world and streamed by millions, has spawned youtube videos and Spotify playlists, and even inspired a podcast called ‘We love Kevin Penkin’.

But as a young student at Mount Lawley Senior High School, Kevin admits with a laugh that he wasn’t exactly the world’s most promising student. “That’s why it was never an option to not make it in music, because it was the only thing I wasn’t crap at,” he says. “Well, that and cooking steak.”

Picking up a flute at age seven, Kevin initially trained in classical music but, when he played his first video game, he fell in love with the soundtrack. “I became obsessed,” he recalls. “Soon I ditched the flute and was trying to write music on the computer.”

Completing a Certificate in Music at ECU while he was still at secondary school gained Kevin entry into WAAPA, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Composition and Music Technology in 2012.

“Obviously I do anime and video game music now, but I learnt some crazy arts music that turned out to be really handy later in life,” he says. “I often pull on it when trying to apply something a little more interesting or unique to my field.

“I really value being able to keep that hardcore arts education as a back-pocket surprise, stylistically speaking, and apply it to a medium of music making that I love. It’s helped me to develop a valuable balance of ideas.”

While at WAAPA, Kevin would spend his summer holidays over in Japan, where he would enthusiastically present a CD of music he’d worked on during the year to a host of successful managers or composers. “I had a childlike intent that eventually I’d be part of that the videogame or music community over there,” he laughs. “At the time I didn’t really think about whether I was bugging people or not.

“A lot of people tend to get into this industry because they have heroes and inspirations, people they want to be. But it’s important to develop past that imitation and really try and find your personal voice."

“But I believe it’s important to show people your passion. You’re not hustling to sell them a watch, you’re showing them who you are. The younger composers I tend to gravitate toward now are ones with a strong mindset, who have deep passion for what they do and can give a sense of who they are.”

Kevin’s persistence paid off when he crossed paths with legendary game music composer Nobuo Uematsu, the genius behind Final Fantasy. His music made such a strong impression on Nobuo that he was immediately invited to work on his next game, Jyuzaengi Engetsu Sangokuden.

From there, Kevin’s career snowballed at lightning speed – he scored a BAFTA nomination for his music for the game Florence and has racked up an impressive CV, featuring 14 games titles and seven anime features/series. One of his songs, “I Race the Dawn”, has more than seven million downloads.

It’s an extraordinary accomplishment in an extremely niche field, and a great lesson in the pairing of tenacity and talent for the next generation of composers. “I think the best thing students can do is to take the time to find their creative voice,” he offers.

“A lot of people tend to get into this industry because they have heroes and inspirations, people they want to be. But it’s important to develop past that imitation and really try and find your personal voice.

“This takes a bit of time and patience, but you have lots of time ahead. And believe me, waiting and bar work also build character! So trust that you’re on a pretty good path at a pretty good pace and don’t beat yourself up just because something isn’t happening immediately – everyone has a different timing.”

As for what’s next on the cards for this talented muso, Kevin intends to continue with his core passion of anime and video games whilst also branching out into different fields. “I’d like to explore writing music for documentaries,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind learning to fly a plane and getting a bit more sleep as well!”