Listen to an Exclusive Track from the Creed III Soundtrack

March 2, 2023

ComingSoon is pleased to debut an exclusive track from the Creed III – Original Motion Picture Score featuring music by Joseph Shirley. Sony Music will release the album on March 3 to coincide with the film’s release.

“The music for Creed III has been a complete joy to create. Working alongside Michael, as director and star in the movie, gave me an exciting perspective into what he wanted to achieve with this score,” said Shirley of the soundtrack. “First, his overall vision for the story as a complete arc; then, a more granular and specific approach – almost as if I were on the film set with him as an actor. I decided to take a more ‘produced’ approach to the score, combining modern production techniques, brash synths, ambient saxophones, and vocal samples with the Los Angeles studio orchestra and choir, who poured themselves into this music. I wanted to build off of Ludwig Göransson’s fantastic contributions to Creed 1 and 2, by introducing new sonic and thematic material to accompany the emotional depth, tension, edginess, futuristic anime influences, and mostly tap into the heart of this movie, while staying true to the Creed legacy, of which I’m honored to now be a part.”

Check out the track, titled “Checkmate,” below:

“‘Checkmate’ features a new and edgier sound for Adonis Creed,”Shirley said, “while still paying homage to the musical legacy which he so wonderfully carries. It was exciting to play with some new synths and contemporary vocal samples for this first thematic statement in the movie, and play into the stylized imagery of Michael’s vision for this particular boxing sequence. Hope everyone enjoys!!”

The album features score music written by Shirley for the third installment in the successful franchise starring Michael B. Jordan. Having worked alongside composer Ludwig Göransson for the first two Creed films, Shirley now takes the reins as lead composer and expands the original soundscape to encompass the new story. Creed III marks lead star Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut and is out now in theaters and IMAX from MGM Studios.