Adina Nelu is a UK film composer whose narrative-driven work focuses on sonic storytelling and music as metaphor.
Her highly tailored approach leads to a unique sonic identity exploring the line between aesthetically pleasing and sonically challenging, inviting the listener to temporarily adjust to a different norm of beauty in music. Her aesthetic ranges across many genres, from orchestral, to experimental sound-design, eerie to ethereal vocals and everything in between.
She has created bespoke music for various brands and clients such as Dove, Johnnie Walker, Checkatrade, Spitfire Audio, BBC Arts, Tibi Clenci, Stil Diamonds, CHANAND, Glamour Romania, GMCA, Alina Ceusan. Her arrangement of Pure Imagination for Dove’s global campaign The Code was nominated for a Music and Sound Award in the Best Re-record in Broadcast Advertising category (2024).
Her music has been synced to promos for FX’s documentary series Social Studies, AMC’s supernatural hit show Mayfair Witches, Sky History’s documentary series Ghost Ships, Wicked The Musical for Telemundo 47, Play4’s Assisen and Borgo for French network Canal+, as well as featured in Bertrand Bonello’s award winning sci-fi drama feature film The Beast (2023), in TV programmes such as BBC Three TV mini series Paranormal: The Girl, the Ghost & the Gravestone and Sky Arts TV Special Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction and in shows like ARTE’s Arte Regards (Italie: L’avortement, ma batallie), Sky’s Forensics: Cathing the Killer, TV2‘s Spillet and Forræder (Danish edition of The Traitors) , M6’s Top Chef, RTL2‘s Love Island VIP, TV3’s Paradise Hotel, Univision’s ¡Siéntese Quien Pueda!, RTL’s Power Couples, Joyn’s Reality Backpackers.
She is an awardee of Sound and Music’s Francis Chagrin Award, HMUK Do it Differently Fund and a BAFTA Connect member. Her latest feature film The Wishing Tree was shortlisted for Romania’s entry for the Academy Awards Best International Film category and in 2023 she was awarded with the Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice grant.
She is currently signed to 515 — a new London-based composer agency focused on women and gender minority composers. Through her work, Adina aims to address the issue of gender representation within the creative industries and amplify female-led stories.
WHAT’S ON
Adina created a bespoke orchestral arrangement of Rossini’s William Tell Overture for the new Checkatrade 2025 advertising campaign A Job Done Right. The arrangement featuring a live orchestra was recorded with Budapest Scoring.
Adina’s track The Things You’ll See can be heard in the season finale promo for FX’s documentary series Social Studies now streaming on Hulu. The Things You’ll See was part of SATV Wall of Noise vocal trailer album Sirens and it’s licensable through SATV.
Adina’s trailer track Done Waiting can be heard in AMC’s Mayfair Witches Season 2 promo campaign. Done Waiting was part of BBC Production Music Campaigns 2024 album Voices and it’s licensable through Universal Production Music. See the promo here.
Adina’s voice-centred trailer tracks Adventure Awaits, Done Waiting and One Last Stand have been published by Universal Production Music part of BBC Production Music Campaigns album Voices.
Adina was nominated for a Music and Sound Award for her arrangement of Pure Imagination for Dove’s global campaign The Code. Listen to the arrangement here.
