Sep 19, 2026
Duncan Sheik’s career did not follow a straight line. After
studying semiotics at Brown University, he emerged in the mid 1990s
as a pop singer songwriter with his hit “Barely Breathing”, and
quickly revealed himself to bend toward more literate adult
oriented rock. He continued to make records and land himself on the
charts but also began exploring composition for film and
theater.
The success of 2006's Spring Awakening, a hit rock musical that
featured Sheik’s score (and which won the Tony for Best Original
Score as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album) planted him
firmly in the world of Broadway. He continued to write for theater,
often collaborating with poet and playwright Steven Sater.
Over more than three decades he explored electronic music, folk
music, and enjoyed covering songs by his favorite writers, many of
whom were influential to him as a boy.
In this interview, recorded in late 2020, he talked about his
career, his songwriting, technology in music, how meditating and
chanting have helped him throughout the years, how becoming a
father influenced his work, his life in Covid and what it means to
release music in strange and trying times, and what exactly
Semiotics is anyway.
Duncan Sheik died on September 17, 2026. This conversation is a
reminder of the breadth of his curiosity and the thoughtfulness
with which he approached both music and life. It offers a rare
glimpse into the mind of a singular artist whose creative journey
was never quite what anyone might have expected.
https://www.third-story.com/listen/duncansheik
www.leosidran.substack.com