French composer and musician.
Éric Serra.
We are about to embark on a truly unique experience in a place brimming with creativity and music. We meet the French composer Éric Serra, who has kindly opened the doors to his recording studio on the Île Saint-Germain in Issy-les-Moulineaux, just outside Paris.
In this historic space, where the soundtracks to cult films were created, Serra welcomes us warmly and takes us on a journey into his unique musical world, blending emotion and experimentation.
A world that seems far removed from watchmaking – and yet!
Sitting in his exotic bamboo armchair, Éric speaks about his story in a friendly conversation. Nothing suggested that he was destined to become one of France’s greatest film music composers. From a very young age, music had been a part of his daily life. The son of a musician, he grew up in an artistic world and received his first acoustic guitar when he was just five years old. This was a revelation for a man who tells us: “I’m self-taught. My father was an artist; I watched him play, and I started very young.”
Very quickly, his passion turned into a true vocation. In 1989, he won the Cesar Award for Best Film Music for Le Grand Bleu, a film that would go on to become a worldwide cult classic. This recognition marked a real turning point in his career, confirming his unique talent for creating memorable soundscapes.
A loyal collaborator of director Luc Besson, Éric Serra became his de facto composer and has composed numerous iconic soundtracks.
Éric Serra’s modern and emotional style plays a major part in shaping the identity of the films he works on.
Cover SPACE PROJEKT U.M.O.
Éric tells us that music is not his only passion: space has occupied a significant place in his imagination since childhood. From a young age, he has been fascinated by stars and major space missions. He watched Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 Moon Landing mission at just 10 years old, an event that shaped an entire generation. This fascination with space exploration has never left him.
It still influences his creative work today. His recording studio, X-PLORER!, was inspired by an episode of Star Trek and is designed to look like a futuristic cockpit. “I’ve always thought of my studio as a spaceship. I feel as though I’m in the universe. It makes me dream and inspires me!”
For him, composing is like piloting a ship through a vast sonic universe, constantly exploring new musical horizons.
Inside the studio, our eyes fall upon a collection of small robots and various objects that evoke the science fiction books and films which have fuelled his imagination. “My favourite is the R2-D2 robot.” This passion is ever-present even outside the studio: his boat, moored on a branch of the Seine, is named Soyuz, a deliberate nod to space exploration.
Driven by a keen sense of curiosity, Éric developed a passion for science, particularly mathematics, at a very early age. “I was fortunate enough to excel in mathematics. I received top marks and found it all crystal clear – it was my natural way of thinking. I see a connection between this and all my work; it’s the same instinct. Music has a very mathematical side to it, with frequencies and numbers, and it can be analysed.”
However, it was when he discovered the first computers that he glimpsed a new playground: computer-assisted music.
He describes his career path as follows: “at the end of secondary school, I had to choose my future job from a list… there was not Rock Star! Two of the listed professions interested me: sound engineer and astronaut. That worked out well because I liked the scientific side of things.” Self-taught, he set about exploring these experimental machines at a young age: “A green cursor on a black screen – you had to do everything yourself, write the lines of code. I was in my early twenties.” He discovered the magic of coding on computers like the TI-99. “I loved that toy. It was like magic to me back then. Connecting the synthesiser’s keyboard to the computer, you could even make corrections. I made all the demos for the Subway movie on it.” He then moved on to an Apple II E, marking the first step in his innovative approach to composition, as it was on this machine that he composed and produced his work.
The arrival of the first Macintosh computers marked a turning point. Despite significant technical limitations, such as just eight tracks and a single MIDI channel, the early days of computer-assisted music (CAM) offered unprecedented possibilities. Yet it was on one of these early Macs that Éric composed the soundtrack for Luc Besson’s film Le Grand Bleu, proving that technology could push the boundaries of musical creation. “It was the first time we could do everything ourselves. It was an incredible tool for music production.”
Previously, symphonic composition involved meticulous track-by-track work, where every element was constructed with precision. Technology became an essential tool, opening up new creative horizons and enabling him to explore uncharted sonic realms. “I could never have done symphonic music without a computer. I compose for the orchestra, and it’s my ear that decides.” Whilst mathematical logic might seem naturally linked to music, in terms of frequencies, rhythms and numerical structures, Éric admits that he has never consciously used it. Yet, when speaking to him, it becomes clear that these two worlds subtly converge in his creations, forming an invisible harmony between science and art.
“I’m from the generation that saw Armstrong walk on the moon. It was like something from a science fiction film, and I found it fascinating. I’ve always been passionate about space and science fiction books and films.”
However, Éric’s passion for space wasn’t limited to books and films, or even collecting robots; it also led him to meet people who are actually living the space adventure.
He tells us about his extraordinary meetings, rich in discussion and the sharing of experiences, which have fuelled his creative imagination and vision of exploration. “I met Thomas Pesquet for the first time at an Enfoirés concert. It was a real turning point for me.”
He continues: “In Cologne, at the astronaut training centre, I had the chance to meet Luca Parmitano and Thomas Pesquet. I asked them to approve the twelve tracks I’d produced there. Thomas inspired me greatly. Thanks to his stories, we included the sequence of the Phone Call, capturing the astronaut’s joy when he finds out he has been selected, as well as the track My Dream Is One, which depicts the journey to the rocket.”
Éric has also engaged in numerous discussions with astronauts, including Jean-François Clervoy, and Claudie and Jean-Pierre Haigneré. Through his research, scientific curiosity and personal fascination, he has forged a genuine connection with this world.
A memorable highlight of these experiences was an encounter at Cape Canaveral, the epicentre of the space race, during the Crew 12 launch with Sophie Adenot on last 13 February. There, he met around twenty astronauts. This exceptional experience confirms just how closely music and space are intertwined for him.
Éric (right) and Thomas Pesquet (left).
Éric (right) and Jean-François Clervoy (left).
Jean-Pierre Haigneré (left), Éric (center) and Claudie Haigneré (right).
“Right at the start of the project, we got in touch with ESA. I met the head of communications and was impressed by him and his values. I also shared my passion for space with him to help him understand my vision.”
With SPACE PROJEKT U.M.O., Éric Serra offers much more than just an album: a true sonic odyssey. Working alone in his studio, he gathers and shapes the emotions he has accumulated over the years, fuelled by his encounters, reading, and fascination with space.
Designed as a 12-stage space journey, the album offers his personal interpretation of the emotions an astronaut might experience, from preparation to leaving Earth behind. Each track recounts a specific stage with an immersive musical narrative. Notably, it all begins with Le Coup De Fil (the phone call), inspired by a conversation with Thomas Pesquet which gave rise to the album’s opening song.
More intimate and poignant moments follow, such as the separation from loved ones evoked in My Dream Is On. The album also takes on a more universal dimension with a reference to Carl Sagan’s famous Pale Blue Dot, inspired by images from the Voyager 1 probe. These images remind us of the fragility and beauty of our planet as seen from space.
Éric confides: “This album represents a kind of culmination; it is my masterpiece.” In his quest for perfection, he says that “everything has been finely crafted; not a single note has been left to chance.” It is a work of consummate mastery, in which every detail has been meticulously crafted.
The finishing touch comes with the participation of Manu Katché, the renowned drummer best known for his work with Peter Gabriel. His contribution adds an organic and powerful dimension to this already extraordinary album.
He met astronaut Sophie Adenot as part of a project to create a soundtrack for a documentary about her life. A special bond quickly formed between them.
“When she heard some of the SPACE PROJEKT U.M.O. tracks in my studio, she had an immediate emotional reaction, and we shared a genuine, almost overwhelming connection.” This artistic connection led to numerous exchanges blending music and space experiences.
Following the meeting, Sophie Adenot invited Éric to attend the launch of the Crew 12 mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, which he describes as an exceptional experience. He recounts the unique “glass viewing” experience, where one can observe the crew just before they depart for the launch pad.
The composer was deeply impressed by this experience at Cape Canaveral, particularly due to the sensory power of the launch. “I discovered the most enormous sound: that of the rocket taking off. It is a sound on a cosmic scale – very deep, fascinating and immense.” It was an extraordinary experience, both auditory and visual. He describes a veritable “birth of a sun”, accompanied by a sonic phenomenon comparable to an earthquake, evoking almost physical sensations of “giant chunks of rock”. It is a perception that completely transcends the human scale.
Éric tells us that he wants to go even further and witness a launch from the Artemis programme, which would be even more impressive and extend this extraordinary sensory and emotional exploration.
Éric with Sophie Adenot and the other crew members.
For Éric, knowing that his music accompanies real astronauts on their missions is a unique experience. He simply says, “I know that Sophie Adenot listens to SPACE PROJEKT U.M.O. on the ISS”, which is proof that his work resonates even in space.
However, this connection between his music and spaceflight is nothing new. Astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien told him that crews had listened to the soundtrack for Le Grand Bleu on board the Mir space station during his missions in the early 1990s. This anecdote has been confirmed by Jean-François Clervoy.
More recently still, Clervoy himself was particularly touched by the final track on the album, which evokes “the feeling of returning to Earth”. This is a very powerful emotion experienced intensely by astronauts after their mission.
Over time, one thing has become clear: this album deeply resonates with those who have experienced space. As Éric sums up, “it’s as if I had experienced this journey into space myself.” This is his way of proving that music can cross all boundaries, even those of our planet!
Finally, while Éric speaks of watches without any particular attachment, he realises with interest, through our stories, that the Omega Speedmaster has left its mark on generations of space exploration enthusiasts – and watch collectors. This brings our two worlds together and allows us to share our common passions.
His EP *UMO* was released in mid-January 2026.
A retrospective tour featuring all the highlights of his career will begin in November 2026 (with the first show in Paris on 6 December 2026).
