5 Musicians Who Turned My Favorite Fandoms Into Songs I Can't Stop Listening To

Judith de los Santos, known online as Malukah, is a Mexican Berklee-trained singer-songwriter and composer whose cover of Skyrim's The Dragonborn Comes went viral in November 2011. This launched her career as a well-beloved musician, covering songs from various video games, and taking part in many games' soundtracks.

_{^{The song linked above is “The Dragonborn Comes” from the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}

I don't remember the first time I heard Malukah, but I definitely know I have fallen in love with her singing ever since. She has such an angelic voice, fit for the acoustic epicness that many video games present in their soundtracks. If you want to hear more from Malukah, I recommend you continue with these three tracks:

1. Reignite is an original creation by Malukah based on the Mass Effect games' soundtrack, and is a complete tribute to one of my favorite video game franchises.

2. Priscilla's Song, or The Wolven Storm, is one of the most beloved tavern pieces in the gaming industry, coming from The Witcher III. Malukah's cover is enchanting.

3. Baba Yetu is Civilization IV's theme, which was covered by Malukah and Peter Hollens (another honorable mention), and excited every strategy gamer out there.

Martin Skar Berger is a Norwegian musician who's been making epic metal covers of songs from all across mediums. Video games, movies, and TV series have all been part of his arrangements uploaded to his YouTube account since 2013. And now, he also plays bass/vocals for the metal band Equilibrium.

_{^{The song linked above is “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” from The Witcher TV show}}

Unlike Malukah, I remember exactly when I stumbled upon Skar. He uploaded a few covers of tavern songs from the game Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I'm a huge fan of. And as an avid metalhead, the combination of these two things bought me on the spot. If you're also a geeky metalhead, I'm sure you'll like some more from Skar:

1. Nightingale's Eyes is one of those Dragon Age covers I've mentioned, and it absolutely delivers. It's just as powerful as this epic fantasy game, and the character it's about.

2. The Rains of Castamere made waves when it repeatedly appeared in the Game of Thrones TV series. Skar's cover sounds like true Valyrian metal - sharp and lethal.

3. Misty Mountains from The Hobbit is probably one of the pillars of modern geeky music, covered by so many. And here, covered as pure heaviness with Dan Vasc (another honorable mention), is ruthless awesomeness to my ears.

Josiah Everhart is an Oregon-based singer and guitarist with a special way of bringing video game tracks to life - he writes original lyrics over established melodies, essentially creating songs about the games themselves. His fingerstyle picking gives the original music a personal touch.

_{^{The song linked above is “Corridors of Time” from the game Chrono Trigger}}

Josiah Everhart is one of my favorite acoustic musicians, geeky covers or not. His playing style and calm voice are features to fall in love with. I first listened to him when he released his original-lyrics cover to one of the tracks from the Life is Strange soundtrack, which is an acoustic heaven on its own. Here are three extra pieces by him I really like:

1. Max & Chloe is one of the most recognizable tracks from the Life is Strange soundtrack, and Josiah Everhart improved upon something that I already considered perfection.

2. Home from the game Undertale is already an emotional piece, soft and relaxing, and this cover keeps it just like that and even better.

3. Great Sea is from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, which wasn't one of the most popular games in the series, but Josiah Everhart makes all the lemonade from these lemons, no matter the original game the music was from.

Alina Permina, known online as Alina Gingertail, is a Russian multi-instrumentalist who makes vocal and instrumental covers of songs from video games, anime, and various cartoons. Her cover for Down by the River from Baldur's Gate 3 was actually premiered live during Larian Studio's stream.

_{^{The song linked above is “Down by the River” from the game Baldur's Gate 3}}

I also don't remember which song exactly introduced me to Alina Gingertail, but I listen to her music on a regular basis for literal years. The running joke in all her videos' comment sections is the alternating question: “Alina, what instruments do you play / what languages do you sing in?”, Alina: “Yes.” This should tell you what to expect when listening to her repertoire. I'm attaching below three additional covers by her, and I made a conscious choice not to include any of The Witcher III, because she has a lot.

1. My Mother Told Me is a 9th-century Old Norse poem that was popularised in the TV show Vikings, and covered by many, many, many people. But I like Alina Gingertail's version the best.

2. The Wellerman is a 19th-century New Zealand whaling folk song that became extremely popular when a TikTok cover of it surfaced. Alina's version is definitely worth a listen. Try to count all the instruments used.

3. Brothers is a song from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. Its later version, named Brotherhood, is one of my favorite shows of all time. It was just missing this magnificent song from the earlier anime version. It's also in Russian, Alina's native tongue.

Gavin Dunne, known as Miracle of Sound, is an Irish one-man show who's been writing original songs inspired by games, movies, and TV shows since 2010. As fo today, he performs live with a band also under the name Miracle of Sound.

_{^{The song linked above is “Valhalla Calling” inspired by the game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla}}

Miracle of Sound is an absolute must-follow for every geek with at least a little bit of a musical ear. The songs Gavin Dunne creates span so many genres, and he collaborates with so many talented musicians, that everyone can find themselves in his discography. I've also mentioned him before on a list of metal songs that made me cry, because of course a song about a video game did. Here are some more Miracle of Sound songs to continue your journey:

1. Perfect is a song inspired by Arcane, specifically Jinx. The name echoes what Silco called her when she felt the most broken. It really is perfect. Vocals are by Karliene.

2. Wake the White Wolf is a song inspired by The Witcher III, as if it's not the game repeated on this list the most. What can I say, it has such an awesome soundtrack, and apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that.

3. The Moment is a song inspired by Wonder Woman, specifically the 2017 film. The song has such a driving force to it, I love it. Vocals are also by Karliene.