Influences:
Daniel Luke Ingram (born June 13, 1975) is a Canadian composer and lyricist best known for his work on the Discovery Family series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and its various spin-offs, as well as Littlest Pet Shop (2012).
His style of music usually takes cues from the show tunes made famous by Rodgers and Hammerstein, utilizing various leitmotifs and sweeping orchestral backing, though he's also delved into various modern pop genres as well as Alternative Rock. As of writing, he's won nine Leo Awards and five Daytime Emmy Awards, all but four of which were earned from his work on Friendship is Magic (with one Leo going to About a Girl, two to Martha Speaks, and one to Strawberry Shortcake's Perfect Holiday).
Notable works:
- The Adventures of Chuck & Friends
- Deepa and Anoop
- Littlest Pet Shop (2012)
- Martha Speaks
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Pound Puppies (2010)
- Pucca
- Ricky Sprocket: Showbiz Boy
- Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City
Tropes common in his works:
- Dual-Meaning Chorus: Whenever he's writing a song that features a duet between two contrasting characters, he'll often tweak the key and melody depending on who is singing the chorus. This is most notable in "
This Day Aria
" where the real Cadance's version of the chorus ends on an authentic cadence, whereas her imposter's version ends on a deceptive cadence. - Leitmotif: While the exact melody varies from song to song, usually each character has a common backing track that ties to their personality. This is especially noticeable for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, whose songs are often a variation of their "Hearts Strong as Horses" melody.
- Lonely Piano Piece: This is usually his default whenever a character is feeling exceptionally depressed, such as "I've Got to Find a Way" or the first half of "Pinkie's Lament".
- Piss-Take Rap: If a rap song ever pops up in his work, expect it to be intentionally awful, either as a deliberate throwback to 80s music videos or a parody of modern amateurs.
- The Power of Rock: As proven by the titular My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks, he's a real fan of dipping into rock and Post-Rock whenever characters are competing in a Battle of the Bands.