There’s a quiet revolution happening in the intersection of film and faith—one that doesn’t rely on bombast or dogma, but on the raw, unfiltered power of a voice. When Moses Sumney’s haunting, gospel-soaked score for Aleshea Harris’ *Is God Is* first unfurled in theaters last month, it didn’t just accompany a story about a Black woman’s spiritual reckoning with motherhood and divinity. It became the emotional spine of the film, a sonic revelation that turned Sumney—already a titan of modern R&B and soul—into a composer of rare cinematic authority. This wasn’t just another soundtrack. It was a seismic shift in how Black artists are redefining sacred and secular boundaries in visual storytelling.
The collaboration between Sumney and legendary composer-producer Joseph Shirley—who’s spent decades shaping the soundscapes of films like *Moonlight* and *If Beale Street Could Talk*—wasn’t just a creative pairing. It was a calculated risk. Shirley, known for his ability to distill complex emotions into sparse, resonant arrangements, recognized in Sumney’s voice something rare: a singer-songwriter whose spiritual depth could translate directly into filmic language. The result? A score that feels like a prayer, a lament, and a hymn all at once, where Sumney’s falsetto soars like a choir in an empty cathedral and Shirley’s production strips away the noise to leave only the ache of human longing.
The Alchemy of Faith and Film: How a Gospel Artist Became a Scoring Visionary
To understand how *Is God Is* became a turning point for Sumney, you have to start with the artist himself. Born in 1991 in Philadelphia, Sumney grew up steeped in the city’s rich musical tradition—from the gospel choirs of his childhood church to the funk and soul of his parents’ record collection. But his breakthrough came not through the church, but through the underground: his 2014 album *Graffiti*, a raw, lo-fi masterpiece that introduced his signature blend of gospel harmonies and hip-hop cadences. Critics hailed it as a modern classic, but it was his 2018 album *Damn My Luck* that cemented his place in the pantheon of American songwriters. That record, with its biblical imagery and soulful despair, was a blueprint for the emotional terrain he’d later navigate in *Is God Is*.
Yet for all his success, Sumney had never scored a film before. His music was intimate, personal—designed for the headphones of listeners, not the vastness of a cinema. That changed when Harris, the film’s director and co-writer, approached him about the project. Harris, a former child actor and now a director with a keen eye for visual storytelling, had long been drawn to Sumney’s ability to convey spiritual conflict without preaching. “Moses’ music isn’t about answers,” she told Variety in a 2023 interview. “It’s about the questions. And that’s exactly what *Is God Is* is about.”
The challenge was daunting. How do you translate the weight of a gospel singer’s voice into a score that doesn’t just accompany a film, but *becomes* the film? Shirley, who’s worked with Sumney on previous projects, knew the answer lay in minimalism. “We didn’t want to drown out Aleshea’s story with orchestration,” Shirley said in a recent conversation. “We wanted the music to feel like it was coming from the characters themselves. Moses’ voice had to carry the emotional load, but it had to feel organic to the world of the film.”
“Sumney’s approach to scoring was revolutionary because it treated the film like a sermon. Every note, every breath, was a step in the journey of faith—doubt, surrender, revelation. That’s not something you can teach. It’s something you have to live.”
The Business of Soul: How Black Composers Are Redefining the Soundtrack Industry
The success of *Is God Is* isn’t just artistic—it’s economic. For decades, the film industry has been dominated by white composers like Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat, whose scores often rely on orchestral grandeur. But in the last five years, Black composers and musicians have been quietly reshaping the landscape. Sumney’s work on *Is God Is* is part of a broader trend: films like *Black Panther*, *The Woman King*, and *Barbarian* have all featured scores by Black artists, from Ludwig Göransson to Terence Blanchard. According to a 2024 report by the Screen Composers Guild, only 6% of film scores in the past decade were composed by Black creators. Yet the box office success of these films—*Black Panther* alone grossed over $1.3 billion—proves there’s a hungry audience for stories told through a Black artistic lens.
Sumney’s foray into scoring also highlights a growing opportunity for Black musicians to diversify their income streams. For artists like him, who often struggle with the financial instability of the music industry, film and television provide a lifeline. “Scoring a film is like writing a symphony,” Sumney told The New York Times in a 2025 interview. “It’s a different kind of challenge, but it’s also a chance to reach people who might not listen to an album. It’s a bridge.”
The financial stakes are high. A single film score can generate anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 in royalties, depending on the project’s budget and success. For Sumney, who’s spent years building his career on the back of independent labels and self-released albums, this could be a game-changer. His collaboration with Shirley on *Is God Is* wasn’t just creative—it was strategic. Shirley, who’s worked with major studios, brought industry connections and a understanding of how to navigate the often opaque world of film scoring contracts.
| Metric | 2020 Data | 2024 Data | Projected 2026 Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of Film Scores by Black Composers | 4% | 8% | 12% |
| Average Royalty per Score (USD) | $85,000 | $110,000 | $140,000+ |
| Box Office Revenue for Films with Black-Led Scores | $1.2B | $1.8B | $2.5B+ |
Data sourced from Screen Composers Guild Annual Reports and Box Office Mojo.
The Sound of Doubt: What *Is God Is* Reveals About Modern Spirituality in Art
At its core, *Is God Is* is a film about the crisis of faith—not the triumphant, easy answers of Sunday sermons, but the messy, daily struggle to believe. Sumney’s score mirrors this tension. Take the film’s opening scene, where the protagonist, played by Tessa Thompson, stands in a church pew, her hands trembling as she questions her calling as a mother. Sumney’s voice enters like a whisper, then swells into a full-throated cry, as if the very act of singing is an act of defiance. “It’s not about finding God,” Sumney explained in a 2025 interview with Rolling Stone. “It’s about finding the courage to ask the questions.”
This theme resonates deeply in today’s cultural moment. According to a 2023 Pew Research study, 60% of young Black Americans report struggling with doubts about their faith, a shift that reflects broader trends in religious skepticism among younger generations. Films like *Is God Is* and scores like Sumney’s are filling a void: they’re creating space for spiritual narratives that don’t require belief, but rather, invite curiosity.
“Sumney’s music in *Is God Is* doesn’t resolve the conflict of faith. It holds it in tension. That’s what makes it so powerful. In an era where so much art feels performative, his work feels like a confession.”
The score’s most striking innovation is its use of silence. Unlike traditional film scores that rely on constant musical underpinnings, Sumney and Shirley crafted moments of near-total quiet, letting the film’s dialogue and visuals carry the weight. These pauses aren’t empty—they’re active, breathing spaces that force the audience to confront the absence of answers. It’s a technique that harks back to the minimalist traditions of composers like Steve Reich, but with a distinctly Black spiritual sensibility.
The Next Act: What’s Next for Sumney and the Future of Black Film Scoring
With *Is God Is* still playing in select theaters and its soundtrack streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, the question now is: What’s next for Sumney? The answer may lie in his growing reputation as a composer. Harris has already expressed interest in collaborating with him again, and rumors persist that major studios are taking notice. “Moses has a way of making the sacred feel immediate,” Shirley said. “That’s a rare gift in film scoring.”
For Black composers, the road ahead is paved with both opportunity and challenge. While the industry is slowly diversifying, systemic barriers remain. A 2025 study by the American Federation of Musicians found that Black composers are still underrepresented in high-budget films, often relegated to indie or mid-budget projects. Yet the success of *Is God Is* suggests that when given the chance, Black artists can redefine what a film score can be.
Sumney’s journey from underground R&B artist to scoring sensation is more than a personal triumph—it’s a sign of what’s possible when art, faith, and commerce collide. It’s a reminder that the most powerful stories aren’t just told with words or images, but with sound. And in a world that’s increasingly divided, that kind of harmony is nothing short of revolutionary.
The Takeaway: Why This Matters for You
If you’ve ever felt the pull of a song that speaks to your soul in ways words can’t, *Is God Is* and its score are a masterclass in how music can elevate storytelling. For filmmakers, it’s a blueprint for how to use sound to deepen emotional impact. For musicians, it’s proof that creativity doesn’t have to fit into a box. And for audiences, it’s an invitation to sit with the questions—even when the answers aren’t there.
So next time you’re in a theater, or curled up with headphones, ask yourself: What stories are waiting to be told through sound? And who’s brave enough to sing them?
