Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba

Biography

Lorien Testard is a French composer and guitarist who emerged from the indie game music scene to become the principal composer of the soundtrack for the role‑playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive. Introduced to video games and their music by his father, he began teaching himself composition at age 16 for about three years before attending a formal music school for another three years. Before working in games professionally, he posted his music online—particularly on SoundCloud and indie‑game forums—while earning a living as a guitar teacher. Director Guillaume Broche discovered his work on one of these forums around early 2020, leading to Testard being hired to score Expedition 33, which became his first professional video game project.

Testard’s score for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is stylistically wide‑ranging, blending elements of classical opera, heavy‑metal rock, and richly orchestrated symphonic writing, and heavily employing leitmotifs to represent characters and story themes. Much of the music was written and recorded in his home studio, with additional sessions at Midilive Studios in Paris with the Curieux Orchestre. About a year and a half into development, he invited French vocalist and composer Alice Duport‑Percier—whom he discovered via her YouTube videos—to join as co‑composer and primary vocalist, bringing a prominent lyrical and vocal dimension to the soundtrack. The project eventually involved more than thirty musicians, a nine‑person choir, and featured contributions from vocalist Victor Borba (known for Devil May Cry 5), mezzo‑soprano Axelle Verner, and actor‑singer Ben Starr. Following the soundtrack’s success, a concert tour titled “A Painted Symphony,” featuring live performances by Testard and Duport‑Percier, was announced for October 2025 in Lyon, Paris, and Montpellier, quickly selling out.

Alice Duport‑Percier is a French soprano vocalist and co‑composer who serves as the emotional center of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s many vocal tracks. Initially known for posting vocal performances on YouTube, she came to Testard’s attention through these online videos, leading to their collaboration via email and later in the studio. In Expedition 33, she is both the primary vocalist and a co‑composer responsible for additional voice writing on several tracks, shaping the soundtrack’s distinct vocal identity. Her melodic lines, particularly in themes like “Lumière,” are highlighted by critics as central to the soundtrack’s emotional impact, weaving memorable motifs throughout the game’s narrative.

Victor Borba is a vocalist recognized for his work on video‑game music, notably singing “Bury the Light” on the Devil May Cry 5 soundtrack. Building on this reputation, he joined Testard and Duport‑Percier as one of the featured vocalists on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 score, contributing to several major tracks, including the extended songs “Une vie à peindre,” “Une vie à t’aimer,” and “Une vie à rêver,” which were key, eleven‑minute compositions for a pivotal confrontation in the game’s story. Working closely with Testard and Duport‑Percier, Borba helped realize some of the soundtrack’s most ambitious vocal pieces, reinforcing his status as a prominent voice in contemporary game music.

Fun Facts

• Lorien Testard is largely self‑taught in composition, having spent about three years teaching himself before attending three additional years of formal music school, and he wrote music for indie communities online long before landing his first professional game job.
• Before dedicating himself full‑time to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Testard worked as a guitar teacher, but the COVID‑19 pandemic forced him to stop teaching, which in turn pushed him to focus entirely on composing the game’s score.
• Director Guillaume Broche discovered Testard not through an agent or studio system but by hearing one of his tracks on a web forum for indie games, after which he contacted him based on his SoundCloud uploads.
• The Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack became popular enough that a dedicated concert tour titled “A Painted Symphony,” featuring live performances by Testard and Alice Duport‑Percier in Lyon, Paris, and Montpellier, sold out within 45 minutes of tickets going on sale.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Unspecified French artists (including Alain Bashung) - Lorien Testard cites subconscious inspiration from French artists he grew up listening to, mentioning Alain Bashung among them as part of the musical background that influenced his writing for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. (General influence on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack rather than specific tracks.) [Childhood through the composition period for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (approximately 2020–2025).]

Key Collaborators

• Alice Duport-Percier - French soprano and co‑composer on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; discovered by Testard via her YouTube videos, she became the primary vocalist and contributed additional voice composition, working closely with him throughout the project. (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 original soundtrack, including numerous vocal themes such as the leitmotivic “Lumière” theme.) [Approximately 2021–2025 (about a year and a half into development onward).]
• Victor Borba - Guest vocalist who joined Testard and Duport‑Percier on several tracks for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; already known for his performance on Devil May Cry 5’s “Bury the Light.” (Multiple songs on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST, including the extended pieces “Une vie à peindre,” “Une vie à t’aimer,” and “Une vie à rêver.”) [Composition and recording period for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (early 2020s).]
• Curieux Orchestre - Orchestral ensemble that performed and recorded several cues for the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack at Midilive Studios in Paris, expanding Testard’s largely home‑studio production into full orchestral sessions. (Selected orchestral tracks from the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST (specific cue list not detailed in sources).) [Recording sessions during the game’s development (early–mid 2020s).]
• Ben Starr - Actor who voices Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and also sings on the song “Until Next Life” after being invited by Testard, adding an in‑character vocal performance to the soundtrack. (Song “Until Next Life” on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST.) [Late in the game’s development, around a Christmas gathering during the early–mid 2020s.]
• Axelle Verner - Mezzo‑soprano who appears as a guest vocalist alongside Duport‑Percier and Borba on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack. (Guest vocal appearances on selected tracks of the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST (specific track titles not detailed in sources).) [Recording phase for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (early–mid 2020s).]

Artists Influenced

• [[|]] - No reliable sources were found documenting specific artists or students directly influenced by Lorien Testard, Alice Duport‑Percier, or Victor Borba beyond general audience and critical reception of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia