Carlos Villalobos is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer whose sonic fingerprints can be found across the music, television, and film industries. From his private studio Villa de Lobos, Carlos crafts powerful soundscapes that have shaped some of the most iconic moments in pop culture.
With a genre-defying style and deep musicality, Carlos's work has been featured in hit TV shows such as Empire, Sex & The City, Dexter, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY and Baywatch Hawaii—the latter of which marked his explosive entry into the world of music in television, where he composed the original music and the show's theme song, “Let Me Be The One.” His film credits include Redemption, Signature Move, The Spy Who Knew Me, and Strings, among others.
Carlos is the founder of Alistar Records, an independent label that’s home to his bold creative projects and gives voice to his many creative alter egos—(La) Esperanza, Angry Chiwawah, Sonic Head, Candy Koma—each one a unique vessel for sonic experimentation and soul-stirring innovation. Under these monikers, he pushes artistic boundaries, seamlessly blending genres and reinventing musical identities.
Beyond his solo ventures, collaboration runs deep in his journey. Carlos is a sought-after collaborator, having worked with artists like Filter, Eminem, Michael Jackson, Nikola Bedingfield, Ashley Ballard, the cast of Empire and many others. His career is marked by a legacy of creative innovation—from writing, producing and performing all instruments on O-Shen’s award-winning debut Iron Youth, to remixing for Filter, to co-writing and performing with hard rock band Hurricane on their album Liquifury.
Carlos's unique ability to fuse melody with mood makes him a go-to creative for cinematic storytelling. Whether scoring for screen or sculpting immersive audio experiences, his mission remains constant: to elevate narrative through unforgettable sound. To translate feeling into frequency. To sculpt stories from sound. To remind us that music, at its best, doesn’t just play—it speaks.