Growing up, Kris Bowers felt like he was an outsider trying to fit in.

These days, he is anything but that in Hollywood. The Oscar-nominated composer has scored a wide array of projects in the past five years, ranging from “Green Book” to “When They See Us,” and worked with Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes repeatedly. This year alone, the Daytime Emmy winner’s credits include “Origin” and “The Color Purple” in addition to “Chevalier,” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” and “Haunted Mansion.”

It was during his middle school years — “a troubling time emotionally,” Bowers says — that he discovered how to channel his feelings through music. The L.A. native, who learned to play the piano at age 4 before expanding his training in classical and jazz, found himself gravitating back to the keyboard once puberty hit.