Meet the Man Behind Sydney’s New Year’s Eve Midnight Moment

Image credit: Declan Blackall

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, Sydney will ring in 2026 powered by a high-voltage 12-minute blast of Acid House, gospel, rave, electro and full orchestral track.

More than 100 musicians, artists and other creatives work on the City of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve 9pm and midnight shows.

Driving the music behind the midnight moment is Jono Ma – co-founder of Sonar Music and one of Australia’s most sought-after sonic architects – whose new composition will launch thousands of fireworks across Sydney Harbour.

From the soaring gospel of Mississippi’s Annie & the Caldwells to Underworld-esque rave energy, Jono’s NYE soundtrack is one of his most ambitious yet.

With an audience of millions, Jono says, “New Year’s Eve is the biggest party on the planet.

“The build-up has to be massive and the drops bombastic to match what’s going on in the sky. It’s surreal knowing the track will go from unheard to millions of ears in seconds.”

The piece hurtles from club-driven pulses to widescreen cinematic textures before erupting into full-blown euphoria, anchored by the powerhouse vocals of Annie and the Caldwells.

“It was pure serendipity that they were in Sydney when I needed a choir,” he says. “They’re incredible.”

Jono returned home to Sydney after living overseas earlier this year and his studio overlooks the Harbour Bridge.

“It’s been my muse – looking at it and picturing that epic moment at the end of the year,” he adds.

It’s also a pivotal milestone for Sonar Music, co-founded by Jono in 2010 with David McCormack (Bluey’s 'Bandit' and Custard frontman), Matteo Zingales, Andrew Lancaster, and Antony Partos.

Home to Australia’s most awarded composers and sound designers, Sonar Music is, literally, the soundtrack to Australian lives.

From Oscar-nominated films to 'I feel like a Tooheys', the studio’s award-winning composers and sound engineers also produce music for TV, including 1st Jan-released Run – about Australia’s most notorious bank robber, Brenden 'Postcard Bandit' Abbott.

Jono, who produced the music with Sonar’s Jackson Milas, adds, “Because it’s an Australian series, we wanted music that evokes the same similar feeling or mood. Lots of dark synth and industrial drum machines – it was a lot of fun.”

Jono also produced the original score for Animal Kingdom, and Sonar is behind Sydney Sweeney’s new film, Christy.

“This NYE project is an exciting creative moment for Sonar Music, showcasing our work on the world stage,” says Sonar’s executive producer, Sophie Haydon.

Sonar Music’s 2025/26 Summer pipeline of composing credits include:

• RUN – Binge/Warner Bros – launches on Binge 1 January (Jono Ma and Jackson Milas) – out 1st Jan
  
• Christy starring Sydney Sweeney and produced by David Michôd (Antony Partos) – out 8th Jan
  
• The Artful Dodger – Season one and two on Disney+ (Antony Partos) – out 10th Feb
  
• Sunny Nights – a Stan Original (Matteo Zingales) – released Boxing Day
  
• Kill Jackie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones (Matteo Zingales) – out 2026 TBC
  
• Kangaroo – StudioCanal’s family comedy and Australia’s 2025 highest-grossing film (Matteo Zingales and Josie Mann)
  

Sonar’s broader catalogue spans 250 TV series, 100 films, 300+ awards, global campaigns for Coca-Cola, Toyota, Qantas and Commonwealth Bank, and over 150 million Spotify streams.