Morrigan’s Voice: Akon, Beat Poetry, and Dragon Age Casting.

Morrigan’s Voice: Akon, Beat Poetry, and Dragon Age Casting

Dragon Age’s Morrigan, a fan-favorite character, found her voice in a surprising way. Actress Claudia Black submitted a demo featuring a beat poetry rendition of Akon’s “Smack That” (feat. Eminem).

A Beatboxing Twist

David Gaider, Dragon Age’s creator, revealed on Bluesky that initial plans envisioned Morrigan as a teenager and even Middle Eastern. However, these plans changed, and Black’s unique audition tape won him over instantly. Gaider describes his reaction as “losing his goddamn mind”.

He shares a snippet of the lyrics:

I feel you creepin’, I can see it from my shadow / Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo? / Maybe go to my place and just kick it like Tae Bo? / And possibly bend you over? / Look back and watch me

Smack that, all on the floor / Smack that, give me some more / Smack that, ’til you get sore / Smack that, oh

Overcoming Resistance

Initially, there was resistance to Black’s audition. Some felt she sounded “too old” for their vision of a young Morrigan. However, after encouraging Black to use her natural voice, Gaider and the team were thrilled with the results, winning over those who had initial objections.

Dragon Age’s Future

BioWare recently noted the challenges of remastering the Dragon Age trilogy due to the older game engine. Meanwhile, fans can enjoy Dragon Age: The Veilguard, featuring Morrigan.