Singer-songwriter and composer Randy Newman made a rare appearance on the opening day (Oct. 29) of the 2013 Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference in Los Angeles, where he discussed everything from Kanye West’s potential as a film scorer to his relationship with Pixar to his creative process when writing music for films.

Interviewed by his son, Amos Newman, the head of Music for Visual Media at William Morris Endeavor, Randy Newman also revealed during the hour-long Q&A that he’s working on a new studio album that he hopes will be released sometime in 2014. In addition to his solo recordings, Newman has scored and composed for dozens of films including “Ragtime,” “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Cars.”

In the video above, Newman discusses the process of writing music for new movies, what role Pixar has played in introducing his music to new generations, whether he’s been typecast from heavily working on animation projects and, rather surprisingly, his admiration for Kanye West’s orchestrations during a conversation on the importance of subordinating your ego.