The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical

The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical is a concept album by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear based on season 1 of the Netflix series Bridgerton. They developed the songs on the album on TikTok in early 2021 in a series of live sessions, during which they received and incorporated viewer feedback. Released in September 2021, the album charted on Billboard and elsewhere. It later won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and was the first Grammy winner to be developed on TikTok.[2] Barlow and Bear became the youngest nominees and winners ever in their Grammy category.[3]

The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
Studio album by
Barlow & Bear
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2021 (2021-09-10)
Recorded2021[1]
GenreMusical theatre[1]
ProducerEmily Bear

Barlow and Bear promoted the album by appearing at various venues and on television and online to perform songs from album. In July 2022, they organized a live concert performance of the musical at the Kennedy Center with notable guest soloists such as Kelli O'Hara. The same month, Netflix sued the two in U.S. federal court for copyright infringement and to prevent further live performances, but it dropped the suit in September after a reported settlement.

Conception and development

In January 2021, singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow posted a TikTok video in which she asked, "What if Bridgerton was a musical?" and sang a verse of a song that she had written based on a line uttered by a character in the Netflix series Bridgerton.[4] Before posting the video, she sent the song to her writing partner, composer-producer Emily Bear, who arranged the number.[5] The video received wide attention, and so Barlow and Bear teamed up to write more songs inspired by the first season of the TV series. The two livestreamed their songwriting and recording sessions from Los Angeles in early 2021, inviting and incorporating viewer suggestions, and posted demos of the songs on TikTok and other social media.[6][7]

Members of Bridgerton's cast, the author of the Bridgerton series of novels, and Netflix expressed their admiration of the musical numbers, and Netflix did not stand in the way of the release of an album of the songs.[1][8] By September 2021, Barlow and Bear had received more than 200 million views and 48 million likes on TikTok.[9] The two performed several of the songs in New York City at Elsie Fest in August 2021[10] and in London in November, with Bear at the piano and Barlow doing most of the singing, along with several guest artists.[11]

Production and release

Bear orchestrated and produced a concept album consisting of 15 of the songs, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, with Barlow again singing most of the vocals, and Bear singing the rest; they released the album on September 10, 2021.[1][12] It debuted at No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 36 on the Top Album Sales chart, among other Billboard charts.[13]

Post-release

Bear and Barlow performed a song from the album, "Ocean Away", with Darren Criss at the Kennedy Center 50th anniversary concert in September, which aired on PBS on October 1, 2021.[14] The two performed "Burn for You" from the album on Today in April 2022[15] and "Alone Together" on The Kelly Clarkson Show in May.[16]

Grammy Award

The album won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It is the first Grammy awarded to a project that originated on TikTok.[2] Bear and Barlow were the youngest Grammy nominees, and youngest winners, in the musical theater category.[3]

Live concert and lawsuit

In July 2022, Bear and Barlow performed the album live in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Reineke, at the Kennedy Center. Guest soloists were Solea Pfeiffer, Micaela Diamond, Ephraim Sykes, Denée Benton, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jason Gotay and Kelli O'Hara, with direction by Sammi Cannold.[17] A similar concert was planned for September 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra,[18] but it was cancelled following the initiation of the Netflix lawsuit against Barlow and Bear.[19]

In late July 2022, Netflix sued Barlow and Bear in U.S. federal court for copyright infringement and to enjoin further live performances, claiming that the company had objected to live concerts of the album and that Barlow and Bear had refused a licensing deal with Netflix.[8][20] The lawsuit also alleged that live shows competed with Netflix's own live touring "Bridgerton Experience".[21] The company discontinued the case in September 2022 after a reported settlement.[22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear

No.TitleLength
1."Tis the Season"5:19
2."Lady Whistledown"1:19
3."If I Were a Man"2:59
4."Penelope Featherington"2:45
5."The Ruse"3:00
6."Fool for You"0:52
7."Alone Together"2:13
8."Entertain Me"3:33
9."Friend Turned Foe"2:30
10."Burn for You"2:54
11."Worker Bee"0:52
12."Every Inch"2:46
13."Burned Me Instead"1:02
14."Balancing the Scales"2:23
15."Ocean Away"3:15

Charts
Weekly chart performance for
The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[13] 3
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[13] 36
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[13] 26

References
  1. Jacobs, Julia (April 4, 2022). "TikTok to the Grammys: How a Bridgerton Musical Beat Broadway". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. Tangcay, Jazz. "Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Becomes First Grammy-Winning Album to Originate on TikTok", Variety, April 3, 2022
  3. Burack, Emily. "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Wins a Grammy", Town & Country, April 4, 2022
  4. Yeo, Amanda. "TikTok's 'Untitled Bridgerton Musical' just won a Grammy", Mashable.com, April 4, 2022; and DeSantis, Rachel. "Unofficial Bridgerton Soundtrack Beats Andrew Lloyd Webber at Grammys – and It Started on TikTok!", People, April 4, 2022
  5. Hill, Laura Wheatman. "From TikTok Trend to Grammy Nominee: How The Bridgerton Musical Is Changing Theater Culture", Grammy.com, March 24, 2022
  6. Fitzpatrick, Felicia. "Bridgerton is TikTok's Latest Musical – The Writers Share a Track and Discuss Future Plans", Playbill, January 22, 2021
  7. Curran, Niamh. "Bridgerton the Musical: does the fate of the stage lie in the hands of TikTok?", Varsity, April 2, 2021
  8. Schwartz, Deanna (August 4, 2022). "The Netflix v. Unofficial Bridgerton Musical lawsuit, explained". NPR. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  9. Maskell, Emily. "Inside the Making of the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical", Paper, September 14, 2021
  10. Gans, Andrew. "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Concept Album Due in September", Playbill, August 4, 2021
  11. Brown, Abram. "From Bella Poarch to a Bridgerton Musical, Meet Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Social Media", Forbes, December 1, 2021
  12. Brethauer-Hamling, Taylor. "VIDEO: Barlow & Bear Release Music Video for 'Burn for You' from The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Concept Album", BroadwayWorld.com, September 10, 2021
  13. "Heatseekers Albums", "Top Album Sales", "Independent Albums", "Emerging Artists", and "Top Current Album Sales", Billboard, September 25, 2021 (subscription required)
  14. Marsh, Kayla. "All Is Bright Again: Inside The Kennedy Center's Star-Studded 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert", District Fray, September 16, 2021; and Tumilowicz, Danielle. "Rockford’s Emily Bear to perform Bridgerton original at Kennedy Center Concert", WIFR, August 27, 2021; and Hautzinger, Daniel. "The Stars Celebrating the Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary on PBS", WTTW, October 1, 2021
  15. "Emily Bear & Abigail Barlow (Barlow & Bear) Perform on Today Show after Grammy Awards", YouTube, April 15, 2022
  16. "Barlow & Bear Perform 'Alone Together' From Grammy-Winning Bridgerton Musical Album", YouTube, May 18, 2022
  17. "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical: Live in Concert", Kennedy Center, accessed July 27, 2022; and Rabinowitz, Chloe. "Solea Pfeiffer, Ephraim Sykes, Kelli O'Hara & More Join The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert", BroadwayWorld.com, July 7, 2022
  18. "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Live in Concert", Royal Albert Hall, accessed July 11, 2022
  19. Wood, Alex. "Unofficial Bridgerton musical at the Royal Albert Hall cancelled", WhatsOnStage.com, August 10, 2022
  20. Haring, Bruce. "Netflix Sues Bridgerton the Musical Creators for Infringement, Seeks Halt to Live Stagings", Deadline, July 29, 2022, accessed July 30, 2022
  21. Peers, Alexandra. "Netflix sues creators of unofficial Bridgerton musical, CNN, August 18, 2022
  22. Maddaus, Gene. "Netflix Settles Copyright Lawsuit Over Unofficial Bridgerton Musical", Variety, September 23, 2022
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