Bustle Mixtape
From Bridgerton To Moana 2, Barlow & Bear Trust The Process
As they make Disney history, the Grammy-winning duo shares what inspires their work.
In 2020, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s career prospects felt a little bleak. Individually, the musical duo had early success — Bear was mentored by Quincy Jones and achieved acclaim as a young pianist and composer; Barlow had parlayed her viral songwriting prowess into collaborations with Meghan Trainor and other artists. But during the pandemic, things slowed down. “At the time, I was like, ‘F*ck my life,’” Bear recalls of one opportunity that fell through. “That was literally three days before Abigail and I started Bridgerton.”
Inspired by the Regency romance, the pair wrote The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, a series of songs-turned-concept album that went viral in 2021. (You’d be forgiven if you forgot that TikTok earworm “Burn for You” was not, in fact, an original Netflix-sanctioned tune.) Since then, they’ve had an incredible run, winning a Grammy and getting the chance to write the songs for Moana 2, which hits theaters Nov. 27.
The sequel picks up three years after the original and sees the titular voyager called on a mission to Oceania’s uncharted waters. Barlow and Bear teamed up with the composers of Moana, Opetaia Foa‘i and Mark Mancina, helping to achieve a cohesive sound between the films while still exploring something new. For their part, as the youngest composers to write the soundtrack for a Disney animated film — and the first-ever female team, to boot — it was a fitting thematic journey.
For example, when Moana sings “What lies beyond / Under skies I’ve never seen? / Will I losе myself between / My home and what’s unknown?” you feel the perspective of an accomplished young woman who realizes her world is about to get much bigger, whether she’s ready for it or not.
“Any path could be the path forward for you,” says Barlow, noting that she never imagined “in a million years” a career writing musical theater. “The universe has plans for you that supersede what you see for yourself sometimes. It’s important to just trust the process.”
Below, Barlow and Bear break down their music-making routine, musical influences, and love for a 1998 Disney bop.
On The Creative Process They Disagree On
What would surprise people about making music for a Disney movie?
Barlow: It surprised me how many lives a song takes on before it gets locked. Also, they record video of every actor’s mouth as they move and talk because that’s part of the animation process, which was just fascinating.
Bear: The steps involved are pretty insane. I met this girl when I was in Vancouver visiting the animation studio, and she was like, “I’m working on a part of one of your songs, and I’ve been working on this one wave crash for three weeks.”
What does your ideal creative environment look like?
Bear: I have beef with whoever decided that studios need to be a dark little cave. I love a studio with windows and a comfy couch and a nice ambiance, and it’s cozy. Whenever I step into one of those caves, I have no idea what time of day it is. And there’s LED lights everywhere, why?!
Barlow: See, this is where we diverge because I love a good LED light. I love to feel like I’m in outer space.
On that note, how do you handle creative differences of opinion?
Bear: If we pull the “I will die on this hill” card, the other will usually say, “Fine. But if it still bugs me in a week, I’m going to say something about it.”
Barlow: Sometimes it gets changed, and other times we forget it happened.
On Taking The Ton By Storm
You’re no stranger to going viral. Is that something you’re conscious of while writing?
Bear: I’m a big believer in not writing to create a viral moment. After the fact, we’ve been like, “Oh, maybe that could take off. Who knows?” But we can’t predict virality. My For You page is so weird.
Barlow: Same. I don’t know how the algorithm works, and I don’t care to anymore. I learned through the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical experience that I can trust my instincts when it comes to my tastes. If I like it, somebody else is going to like it.
What else did The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical teach you about musical storytelling — and yourselves as creators?
Barlow: It taught me that one of my superpowers is being able to step into a character’s shoes and honor them and their perspective. It also taught me about collaboration and what it means to be a partner.
Bear: I learned so much from that experience. It feels like the beginning of an era of loving musical theater and having it be our everything.
On Their Listening Habits
What’s the first music you remember buying?
Barlow: Probably Taylor Swift, Fearless.
Bear: When I met Quincy, one of the first things he did was mail me Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. That was the first actual CD I remember putting in a CD player and listening to in its entirety.
We’re entering Spotify Wrapped season. What do you expect will top your most-listened-to list this year?
Bear: It’s got to be either Yebba or, randomly, Minnie Riperton. I’m a huge lover of Minnie Riperton — everything that she’s ever made.
Barlow: I was a power-pop girl this year: Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan.
What’s a Disney song that hypes you up to this day?
[Both start singing, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”]
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
