I followed along with Abigail Barlow, the singer, and Emily Bear, the composer, on their journey of writing “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” since Abigail posted her first Tiktok in which she asked, “Okay, but what if Bridgerton was a musical?” After binging and enjoying season 1 of Bridgerton, I was already wishing for the next season. I was not ready to leave behind the glittering world of ball gowns, romance, drama, and scandal that was so perfectly depicted in the show. The songs that Abigail and Emily released on TikTok were a way to stay in that world, and also hear some amazing new songs. I am personally a huge fan of musical theatre, so I was more than happy to follow both of these incredibly talented individuals on TikTok (@abigailbarlowww and @emilythebear) and listen to the new songs as they wrote and composed them.
Abigail and Emily released the songs on TikTok as they wrote them, which allowed people like me who were following along to feel like they were a part of the process. They garnered a strong community of followers on TikTok who encouraged them and anxiously awaited the release of the album. The album contained songs from many characters’ perspectives including: Daphne and Simon, Eloise, Pen, and a few others. My personal favorites are “If I Were a Man,” which is from Eloise’s feminist perspective, and “Ocean Away,” which is from the dual perspectives of Daphne and Simon. The complete album was released in September 2021 and was nominated for a Grammy in November in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.
The album went on to win this past week, and Abigail and Emily gave a phenomenal acceptance speech that I highly recommend watching if you haven’t already (I watched it on Abigail Barlow’s TikTok, and it currently has over 1.1 million views). In the speech, they thank their fans who have been following along on the internet and say that the award is for their fellow female producers and composers. They conclude the speech by telling little girls everywhere to chase their dreams because they just might come true. Watching the speech was incredibly inspiring. It was amazing to watch two young, passionate women win a Grammy in a male-dominated category. It is especially impressive when you consider the unconventional path they took that led to the Grammys. The Grammy win for the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical is the first award from the Recording Academy to go to a project that started out on TikTok. That being said, I would be surprised if it was the last.