In a perfectly perfect twist of events, Variety is reporting that viral sensation The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical has won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, making it the first time the Recording Academy has awarded a prize to a project that got its start on TikTok. The project, which re-imagines the first season of Netflix's hit series Bridgerton as a musical filled with ensemble numbers and soulful ballads, was written and composed by duo Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow.
The first-time nominees — also the youngest individuals to ever be nominated in their category — beat out a slew of heavy hitters, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella, as well as Girl from the North Country, Les Misérables: The Staged Concert and Stephen Schwarz's Snapshots.
Both Barlow and Bear have kept their projects origins in their minds. The two acknowledged that it was the support and encouragement of their fans that helped them push through and ultimately put together the 15-track album. Barlow mentioned the following they built during her acceptance speech, saying:
“A year ago when I asked the internet, ‘What if ‘Bridgerton’ was a musical?’ I could not have imagined we would be holding a Grammy in our hands. We want to thank everyone on the internet who has watched us create this album from the ground up, we share this with you.”
Taking a moment to acknowledge the women in the industry who came before them, Bear said in her acceptance speech: “This is really for all of my fellow female producers, composers, engineers that are still struggling to gain recognition and support for what we do. It’s not that we don’t exist, we do.”
The pair began work on the album during lockdown, just as everyone fell headfirst into the swoony, decadent world that is Bridgerton. They used TikTok as a way to make the writing process feel more collaborative by including their followers in the journey, a tactic which paid off as some of the songs have garnered millions of views. As The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical focuses on the events of the first season, perhaps its continued success will inspire the duo to pen a sequel. Goodness knows the second season of Bridgerton is ripe with angsty musical potential.
The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical is available across music streaming platforms. The first two season of Bridgerton are streaming now on Netflix.