When the Netflix series “Bridgerton” debuted on Dec. 25, 22-year-old singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow and 19-year-old pianist and composer Emily Bear binge-watched the entire show in a matter of days, as did as did millions of other households, making it Netflix’s most-watched original series.
But, within the show — which is set in Regency Era London and follows the elaborate ruse-gone-wrong of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) — Barlow and Bear found a wealth of musical inspiration.
Perhaps it was due to the show’s score by Kris Bowers and soundtrack by the Vitamin String Quartet, featuring classical covers of Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish, or maybe it was the red-hot drama that unfolds during its eight episodes, but Barlow immediately felt that the concept belonged on a Broadway stage.
“There are just so many pieces of dialogue in this show that write songs themselves. It’s just so poetic in the way it’s written,” Barlow tells PvNew. “So as soon as I finished binging it, I just kept picking all of these little moments that are so iconically written in the show and started developing this idea.”
The particular piece of dialogue that started it all was spoken by Lord Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden), who is revealed to be in a secret relationship with Lord Wetherby (Ned Porteous). Unable to be with his true love at a ball, he tells Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson): “You have no idea what it’s like to be in a room with someone you can’t live without, and feel like they’re oceans away from you.”
This motif sparked “Daphne’s Song,” of which Barlow posted a snippet to TikTok on Jan. 10. A simple piano ballad, the song explores Daphne’s emotions when she begins to fall for Simon in the midst of their faux romance. “I can’t even drink champagne/ No, without seeing your face/ Am I the one to blame?/ When we’re dancing in the same room, but you’re an ocean away,” Barlow sings in a breathy mixed voice.
@abigailbarlowww Ignore the terrible ✨queens English✨ #IsThisAvailable #fyp
♬ original sound – Abigail Barlow
Although that first video currently stands at an impressive 1.5 million views, the song that truly sent the concept into viral territory was “Burn for You,” which Barlow posted that same day. Inspired by the steamy scene in episode 5 in which Simon tells Daphne “I burn for you,” the song is a passionate duet with plenty of tension built in.
“If this is what you call a honeymoon/ Pacing round our separate rooms/ Running from our elaborate ruse/ We’re doomed,” Barlow sings as Daphne in the beginning of the song. But the mood shifts in the middle with Simon’s revelation, leading to a beautiful and yearning vocal run on the word “burn.” “Burn for You” has garnered 4.5 million views thus far, along with over 759,000 likes and 14,600 comments.
@abigailbarlowww I’m pitchy but I’m having too much fun writing this ✨ #IsThisAvailable #fyp
♬ original sound – Abigail Barlow
After Barlow had fully processed the insane reaction to her first two videos, she knew she couldn’t do the rest alone. So she recruited Bear, a former child piano prodigy who calls Quincy Jones her mentor and has spent the last 10 years studying orchestration and composition at Juilliard and New York University. Ironically, the two had actually first met working on another musical theater project, but something about this “Bridgerton” idea felt different.
“We both have written with so many different people since and before we moved to L.A., but nothing has quite felt like this,” Bear says.
“It’s special. It feels magical when we create together,” adds Barlow.
The duo says the fact that they have a yin yang quality — and were friends before they were colleagues — has made their collaboration extremely rewarding.
“I know both of us have been in rooms with like, huge songwriters and artists and everything, and there’s something to say about being in the room with someone who is close to your age and you don’t feel like one or the other has, like, a serious leg up,” Bear says.
@emilythebear DEFINITELY NOT @abigailbarlowww acting it out in the back while I play this
