MUSING #29 - Instagram musical

MUSE: Watching Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear write the Bridgerton Musical over Instagram. 

MUSING: It is an amazing time to be alive as a creative, or someone who appreciates the creative process. For so long creatives have had to sit behind closed doors to work on their scripts, songs, paintings, and what-ever-they-can-dream-up. Every now and then an artist has come along that wants their practice and work to be on display as part of the process, but even that is only accessible to those who can pay. Usually the creative feels they must keep it all a secret until the piece it’s complete, or there is a plan of action to get it out to the public in a structured and controlled manner. But now, with the help of social media, there has been a shift of focus towards the creative practice and the collaborative process as engaging content, rather than solely on the end product. 

A great example of engaging and entertaining creative processes on display is the making of the Bridgerton Musical. Barlow and Bear started on the music for fun after watching the Netflix series and being moved by the dialogue to write a song called ‘Oceans Away.’ Being young musicians with a following, the ladies posted a clip of the song and it blow up. Went viral. Got seen by lots and lots of people. And those people were genuinely moved by the song and wanted more. Encouraged by the response, Barlow and Bear started writing more songs and decided to broadcast their work sessions over TikTok and Instagram Live.  And I can say from my personal viewing experience, it is very entertaining and inspiring to watch their livestreams. Not only are they extremely talented musicians and writers, but they are so sweet, funny, and kind that one can’t help but love watching them interact and collaborative. And they interact with the people watching! At least when they have a chance between trying out bits and pieces on the piano, and recording the bits and piecing them together on the computer (I am not as experienced in the recording process so excuse my lack of terminology). 

They will read the comments as they scroll through, usually very quickly since thousands of people watch each time and loved to talk to each other over the chat as the music is taking shape. The audience will talk about the song, suggestion lines and say which parts they like the most. They comment on the girls partnership and compliment them on the process. They sometimes talk about non-music things sparked by something completely random on the screen, like Emily’s sweater or their snacks. One time they even read my comment! They were getting frustrated on a song that wasn’t building in a way they liked. I wrote that they were doing great, but possibly they were stuck because the full meaning of the song hadn’t revealed itself yet... it’s a song that reveals backstory but they still needed a driving theme that reveals character development. Emily saw my comment and said ‘oh she’s so right’ then read it out loud to Abigail. I have to admit, in that moment my heart raced. I truly felt like I was part of the process. That my thoughts and engagement made a difference, helping them to take a breath and resetting rather than letting themselves get more frustrated. It was thrilling! 

What’s clear is there is a community of fans growing around the process of Barlow and Bear writing the songs, and in doing so they are opening doors for the show to possibly become a production. And if/when that happens, I will be among the many that go to see it in all it’s live theater spectacular glory! But for now, as live theater is still shut down, I feel very grateful to be able to watch the musical’s development in real time. Not a documentary that is edited to show the best or most exciting bits. We are seeing each twist and turn. Each flat and cracked note. Even the moments they seem to go blank, to then push past the creative block with them and through to a new smash hit with each song. Seriously, if you have not looked up their music yet, do so now. Even if you are reading this years later, take a moment now and look them up. Listen to the songs, watch their instagram and YouTube videos. Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful collaboration and creation that we are able to witness and learn from. They remind us to just let the ideas flow and not hold back. To be completely ourselves when creating and just see what happens. And with that authenticity, it is very likely people will relate with the work and the creative, making the connection even stronger.