Jessica Ryan

Speaking on a video call from their hotel rooms in Las Vegas, where the Grammys were held, Barlow, now 23, and Bear, 20, discussed their album’s unanticipated success, their practice of collaborating creatively with fans and where their careers are headed (starting with a Broadway-bound musical that they can’t yet discuss). Here are edited excerpts... See more

... But now that we’re in this position and know that we have this power, what do we do with it? We already know what we can do for the stories and characters we love: #BlackHeroesMatter, the aforementioned #RallyForRose, Sense8 fans fought for a conclusion to one of the most queer and diverse SciFi TV shows ever, and were rewarded with a two-hour ... See more

Do you think you’ll continue that way of doing things now that you have this institutional approval?BARLOW We’d love to, but we have some exciting projects after “Bridgerton” gave us a foot in the door and we still have to keep it hush-hush.BEAR Which is totally against our M.O., and it’s a little frustrating because, as we’re writing this music, w... See more

Some artists might bristle at your strategy of inviting in fan feedback as you create the work, leaving it open to significant influence from the audience in the middle of the creative process.

You can think of it like this:

On the surface, this article is about neural networks and the beginnings of AI, but I actually think it's invaluable insight into capitalism, scarcity, the psychology of valuations and maybe a little rich people foolishness.

Abigail, what was it about “Bridgerton” that made you want to turn it into a musical?BARLOW The opening scene is so theatrical. I could just see each part of the stage lighting up in my brain. And then I kept writing down lines of dialogue that sounded like song titles. The phrase “ocean away” was the first one that made me run to my piano.

“We want to thank everyone on the internet who has watched us create this album from the ground up,” said Abigail Barlow, who sings for over a dozen different characters on the album. “We share this with you.”