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How ‘Encanto’ became a pop hit |
This week, the soundtrack to the Disney film “Encanto,” featuring “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and other songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, spent its eighth week at No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart. But the soundtrack wasn’t always a smash, as Ben Sisario writes, and its newfound success highlights how fans drive hits through social media. |
The TikTok-to-streaming pipeline. After the film came to Disney+ in December, fans on TikTok started recreating scenes, performing dances and singing along. Soon after, “Bruno” and other songs from the soundtrack climbed in popularity on streaming platforms. |
Radio is often behind the curve. “Bruno” was almost entirely absent from the radio for most of that ascent. Disney did not begin promoting it to stations until late January, and it still gets a fraction of the radio plays of songs by stars like Adele. |
Videos enhance the experience. If you get bored of the original songs, YouTube offers variations, including versions of “Bruno” translated into 21 languages or mashed up with other pop songs. Clips on social media help contextualize the songs in a way that radio play never could, Ben writes, and let fans relive the film. |