TikTok is usually a place where trends go to die after a week of overexposure. But a few years ago, two young women decided to write a song about a Regency-era romance, and suddenly, the entire entertainment industry shifted. If you’ve spent any time on the musical side of the internet, you know the names. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear songs aren't just catchy melodies; they represent a massive power struggle between fan creativity and multi-billion-dollar corporations.
It started with a simple question: "What if Bridgerton was a musical?"
Abigail Barlow sat in front of her camera, sang a few bars of what would become "Ocean Away," and the rest is literal history. Not the "history" people talk about in marketing meetings, but the kind where you win a Grammy from your bedroom and then get sued by Netflix.
The Viral Big Bang: The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
Most people think "Burn for You" was the only hit, but the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical album was a beast. It had 15 tracks. It reached #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. For a hot minute, these two were the biggest thing in musical theater, and they hadn't even stepped onto a Broadway stage yet.
The tracklist was a masterclass in character study:
- "Burn for You": The ultimate "I love you/I hate you" duet.
- "Alone Together": A sweeping, orchestral ballad that honestly sounded more "Disney" than most things on the radio at the time.
- "If I Were a Man": Eloise’s feminist anthem that resonated with every girl who felt stuck in the wrong century.
- "Penelope Featherington": A tragic, soft melody for the wallflower we all knew was secretly running the ton.
Honestly, the songs were too good. That was the problem. When you're making fan art, companies usually look the other way. When you're selling out the Kennedy Center and charging $149 a ticket—which they did in July 2022—Netflix is going to notice. The lawsuit that followed was a cold shower for the "creator economy," but it didn't stop them. It just changed the game.
From TikTok to Te Fiti: The Moana 2 Era
If you thought the Netflix drama was the end of the road, you haven't been paying attention. In a move that felt like a "plot twist" from one of their own shows, Disney hired them. They didn't just get a job; they became the youngest female songwriting duo in Disney history. Replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda is a terrifying task, but they jumped into Moana 2 with zero hesitation.
The transition from "unofficial" to "Disney official" changed the sound of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear songs. You can hear it in "Beyond," the lead single for the sequel. It’s got that signature Emily Bear orchestral swell—she’s a prodigy, after all, mentored by Quincy Jones—but with Abigail’s pop-sensibility lyrics.
The Moana 2 Tracklist Highlights:
- "Beyond": This is their "How Far I'll Go" moment. It's about the internal struggle of leadership versus the longing for the horizon.
- "Can I Get a Chee Hoo?": Written specifically for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It's high-energy, funny, and fits the Maui persona like a glove.
- "Get Lost": A villain-adjacent song for the character Matangi. Barlow once mentioned in an interview that a favorite line of hers—"Don't go cryin' to your mommy when you're fightin' a tsunami"—actually didn't make the final cut. That’s the Disney machine for you.
Why Their Songwriting Style Hits Different
Basically, they work like a hive mind. Emily is the "architect" of the sound. She’s been playing Carnegie Hall since she was a kid and even toured as the pianist for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour in 2023. She brings the technical, "big-wall-of-sound" energy.
Abigail is the "voice." She understands how to write a hook that gets stuck in your head for three days straight. She’s a pop writer at heart, having worked with people like Meghan Trainor. When you combine a classical piano prodigy with a pop-hook specialist, you get songs that feel both sophisticated and incredibly accessible.
They don't write "down" to their audience. Whether they are writing about a Duke in London or a Wayfinder in the Pacific, the emotional core is always "what does it feel like to be young and misunderstood?" That’s the secret sauce.
The Legal Shadow and the Future
You can't talk about their songs without acknowledging that the Bridgerton album is basically in a legal vault now. After the settlement with Netflix in late 2022, the live performances stopped. The UK tour was scrapped. While the album still exists on streaming services, it’s a weird, ghost-like reminder of a time when the "Wild West" of TikTok met the "Old Guard" of Hollywood.
But 2026 is looking massive for them. They’ve moved past being "the TikTok girls." They are now the "Disney duo." They even did Mexican Pizza: The Musical for Taco Bell with Dolly Parton and Doja Cat. I’m not kidding. That actually happened.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Songwriters
If you’re looking at their career and wondering how to replicate that magic, here is the "Barlow & Bear" blueprint you can actually use:
- Build in public: They didn't wait for a studio to greenlight them. They posted demos, asked for feedback, and let the audience feel like they "owned" a piece of the process.
- Vary your skill set: Don't just be a singer. Emily Bear’s ability to orchestrate and produce is what gave them the "Grammy" edge over other TikTokers. Learn the technical side.
- Know when to pivot: When the lawsuit hit, they didn't disappear. They leaned into their professional reputations.
- Collaborate outside your bubble: Mixing pop and musical theater is what made them unique. Find a partner whose skills are the exact opposite of yours.
The legacy of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear songs is still being written. We went from "Burn for You" to "Beyond" in record time, and honestly? They’re just getting started. If you want to dive deeper into their work, start with the Moana 2 soundtrack—it's the most polished version of their "new" sound you’ll find.