There's no doubt that the long-awaited Barbie movie is a juggernaut in terms of marketing, so chances are you've already absorbed some of the movie’s official soundtrack simply by being a person existing in the world.
The "Barbiecore" effect has influenced everything from home décor, toys (naturally), TikTok trends, gaming consoles, fashion, food, tourism and now, music.
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The movie’s soundtrack streaming figures are astounding, with the already-released songs from the album hitting approximately 400 million streams.
The full Barbie: The Album officially drops today, coinciding with the movie's theatrical release. It’s produced by seven-time Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson, meaning expectation is high - but it’s warranted.
The 17-track album is unashamedly brilliant pure pop - it's heaving, as you'd expect, with exciting female artists, each at the top of their game in their respective genres, who seize their chance to show their wares on this, the biggest of all platforms.
Dua Lipa's Dance the Night Away is already one of the songs of the summer after featuring on the movie’s trailers. While undoubtedly a strong showcase of the pop star’s nostalgic disco pop sound, there are more original offerings to be found on his album.
Speed Drive from Charli XCX is a showcase of what Barbie: The Album sets out to do - it’s fast, furious and in-your-face, instantly memorable and beyond catchy. Its 80s video game sound effects are used thematically across the album, especially later on Ava Max's Choose Your Fighter.
Another instant hit comes from Columbian Reggaeton artist Karol G with her tune Watati (featuring Panamanian rapper Aldo Ranks), which has already reached 25 million views on YouTube. It's so slick - a total earworm with a great bass line.
Angel is a captivating and intriguing track from PinkPantheress, the young UK singer and producer who deservedly topped the prestigious BBC's Sound of 2022 poll.
Angel manages to be a stunning blend of nostalgic early noughties indie pop, dog woofing sounds and a heavy smattering of Irish folk music. It’s completely unique, with great lyrics and is just unexpectedly fabulous.
Then comes a moment of bliss - Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For is brimming with honesty and emotion, and provides a dramatic change of pace and feel.
Eilish has already proven her soundtrack pedigree with her Bond theme No Time To Die, which won her an Academy Award for best original song in 2022.
She somehow manages to top that with this stunning song that showcases her upper register to perfection, layered on top of a deceptively simple piano accompaniment. The original and unique accompanying music video is the icing on the cake here.
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One slight criticism is that the songs are repetitive in terms of lyrical content, with frequent references to nabbing a Ken, being a Ken, brimming with 'Ken-ergy' (basically all things Ken), driving Corvettes and living in a dreamhouse - Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice's Barbie World, a two-minute blast of rap over a remixed version Aqua’s Barbie Girl, is definitely one such offender.
The cheesy power ballad is another genre explored on this soundtrack, courtesy of actor Ryan Gosling's I’m Just Ken, which is just tons of fun. Teaser clips show Gosling’s Ken pondering existential questions around his "life of blonde fragility" and always being "number two" to Barbie. His voice is a pleasant surprise and I’m sure I’m not alone in my excitement to see the full version on the big screen.
The soundtrack's opening number, Pink by Lizzo, as well as Sam Smith's Man I Am, are certainly fun and fully lean into the cheesy element of the Barbie movie - but both would benefit by listening alongside the accompanying visuals.
Offerings by Haim, Dominic Fike, The Kid Laroi and Tame Impala are summery, nostalgic and at times, anthemic - but it's the young pop princesses who really steal the show here.
Barbie: The Album is available on all major music platforms from Friday 21 July.
