Photo: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
The music featured onBridgertonis one of the many ingredients that add to the show’s success.
Unlike other period dramas, the Netflix hit uses classical covers of contemporary songs. FromTaylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” toAriana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” some of the most recognizable modern tracks have gotten an orchestral makeover forBridgerton.
“The music on the show was definitely something I found in post-production after the pilot had been shot and edited. And to be honest, there was a lot of trial and error in the beginning,” series creator Chris Van Dusen tells PEOPLE exclusively of how the use of pop songs came to be.
Enter the move toward the use of present-day pop hits, ranging fromBillie EilishtoMaroon 5.
“The show is a re-imagining. It’s a twist on the period pieces we’re all used to seeing,” he adds. “So, I knew that same modern lens that I was examining everything else through had to go for the music as well.”
Heading into season 2, Van Dusen says “it was a little bit of a different ballgame” as “artists themselves were actually reaching out to us, wanting covers of their songs to be played on the show.”
Matt Sayles
“Very rarely do I know what song’s going to be used in the final cut and there’s a lot of trial and error that needs to happen. But there’s one exception in season two and that’s aMiley Cyrussong that I knew I had to use for a particular moment in the show that I won’t spoil at this time,” he continues.
“But I wrote one particular scene to the Midnight String Quartet cover of ‘Wrecking Ball’ because the emotion of that song hits me every time and I found it matched a certain dynamic between two characters so perfectly,” he adds. “Usually, we end up replacing whatever song we use during shooting, but not that one. Our choreographer actually choreographed that exact version. Our onscreen musicians actually played to that version on the day. And the result is magical, it’s such a memorable defining moment within the show.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Oftentimes, the music even contains Easter eggs for fans.
“I definitely think the lyrics of the original song are important,” says Van Dusen. “There’s a cover of ‘How Deep Is Your Love,’ theCalvin Harrissong, at a certain point in the season and the lyrics of that original song are pretty much what I had in my head when I was writing the scene that that song scores. It’s playful, but it’s pretty sultry too.”
LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Adds Van Dusen, “Saying anything more than that, it would, of course, be a spoiler, so I won’t go there. But absolutely, there are fun Easter eggs for fans to learn and find within the song selection this season.”
Bridgertonreturns to Netflix on March 25. In the meantime, scroll below to see an official list of songs that will appear in the upcoming season:
Episode 201
Episode 204
Episode 205
Episode 206
“Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” (KRIS BOWERS COVER)
Episode 207
Episode 208
source: people.com
