It’s nearly time to sing along with the voices in Mae Whitman‘s head with Up Here, Hulu’s new original musical rom-com. The series boasts a top-notch songwriting duo in Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to write 21 original tunes to enjoy throughout the run of the series that captures the ups and downs of Lindsey (Whitman) and Miguel’s (Carlos Valdez) relationship in New York. Once you’re done binging all eight episodes on March 24, their soundtrack will now also release with the series, so you can listen back on all your favorite tracks.
Anderson-Lopez and Lopez are musical maestros known for their work on massive hits like Frozen, Coco, and The Book of Mormon as well as the expertly-connected theme songs of WandaVision among so many more, and they brought their all there o create songs that capture the insecurities of Lindsey and Miguel as they deal with their inner voices. Up Here is billed as a labor of love for the duo 17 years in the making that only finally came to fruition during a call with Tony-winning Hamilton helmer Tommy Kail. They then spent their time in lockdown hammering down a soundtrack that would finally bring their dream series to life.
Not only do the songs all fit closely with the story and character arcs of the leads, but Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also made each track stand out with a unique style. They already have plenty of experience with this from the aforementioned WandaVision which featured new themes based on every era, but the variety on display here is impressive. There are plonky, happier tracks like “It’s Nice to Really Know Someone” that hits on both the joy of gelling with another person and the anxiety of wondering what they really think of you and slower, emotional ballads like “Who Am I and Who Are You.” The songwriters aren’t afraid to go big either with an early standout being the hilarious, bombastic 80s-tinged rock theme “Tiger Shark.” The soundtrack also includes a bonus version of the upbeat “Falling in Love” as the cherry on top.
Up Here was announced back in February 2022 and takes place in New York in the final days of 1999. Seeking something greater, Lindsay moves to the Big Apple to make it as a writer, but deals with insecurity brought on by her inner voices who manifest in front of her as people from her past. She meets a kindred spirit in Miguel, who also deals with voices despite a seemingly put-together life as a Wall Street trader, and they hook up, but it doesn’t end that well. As they continue running into each other, however, they work to move past their insecurities and realize that maybe they’re meant for each other.
Up Here‘s Creative Team Is to Die For
Aside from the excellent songwriting duo, Up Here boasts Steven Levenson, the writer behind the critically acclaimed tick, tick… BOOM! and Dear Evan Hansen, and The Carmichael Show‘s Danielle Sanchez-Witzel as writers with Kail directing. Whitman and Valdez will also get to sing along with Katie Finneran, Sophia Hammons, Emilia Suárez, Andréa Burns, John Hodgman, and Scott Porter in the series.
Listen to Anderson-Lopez and Lopez’s original songs from Up Here on the same day the show releases on March 24. Check out the trailer below.
