The summer of Barbie has its own soundtrack, and it’s finally here! “Barbie: The Album” was released in full on July 21, alongside the highly anticipated “Barbie” movie. Atlantic Records first announced news of the album on May 25, and it features all-star artists like Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Haim, Lizzo, and K-pop group Fifty Fifty. Dua Lipa — who plays a mermaid Barbie in the movie — also has her “Barbie” song, “Dance the Night.” And Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the movie, sings his own ode to Ken-dom, titled “I’m Just Ken.”
Quite a few of the “Barbie” songs were released before the full album, including Minaj and Spice’s track “Barbie World.” The song samples perhaps the most iconic Barbie song of all time: Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl.” Karol G, Dua Lipa, and PinkPantheress’s “Barbie” songs were also all released before the film’s premiere.
Then, on July 6, Billie Eilish made the surprise announcement that she has a song on the soundtrack, too, titled, “What Was I Made For?” She wrote on Instagram, “WE MADE THIS SONG FOR BARBIE AND IT MEANS THE ABSOLUTE WORRRRLLLD TO ME. THIS MOVIE IS GONNA CHANGE UR LIVES AND HOPEFULLY THE SONG WILL TOO. GET READY TO SOB.” She then released the somber song and video on July 13. In the video, Eilish — wearing a yellow dress and a Barbie ponytail — pulls doll-size versions of some of her own most iconic outfits and solemnly tries to fit them all on a doll clothing rack, despite wind and then rain.
On July 10, the final special artist on the soundtrack was revealed to be Sam Smith. Their track, “Man I Am,” is from the perspective of Ken, Smith said on Instagram. Wrote Smith, “I cannot begin to express how incredibly excited I am to be a part of the soundtrack to this already iconic film. I was invited by the incredible @iammarkronson and Greta Gerwig to write a song from the perspective of Ken for one of the scenes and we honestly had so much fun with this. I cannot wait for you to hear what we’ve created together 💪🏻 👅.”
Fans can order the “Barbie” album on its website right now, along with multiple special-edition vinyls and cassette tapes. Most of the album covers feature Margot Robbie as Barbie, lounging in her iconic bathing suit and sunglasses, though there’s a special Ken edition too.
The “Barbie” movie stars Robbie and Gosling alongside a whole slate of other Barbies and Kens. The sprawling cast includes Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Helen Mirren, Nicola Coughlan, and many more. Ahead, you can listen to every track from “Barbie: The Album” — but we’ll warn you that some of them contain major spoilers for the film.