‘The Drama’ Music Supervisor Talks Alicia Keys Needle Drop, Working With Zendaya & The Soundtrack’s ‘Old-Fashioned Whimsy’

Who doesn’t live for The Drama? Acclaimed distributor A24 has yet another theatrical hit on its hands with Kristoffer Borgli’s latest conversation-sparking film, The Drama, which grossed $28 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Led by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, the psychological romantic black comedy follows a couple gearing up for a wedding weekend that dramatically unravels after the revelation of controversial, lifelong secrets.

Anchored by a shocking reveal, Borgli’s incisive yet hilarious screenplay and top-tier performances from both leads, The Drama has quickly dominated social media with infinite interlocked discourses. Each of the film’s individual elements reinforces its testy themes of redemption, morality and forgiveness — particularly its immersive, folk-driven soundtrack, curated by music supervisor Jemma Burns. Built around recently unearthed ‘70s cuts like Shira Small’s “I Want to Lay With You” and wistful ‘50s numbers like Nolan Strong & The Diablo’s “The Wind,” Burns’ most rewarding Drama synchs lean into the juxtaposition between the selected compositions and the actions unfolding on screen. And it all began with one playlist.

“I’d read the script and seen his other work, so I was excited to meet him, but I had no idea about who was in [The Drama] or anything,” says Burns, who got connected with Borgli through Square Peg producer Tyler Campellone. “But we just straight away got each other; there’s a type of humor and lens we see the world through that really aligned. I got to work looking for a song for their wedding dance lesson [‘Lay With You’], which came from my very first playlist of ideas. The song at the top of that playlist, ‘Inside Out,’ was the second song they danced to. I think I’d gotten the job from that very first playlist I sent.”

As a romcom that trades on the genre’s typical tropes while incorporating chilling pieces of uniquely American culture, The Drama relies on its music not just to emphasize its most uncomfortable moments but also to provide levity and release in a narrative infused with tension. From the delightfully startling Alicia Keys needle drop to the fortifying Moondog song that plays over the end credits, music is effectively the fifth character in The Drama’s primary ensemble.

Below, Burns speaks with Billboard about clearing Keys’ “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart,” working with Zendaya and building a dynamic partnership with Borgli.

What did you think when you finished reading the script?

After I’ve read the script, I like to hear the director’s approach. If you haven’t worked with someone before, you want to make sure that you’ve understood their sensibility and where they’re coming from. I just really got what Kris was after, and we really clicked from that first playlist.

What’s your process like generally? How did you know when you found the right fit for a song and a scene?

I like to get as many reference tracks as possible from the writer and/or director, [which] are clues to this person’s sensibility and their take on this particular story. Some of those songs might not necessarily even end up in the film. There’s a bit of guesswork involved.

Obviously, things change throughout the process because once everything comes together and you’re in the edit suite, you might find there’s a bit of a lull at one point in the story. There are many different reasons why things can shift, and we did switch around a few songs throughout the process. But many of the songs from my original playlist ended up in the film, so that was very satisfying.

The Drama has several ‘70s-era and folk music synchs. What about the film’s narrative and the actors’ performances drew you to that era and genre?

I think Kris was really going for an aesthetic that was influenced by sweet ‘60s European films and some early ‘70s American romcoms. I really wanted it to feel somewhat timeless and from another era — maybe a more golden, bygone era — so that when the gears shift, it’s a lot more jarring. We’re also still in a very modern world, and they’re very switched-on, worldly characters. That all comes crashing into the modern world when the big secret is revealed, so we’re trying to set up this contrast.

All the way through [The Drama], there’s a sort of old-fashioned whimsy. Even the final song [Moondog’s “Do Your Thing”] feels like it should be an American classic. It’s not that widely known, but it has this warm, whimsical feel; it fluctuates between the light and the dark, and the cuteness [of the romance] and the brutality of what they’re actually talking about.

How did you land on Alicia Keys’ “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart?” Was it easy to clear this song for a film of this nature?

It needed to be something that those women would realistically put on. We’re not trying to suggest that they’re into really nerdy internet radio stations or anything like that. But at the same time, I think Kris was quite keen to give the film a somewhat unique feel by not using super obvious tracks. Even though Alicia Keys is such a beloved artist, [“Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart”] is a relatively deep cut [for general audiences]. It’s not exactly a household name song, but it should be a classic. Kris was very adamant that we didn’t use music that felt like it was part of the culture at large at this moment in time to build a singular aesthetic.

We always give a synopsis of the film. With a film like this, where they were intentionally trying to keep the plot under wraps as much as possible, it was a fairly minimal summary. We also always describe what’s going on in the specific scene that we used to track over. If the artists or songwriters are curious to know more, they can certainly ask. Sometimes, when it’s a particularly difficult song to clear, we might send them the actual scene. In the instance of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” for Beau Is Afraid. I actually got Ari [Aster] to write a letter to Mariah, because sometimes it’s best to cut out the middlemen and get them to speak artist to artist. But we didn’t have too much trouble on this one. Alicia Keys’ people seemed very up for it. It’s always hard to guess what an artist’s film tastes are as well, isn’t it? You can’t assume they like satirical or controversial films, so you do have to tread gently.

What was the most pivotal note Borgli gave you? Did you pull any inspiration from Zendaya and Robert Pattinson or their performances?

Whimsy came with the very first song we were looking at, which was Shira Small’s “I Want to Lay With You.” Kris really wanted something with a sweet earnestness about it, but slightly old-fashioned. So, when Zendaya’s character says, “Maybe we should just dance how we normally dance,” the next song is their in-joke as a couple. Jesse Rae, [who sings] “Inside Out,” is such a character. He’s a Scottish man who was really good friends with the Troutman Brothers and Parliament-Funkadelic. They all adore him and went back to Scotland with him to record these amazing tracks that are sung in a thick Scottish accent, but with all that African-American funk. It’s a beautiful, very singular combination of sounds that’s just so joyful. And even some of my most nerdy music nerd friends had never heard of this guy! We’re actually going to do a little seven-inch [vinyl] release of that one.

I didn’t hear much direct feedback from [the stars], but working on scenes with Zendaya was interesting because she’s such a cultural phenomenon. She’s been in so many scenes, whether it’s Euphoria or Challengers, that have iconic music moments. I had to dig even deeper to figure out what songs would work with her because different combinations of songs over her image convey different things. Oftentimes, we were like, “No, this is giving Euphoria” or another project she’s heavily associated with. That extra layer of nuance was definitely there.

There are also flashes of the ’50s with songs like “The Wind” and “Sans vous aimer.” What about those songs and that era spoke to the story The Drama is trying to tell?

Oftentimes, you just don’t know what’s going to work until you actually try them together. They both fit in with this bygone golden feel we’ve set up, but they also work well because they’re surprising combinations. You have a gorgeous, old song like “The Wind” playing over an [angsty] teenage girl running around the house with her dad’s gun — not a combination you would instantly think of. It’s an intentional contrast of the slightly more innocent bygone era against the complexities of life for a teenager in this century, and what’s going on with schoolchildren as well.

Where are you listening to music these days?

Everywhere. “I Want to Lay With You” came to me because of Numero, a quite beloved reissue label that digs up old private pressings and gives them a new life. This Shara Small song was particularly lovely because she essentially recorded the album as a school project, and I don’t think she ever thought anything of it since the early ’70s. It was reissued [in 2022] and got some attention, but certainly not known by the wider public. Now she’s having a little revival thanks to her inclusion in the film.

I think that the characters would probably also listen to NTS [Radio]! It’s funny that something like NTS, which showcases either underground artists or oddball forgotten hits from previous eras, has become such a phenomenon that it’s [now synonymous] with quirky music. Even the weird underground alternative stuff has a mass audience platform these days. And we specifically did want to steer clear of artists that maybe have had an NTS special. It’s almost unavoidable at this point. Not that every amazing old song has already been discovered, but a lot of them are pretty readily accessible these days.