How to Get The Sound of Mean Girls (2024)
Despite coming out over 20 years ago, beloved teen film Mean Girls has been a hallmark of girlhood for two generations and barely feels dated. It’s no wonder the 2024 reboot raised a few eyebrows – Hollywood would have to bring something fresh to the table to justify sullying the treasured memories of millions of sleepovers.
To seize on the current wave of early aughts nostalgia without carbon copying its 2004 hit, Paramount adapted the cult classic musical version of Mean Girls.
Headlined by Broadway belter and budding pop sensation Reneé Rapp in the role of Regina George, this screen adaptation puts music front and center for the TikTok generation. In an era of audio-visual social media, the true queen bee of campus can sing, dance, and mug for the camera.
Musical audiences have been trending younger for years as the rise in quality bootlegs and avid online fan bases fueled a boom in teen Broadway fans.
2024’s Means Girls threads the needle of earnest theatricality with a pop sensibility to appeal to a broad younger crowd. Its marketing has relied on the star power of Olivia Rodrigo, current poster child of teens and teens-at-heart.
If you want your next film project to appeal to a similar demographic, unlock your next sound with Universal Production Music. Read up on teen trends à la Mean Girls and use our similarity search to find the sound you’ve been looking for.
Heart on Your Sleeve
The Mean Girls trailer features Olivia Rodrigo’s shout-along banger “get him back!” for an energetic vibe, but the choice wasn’t without controversy. No other songs were used in the ad, leaving fans wondering why Paramount was trying to hide that the movie was a musical.
Still, the choice to use Rodrigo’s song appeals to the Mean Girls demo. Another product of the tween Disney machine, Olivia Rodrigo is a bona fide theater kid. She’s also a radio hitmaker with a throwback pop-punk sensibility who writes with the passionate naivety of youth.
Teens love to emote, Rodrigo’s cinematic anthem for teen angst has all the dramatic flair of the stage, while still being accessible.
Throwback Teen Beats
Taking over the role of Regina George on Broadway sparked Reneé Rapp’s rise, and the film adaptation takes full advantage of her career evolution. Rapp worked with stage composers Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin to write new songs for the narrative, and worked on the ending credits single “Not My Fault” with Megan Thee Stallion to promote the film.
After the well-received release of Rapp’s first studio album Snow Angel, fans were excited to hear more from the openly queer siren.
With slick dance production, “Not My Fault” was a hit on TikTok, where throwback disco beats have been trending with teens since the bleak days of lockdown. There’s just something about carefree disco pop tracks that resonates with young people looking for movement and connection, and disco has been seeping back onto the musical charts via Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, and other modern artists.
To stay ahead of audio trends, browse Universal Production Music’s totally perfect teen tracks to cultivate a youthful vibe for your next project.