BEHIND THE HIT
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
IN EARLY 2020, Grammy Award-winning producer Mike Elizondo received a “nonchalant” call from LinManuel Miranda asking him to co-produce original music for an upcoming Disney movie. “I didn’t even know the [film’s] name,” recalls Elizondo. “But anytime Lin calls, I’m going to say yes.” That film ended up being Disney’s latest animated blockbuster, Encanto — and trusting his instincts has paid off for Elizondo. The Encanto soundtrack climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 in its sixth week on the chart; meanwhile, breakout song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” entered the Hot 100’s top five, also becoming the first Disney title to top the Streaming Songs chart.
Encanto, which centers on the magical Madrigal family in Colombia, incorporates authentic musical stylings from salsa and reggaetón to hip-hop and pop. “Lin encouraged me to not think in terms of Disney,” says Elizondo, who has previously worked with 50 Cent, Eminem and Fiona Apple and is up for producer of the year at the 2022 Grammys. He adds that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” allowed him to draw from contemporary drums while also blending in traditional Colombian rhythms. (Colombian musician Edmar Castañeda consulted and performed on the soundtrack, recruiting fellow New Yorkbased Colombian musicians.) But perhaps the biggest reason the ensemble number about a mysterious uncle stands out is because of what it’s not: a power ballad.
“Traditionally, a lot of the bigger Disney songs that cross over tend to be from the main character in a very emotional scenario,” says Elizondo. “For this to have become the song that people have gravitated toward predominantly, that’s the biggest shocker of all.”
He credits the song’s success to its “ear candy moments” — like the whooshing sound of falling sand — and various sonic chapters for each character. And, of course, its “perfect tempo” for TikTok, on which the hashtag #wedonttalkaboutbruno has been tagged to 1.4 billion videos. But, above all else, since the track wasn’t expected to be “cookie cutter from top to bottom,” Elizondo says, he could take more liberties, from its eeriness to the rapid-fire delivery of its second verse, concluding: “It’s changing the rules.”