Listen to “Speed Drive” here:

The Barbie movie has been taking the internet by storm ahead of its release, promising to be all things camp and iconic with its star-studded cast and effective promotional campaigns. Starring Margot Robbie in the titular role, accompanied by Ryan Gosling as everyone’s favourite airhead Ken, the movie has already spawned a major fanbase and multiple memes before it has even hit cinemas.

Accompanying the movie will be Barbie The Album, produced by Mark Ronson and featuring some of the biggest names in music, including Dua Lipa, HAIM, Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, Ice Spice and Khalid.

Dua Lipa recently released her track “Dance the Night” from the soundtrack, followed by Nicki Minaj and Ice’s Spice’s collaboration, “Barbie World.”

Sharing a snippet of “Speed Drive” on Twitter, Charli XCX wrote “this barbie likes to vroom,” referencing the Barbie promotional posters as well as her own beloved track, “Vroom Vroom.”

this #barbie likes to vroom speed drive out now https://t.co/3km77uq5nK pic.twitter.com/YkqU2mILkW

— Charli (@charli_xcx) June 29, 2023

Charli XCX also took the opportunity to share an exclusive clip of “Speed Drive” in the movie, in which we see Barbie running through the real world accompanied by the track.  

umm ok cute speed drive drops in 30 minutesssss pic.twitter.com/bMkrcDfv5j — Charli (@charli_xcx) June 29, 2023

“Speed Drive” samples Toni Basil’s classic 1981 track “Mickey,” with Charli XCX telling Rolling Stone that she flipped the track to “feel quite bratty” and to be “about just being hot.”

Charli XCX also revealed to Rolling Stone that she was one of the first artists that Mark Ronson approached when beginning work on the soundtrack and discussed her personal relationship to the Barbie franchise. She said that she’s “always loved the escapism my Barbies provided with me and it’s kind of a full circle moment to be a part of this soundtrack and movie.”

Speaking about the track itself, Charli XCX shared, “I’ve always really liked singing about cars. For me, there is this intrinsic link between driving and music and feeling like you’re a star when you’re in a car.” The star opted to have her track accompany a chase scene in the movie for this very reason.

Ahead of the official release of Barbie The Album, Mark Ronson has curated a Barbie inspired Spotify playlist, which can be found here:

Listen to music from and inspired by Barbie, curated by @MarkRonson Follow the official @barbiethemovie playlist on @Spotify https://t.co/vO3kOx2Wmq pic.twitter.com/xqhhZJDWxT

— Barbie The Album (@barbiethealbum) June 26, 2023

The album will also be available to purchase on vinyl, with Barbie and Ken themselves showing you the pink and blue formats that are available for pre-order now:  

Calling all Barbie’s & Ken’s Pre-order Barbie The Album on Vinyl in Exclusive Hot Pink, Sky Blue and more https://t.co/v7ZU1n4dG5 pic.twitter.com/Vox6snmVXX

— Barbie The Album (@barbiethealbum) June 16, 2023

In the meta new video, Dua stars as herself making a music video. Dressed in pieces from her new clothing line, La Vacanza, in collaboration with Verscace, the star weaves between giant falling disco balls, pink polished cars, and shimmery clothing rails whilst singing “I’ll still keep the party runnin’, not one hair out of place”. Watch Dua dance the night away below:

Chatting to Dazed this month, Dua Lipa revealed, “Greta said that the whole film was inspired by disco. There’s a lot of very glittery and pop moments in it.”

One of the most anticipated films of the summer for lovers of kitsch, Barbie is set to arrive in cinemas worldwide on 21^st July. With the elite team of Margot Robbie in the titular role, Ryan Gosling playing the beloved himbo Ken, and Ladybird director Greta Gerwig taking the reins, Barbie’s live-action debut seems to be in good hands. Watch the third trailer, released on Thursday the 25^th May, below:

The supporting cast is also jam-packed with A-listers including Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ncuti Gatwa, and Emma Macke.

Dua Lipa will make a cameo in the film playing a mermaid Barbie. It was announced last month that the singer would be in the film when a poster of her in character in costume was released.

More details surrounding the rest of the soundtrack were also revealed this Thursday alongside the newest trailer. Ava Max, Charli XCX, GAYLE, HAIM, Ice Spice, KAROL G, Pink Patheress, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, and Tame Impala are just some of the artists joining Dua Lipa on the cheery pop soundtrack. Mark Ronson is the executive producer of the soundtrack which will be released on the same day as the film.

In other news, Dua Lipa will be hosting a live recording of her podcast, At Your Service, at the famous Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales on the 3^rd June. Unfortunately for fans, Dua’s event at the literary festival is now sold out.

Dua Lipa is currently working on her third album which she’s previously told The Wall Street Journal, “I’ve done a big chunk of writing: It’s starting to take shape; I’ve got a lot of it recorded”.

See below for details of Dua’s appearance:

03/06/23 – Hay Festival – Hay-on-Wye

“No more Mrs. Shut Up and Smile” – a lyric from the chorus shows how this song is perfectly suited to the film, which is set around character Harley Quinn, portrayed by Margot Robbie. When Peters sings “It’s my world and you’re just living in it, Did I, did I, did I finish?” it’s easy to imagine the character herself saying those words. ‘Smile’ gained over 100,000 streams on Spotify in only one day and at this point it has reached 200,000.

Wrote a feminist bop for the new @birdsofpreywb and it’s out now!!! ‼️‼️‼️ I’m about to go have a driving lesson and truly with the energy smile gave me, the small town country lanes are not safe nor prepared pic.twitter.com/3iSHFIGU9E

— maisie peters (@maisiehpeters) February 7, 2020

Birds of Prey is the name of the new superhero film which looks further into the story of Harley Quinn. In this new adaptation, the character fights evil crime lord, Black Mask, with the help of her allies: Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. It has received excellent reviews from both critics and audience members – the soundtrack is now available to purchase on iTunes or stream on any platform.

The opportunity to write for the movie is just another step forward in Peters’ already blossoming career. It’s the first film she’s been featured in, and the artist is one of many who recorded for the soundtrack. Others include Halsey, Normani and Lauren Jauregui making up 15 tracks with the other all female artists from Atlantic Records.

Peters started posting original music on YouTube in 2015, gaining popularity over the next few years, releasing two singles independently before signing with Atlantic Records. Her YouTube channel has now reached 74,000 subscribers from her self-described “emo girl pop”. With her record company, the artist has also put out two more singles including ‘Worst Of You’ which has over 62 million streams on Spotify, as well as two EPs. On YouTube, her most viewed video is ‘Stay Young’, a single release in 2019.

The singer will be appearing to perform in venues across the UK and Europe through February, March and April 2020, before joining Lauv in North America as she supports him on his ‘How I’m Feeling’ world tour. Check out the Maisie Peters website for more details and tickets.