Featuring three new versions of the Grammy-nominated song, “I’m Just Ken,” days away from Christmas, Ryan Gosling dropped Ken The EP.
Along with a video of Gosling, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt in the studio, the actor/singer’s collection includes a seasonal spin on his Barbie soundtrack hit, “I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie),” with additional “I’m Just Ken” renditions, “In My Feelings Acoustic,” “Purple Disco Machine Remix,” as well as the original.
Already loaded with songs from seasoned musicians, “I’m Just Ken” proved to be one of the biggest songs from the Barbiesoundtrack. In an interview back in September. addressing the song’s surprise success with Gosling and sending him updates about its chart performance, and recalling Gosling’s reaction, Ronson stated “He would be like ‘This is so surreal. I don’t even know what to tell you.’” “He’s a real musician. He loves music. I think he was really touched by that. And Slash played on it. So there’s been certain things where he’s been really excited about [it].”
Barbie director Greta Gerwig spoke with Rolling Stone about how the song came about organically, stating “I think if I had said, ‘I want you to sing and dance in this movie,’ [Gosling] would not have necessarily done that for me. But it was kind of that thing of boiling a lobster. I think by the time he was singing and dancing, he didn’t even totally know how we had gotten there. But he’s so fabulous at it. Mark Ronson talked a lot about glam-rock and Meat Loaf and the drama of that kind of song. And then Mark and his songwriting partner Andrew Wyatt wrote ‘I’m Just Ken.’ They didn’t even have all the lyrics. They just had a feeling and the skeleton and the lyric ‘I’m just Ken,’ and it just evolved from there.”
“I’m Just Ken” has been nominated for several awards, including the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. In an ironic twist, the ballad version will compete for both prizes from other hit songs from the Barbie soundtrack, including Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Raffi Asdourian