Over the last few years there’s been a ton of conversation about the power of representation in the media. There have been more queer stories being told, including the coming of age rom-com Heartstopper, which is available with a Netflix subscription. Part of the show’s storytelling has been its iconic soundtrack, which perfectly highlights how characters like Charlie and Nick are feeling. And Heartstopper's editor spoke to CinemaBlend about how the show’s soundtrack is formed for the beloved series.
When Heartstopper got popular with Season 1, so did its soundtrack. While it featured Taylor Swift herself, most of the artists were lesser known and received a ton of streams as result of the show. I had the chance to speak with Season 2 editor Andonis Trattos about his work on the show, where I asked about the process of weaving music into the narrative. He name dropped producer Patrick Walters and author Alice Oseman when sharing his perspective, saying:
Alice and Patrick put together a big playlist of stuff that they think might be useful or is in the same kind of world. And then me and Sophie can draw from that, whatever feels right. And then we’ll obviously be in constant dialogue back and forth with cuts and stuff.
It looks like there’s a pool of approved music that fits into the feel of the Heartstopper universe. This makes a great deal of sense, considering how specific the musical landscape of the show is. And it’s from this pool that the show’s editors are able to pull from while assembling each episode.
This is clearly a process that works well, as we’ve seen throughout Heartstopper’s two seasons on Netflix. Sometimes the lyrics perfectly mirror the character’s emotions in a scene, which are also brought together through Heartstopper’s signature animated sequences. In our same conversation, Trattos shouted out his fellow editor for her work on both seasons, sharing:
Sophie Alonzi she edits during the shoot, I came on after the shoot. So she assembled my episodes together, and she made a lot of music choices that I thought were just brilliant. And she cut all of the first season as well.
Season 3 of Heartstopper is in the works, smart money says it retains its unique tone. That includes its musical language and cartoon moments, which continue to be fan favorite aspects of its production. In our interview, Andonis Trattos spoke on feeling lucky for his time working on the Netflix series, saying:
Before I knew what editing was and I was just interested in making films, the first thing I was able to do was grab a track and play it around certain things. To do that but you’ve got this bigger sandbox and all these emotions and all these people going through these different things. And great actors and great material and great tracks, you just feel really lucky to do the job.
Not much is known about what’s coming next for the show, but Heartstopper revealed its Season 3 premiere’s title. There are a number of major narrative threads to follow, including Charlie’s eating disorder, Ian’s discovery of his asexuality, and Elle going to Lambert.
It’s currently unclear when Season 3 of Heartstopper will premiere, but the first two are streaming in their entirety on Netflix. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
