Did the House of Mouse bite the style of a popular YouTube playlist?
It’s one of the most vexing conundrums of our time.
On one hand, you love the joyful, crowd-pleasing songs of the Disney catalog, especially “A Whole New World” and “Under The Sea.”
But on the other hand, you know you need to relax and maybe get some studying done, and you can’t do that when “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” is getting you all worked up.
What to do?
Well fortunately, Disney has you taken care of, as it recently dropped the digital album “Lofi Minnie: Focus” onto YouTube and all the streaming platforms.
The album finds artists such as Purrple Cat, Jazzinuf and eevee remixing classic Disney anthems in the “lofi” style. The end result is that a bunch of rousing Disney anthems are now much more sedate, if that’s your thing.
But you may be wondering, why did Disney do this? And, uh, what is ‘lofi” anyway? Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to explain.
Disney/YouTube Lofi Girl
So What Is Lofi?
First, lofi is a slang term that has its roots in the phrase “low fidelity.”
Back in the ’80s and ‘90s, punk and college radio bands like Guided by Voices or Pavement would record their music on the cheap, either with home recording devices or in rushed, ramshackle studio sessions.
The end result was noisier and added a level of intimacy that appealed to fans.
But language and music are both ever-mutating things, always getting redefined by a new generation of listeners.
In the late ‘10s, lofi became an entirely different beast, and was often referred to more broadly as “lofi hip hop,” so named because it was made on a laptop and had a rough, moody quality, with plenty of muted snare hits.
Instead of pulling from rock music, lofi featured very gentle hip-hop beats, muted jazzy atmosphere and slowed-down keyboard parts pulled from the indie rock genre chillwave.
It is basically the modern version of the “chill-out” down-tempo electronic compilations that were popular in hotel lounges in ‘00s, with a hint of New Age spa music. Detractors call it Millennial muzak.
It is music to create a vibe, something that will put you in a relaxed state without you having to pay much attention to it. It’s also very popular with college kids at the moment.
When news of “Lofi Minnie” first hit, some fans quickly pointed out that the entire project seemed very reminiscent of the livestream YouTube playlist (GOOGL) – Get Alphabet Inc. Class A Report “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to.”
Created by a French YouTuber who goes by the name Lofi Girl (formerly ChilledCow), the channel (and later, label) debuted in 2017.
It’s become the center of the lofi universe, earning more than 10 million hits, and exploded in popularity during the pandemic. Even the central image of a young cartoon woman studying at her desk, is similar to the one on “Lofi Minnie: Focus.”
Dan Kline/TheStreet
Why Did Disney Make a Lofi album?
While fans of Lofi Girl and other lofi artists might feel miffed or defensive that Disney is ripping them off, it needs to be said that no one gets to own a style or genre.
Throughout music history, music fans become inspired by a new sound, or a sound they’ve rediscovered, and then they create something in the milieu, putting their own spin on it and, hopefully, pushing it forward.
That’s just how music works, even if the result is that genres get mutated — or watered down — in strange ways.
So, sure, Disney has the right to make a lofi album. But why did they?
Well, Disney didn’t respond to a request for comment, but in a press release announcing the album, they tried to explain.
“What attracted us to lofi is the ability to reimagine our songs in a completely new way that combines the soothing benefits of lofi with the wonder and nostalgia that Disney has to offer,” said Tim Pennoyer, enterprise franchise Mickey & Friends lead. ‘‘Lofi and Disney are both a great source of comfort, so the two make for a perfect match.”
So maybe Disney is just concerned about its fan’s mental health?
Fans of lofi will often have the YouTube channel or similar lofi Spotify playlists on all day while they work or studying, passively earning voluminous streams and royalties for the creators.
Maybe Disney wanted a piece of that, but frankly it would be peanuts to the multi-billion dollar company.
While companies always want the cred, and possible profit, from associating with underground scenes, Disney has a family friendly, wholesome image, and appealing to hip college kids isn’t really their M.O.
But is this the company’s way of offering an olive branch to that world? If Disney is trying to look cool, vibey renditions of songs from “The Little Mermaid” is a strange way to go out about this goal.
