This Girlboss Is Making Creativity Easier Than Ever for Teen Girls

Monica Barbaro loved working with Timothée Chalamet on 'A Complete Unknown.'

Monica revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that she met Timothée Chalamet a week before filming — and that he was already more-or-less in character. "The first time we met was a music rehearsal," she tells Brit + Co exclusively. "So we just really launched right into it, which was nice because I admired his work so much from afar and any level of intimidation that I may have had, I could just sort of funnel into music prep, which was great."

"It was a beautiful experience of getting to hear our voices harmonize as these characters and hear the accompaniment of our guitars," she continues. "And we were able to kind of like anchor ourselves in the music and have sort of a meeting of minds that was maybe a little more similar to Joan and Bob because they met in the music scene as already very proficient musicians. So that was a beautiful magical day. And then we like launched right into filming."

Monica Barbaro (who you'll recognize from Top Gun2) stars as musician Joan Baez, and even though Monica had to learn how to play guitar for the role, you'd never guess just by watching the film. She carries herself with such confidence and ease that I'd have believed she'd been playing her whole life. And the fact her voice sounds like a Disney princess is just the cherry on top.

"I'm not a singer, I didn't play guitar," she says. "So there was sort of this introductory level thing going on where I just had to figure out how to form my hands and in some way, I thought about how she might have done that at like 14, I think, when she first picked up guitar. But that was just like an overhaul of everything — I mean, all my time just poured into that training."

She was doing her own research, but also worked with vocal coach Eric Vetro, who's also worked with Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, and Shawn Mendes. "He encouraged me to consider what the lyrics of songs meant to her," Monica says. "Because the best musicians are storytellers and that's one of the best things about he renditions of these folk songs is you feel the story of the song."

And because of that, focusing on the lyrics "was also a part of the character development. So there were sort of siloed things like voice, guitar research, and then her speaking voice," she says. "And then all of those things started to just kind of like meld, you know. You have to play and sing at the same time and tell a story and do it from the perspective of Joan. And so so they just sort of over time kind of like bridged."

But no matter how much prep Monica, Timothée, and Elle Fanning (who stars as Sylvie Russo) did for the film, they still had to film in the middle of New York City, which came with its own set of 2024-specific challenges. "It was interesting to be filming and have people sneaking videos and posting them on the internet," she says, admitting that she "really just tried to turn all of that off to the best of my ability."

The film highlights the tension between celebrity and fame, considering we meet Bob Dylan right before he becomes, well, Bob Dylan. "It's a privilege to have to have so much attention and excitement on a project and I appreciate the intent, but you kind of just sort of turn it off a little bit and disengage," Monica says, "especially when you're talking about just a very different kind of fame in the sixties."

How Barlow And Bear's Bond Influences Their Art

“We have such a sacred sisterhood!” Abigail tells me over email. “We met and found musical soulmates in one another. It’s more than just special. It’s a once in a lifetime connection that laid an incredibly strong foundation for creation.”

“Most of my life I’ve been the only girl in the room writing with much older people,” Emily adds. “Honestly because Abigail and I are like sisters, it creates such a safe place to be vulnerable together and create without restraint. When writing for Moana 2, we leaned on that emotional connection to explore the complexities of the story and how much we see ourselves in Moana!”

And the empowering message of the film, which follows Moana’s journey through Oceania, actually influenced their art. “Every day that I worked on Moana, I was empowered to continuously choose who I wanted to be,” Abigail says. “A leader, a listener, and a learner. In being tasked to write for this movie, I was being asked to go past my comfort zones. I think by being completely open hearted to this experience, it allowed me clarity when crafting the lyric and melody with Emily.”

“Moana 2 is a story about finding strength through vulnerability, and that message became a huge theme in the music,” Emily says. “All our characters’ journeys reminded us to embrace our imperfections and trust the process of growth — no matter how painful it may seem in the moment. Moana is THAT girl. No one defines her but herself and writing for such an inspiring heroine FOR SURE inspired us right back.”

Why Abigail Barlow And Emily Bear Loved Working On 'Moana 2'

But considering the fact these two women are huge Disney fans (Abigail tells me her favorite Disney movies are The Little Mermaid and Frozen, while Emily loves Hercules and Mulan), one of the most inspiring details about their involvement is the fact that Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s Moana 2 score marks the first time a female duo has composed a Disney movie — and it’s a moment they don’t take for granted.

“I hope this shows [young girls] that their voices matter,” Emily says. “Growing up, I barely saw people who looked like me in roles like this, so being here now feels surreal. I want girls and women to know that their stories are powerful and deserve to be told. I really hope that Abigail and I can continue to open doors for more female creatives in film and music.”

And Abigail agrees. “I hope our story encourages young girls and women to forge their own path, and to never let anyone tell them they can’t do something.”

But this unbelievable experience didn’t come without its challenges. “Imposter syndrome is so real and a part of life for every single creative, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying,” Emily says.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the ride, trust the fall, and be so grateful for the opportunity to be a role model for any little girl who might have a song in her heart,” Abigail says. “It’s an absolute honor and privilege to show her that anything — even magic — is possible.”

And according to Emily, the challenge of imposter syndrome actually propels her forward. “I do feel like that little voice of self-doubt pushes me to do the best work I possibly can do…I zoom out and focus on the bigger picture: the little girls watching this movie and realizing they, too, can dream as big as they want.”

How Lin Manuel-Miranda Empowered Barlow And Bear

One friendly face that provided a soft place to land was actually the original movie’s composer, Lin Manuel-Miranda! To no one’s surprise, theIn The Heights and Hamilton writer had some wonderful advice for Barlow and Bear.

“He was such a wonderful resource especially at the inception of the project when we were just setting sail,” Emily jokes. “He urged us to lean into our heroes for inspiration!”

“He gave me a stack of books I needed to buy,” Abigail adds. “Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim, LYRICS by Oscar Hammerstein, Lyrics on Several Occasions by Ira Gershwin to name a few. He empowered me to study the craft of musical theatre storytelling in a way I never had before.”

And thanks to Barlow and Bear, a whole new generation of young women will dream about musical theatre storytelling now too!

Selena Gomez is engaged! And she's all smiles in the announcement.

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A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Selena Gomez posted four photos to Instagram celebrating her engagement to Benny Blanco, and captioned the post (which begins with a close-up of her amazing engagement ring), "forever begins now.." The post also includes a photo of Selena wearing a fur coat and jeans during a picnic, an overjoyed selfie, and a shot of Benny with his arms around her.

Of course, friends and fans flooded the comments with congratulations, led by Benny himself. "hey wait… that’s my wife," he said. "yes I will be the flower girl," Taylor Swift commented.

Nina Dobrev (who recently got engaged herself to Shaun White) commented with plenty of emojis, saying, "YES !!!! Congratulations!!!!! So happy for you both!!!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍‼️" while Selena's official Rare Beauty account commented, "CONGRATULATIONS 🥹💍 so happy for you two!!"

While we won't know details about Selena Gomez's wedding for quite some time (if she chooses to share them), we do know one thing: she's keeping her last name. "I’m not changing my name no matter what,” she said in a September interview with Vanity Fair. “I am Selena Gomez. That’s it.”

The "Lose You To Love Me" singer added that she's "never been loved this way," and called Benny "a complete light in my life" before adding that "he’s my best friend [and] I love telling him everything.”

The internet (and the paparazzi) have focused on Selena's relationships since she began dating Justin Bieber in 2010. Despite the intense scrutiny, the actress has found ways to both speak honestly about her desire for relationships (like in 2020's "Boyfriend") and have fun with her singleness too (like with 2023's "Single Soon").

Selena went viral in June of 2023 when she sat on a field watching a soccer game and called to the players to let them know she was single at the time. "I'm just a little high maintenance but I'll love you so much," she said. Looks like you don't have to sit on any more soccer fields Selena!