The Barbie movie was an unstoppable cultural force in 2023, so it makes sense that the creators would want to put out one more piece of branded media before the end of the year.
Ryan Gosling, who played Ken in the blockbuster film, released Ken The EP with producer Mark Ronson on Wednesday, Dec. 20. It contains four different versions of the Grammy-nominated track "I'm Just Ken," which the pair initially recorded for the Barbie the Album soundtrack released alongside the movie this summer.
The new EP contains four versions of the Grammy-nominated track 'I'm Just Ken.'
In addition to the original, there's a holiday version called "Merry Kristmas Barbie," an acoustic cover called "In My Feelings" and a dance edition of the track remixed by the German producer Purple Disco Machine.
Atlantic Records also released a music video for the Christmas track, which shows Gosling and Ronson reenacting their creative process in a holiday-themed studio while surrounded by a group of session musicians. The song has a lush string section and jingling bells that further the wintry theme.
Fans were loving the holiday song in the comment section on YouTube. "Thanks for this version. One that we didn't know we needed it, but that we will love for sure. Great job," one person said. "The world can have Ken's voice, but only Barbie can have his eyes," said another. "Give Ryan the Oscar, now!"
Barbie received 10 nominations for this year's Golden Globe Awards. Gosling got a Best Supporting Actor nod. "I’m Just Ken" was nominated for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture. The track received a similar Grammy nomination for the Best Song Written for Visual Media award. The album received the Soundtrack of the Year award at Variety's annual Hitmakers brunch earlier this month.
'Barbie' took the nation by storm this summer alongisde 'Oppenheimer.'
"To 'Ken' is to give more than is necessary or required to reflect so that others might shine. I don’t know how to better describe Mark Ronson better than that," Gosling said before presenting a trophy to the producer at the event.
Ronson lauded the movie and its creators in his subsequent acceptance speech.
"I was so in love with Greta Gerwig and her vision that if she told me to put fly posters that said 'Barbie' up and down the West Side Highway, I probably would have done that as well," he said. "It was a joy to sit with all these artists and watch them as they watched clips of the film for the first time. And I would see their eyes literally widen as they were being sucked into Greta’s heartfelt technicolor brilliant vision."
The movie has been nominated for 10 Golden Globe awards.
The producer has worked with a wide array of iconic artists including everyone from Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga to Paul McCartney and Queens of the Stone Age.
Ronson may be best known for his work on Amy Winehouse's album Back to Black, which earned him a Grammy award for Producer of the Year in 2006, and his chart-topping single "Uptown Funk" featuring vocals from Bruno Mars. The song spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
