“We have over 400 new tracks due for release”: Jenny Roberts on Hasbro’s expansive music plans

Jenny, thanks for making time! You’re Senior Manager for Music at Hasbro. It sounds like an exciting role – what does it involve?
My role is to expand Hasbro’s beloved brands through music content. Through our close collaboration with Sony Magic Star, I help to build our listenership by growing music across Hasbro’s portfolio of iconic brands and ensuring music is activated across all global brand marketing and consumer touchpoints.

What do you see as the key benefit to music extensions and activations for your brands?
Enriching our music offerings allows us to take our brands to new heights. With a wealth of fun new music, we’re sure to deliver singable, danceable and lovable tunes for fans and families everywhere to enjoy.

And right now, we have the largest content pipeline to date with over 400 new tracks due for release across PEPPA PIG, TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY and more. It’s an exciting time to be a part of Hasbro’s music division to bring audiences something new and fresh to complement their favourite characters and stories.

“We’re excited to debut Peppa’s Party: The Album to kids and families across the globe.”

I’d imagine you could go in all sorts of directions when bringing IP into music. What guides your process for identifying these types of opportunities for Hasbro brands?
When identifying music opportunities for Hasbro, we always want to make sure they align with the heart and soul of each brand they represent. For example, the essence of PEPPA PIG is light-hearted, fun and cheeky, while inspiring a powerful confidence in children. The elements of the brand should translate through the music that we put out there so that they naturally connect to the brand’s true roots.

There must be some brilliantly creative – and potentially left field! – opportunities when it comes to bringing your IP into music. Do any projects come to mind as being especially creative ways of extending a brand?
Timed to the brand’s 20th anniversary this year, we’re excited to debut Peppa’s Party: The Album to kids and families across the globe. As the franchise’s fifth studio release, the album brings a fresh pop vibe with celebratory tracks, danceable numbers and electrifying remixes – taking the spirit of PEPPA PIG up a notch through this ultimate party soundtrack.

The project allowed us to dabble our creativity in new and elevated ways. We wanted to go big for PEPPA PIG’S 20th anniversary and showcase why the brand has seen so much success over the years. With eight dynamic tracks – including a standout cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’, the crowd-pleasing ‘Piggle Wiggle’ and revamped classics like ‘It’s Peppa Pig’ – these oinktastic tunes are bound to get everyone moving and singing along.

A month of Peppa content and that might be our first use of ‘oinktastic’. You should get a prize! And I’ll put a link to the Roar cover below so folks can check that out.

How did that cover come about?
Katy Perry has already been involved with PEPPA PIG by voicing a character in our three-part Wedding Party special, which debuted earlier this year. Plus, she’s a self-proclaimed Peppa fan! We’ve been working with the international superstar for a while now, so creating a cover of one of her smash hits was an organic extension to our relationship.

And out of all of her hits, why ‘Roar’?
The sentiment of the track aligns perfectly with the values of the PEPPA PIG franchise – helping pre-school children exude confidence as they tackle life’s first experiences. It’s about finding your voice, knowing yourself and standing your ground – no matter how young or small you are! The original track already had such powerful lyrics, and we were able to cleverly add words to fit young audiences and Peppa fans, such as “Even the littlest pig can have the loudest ROAR” and “A little confidence goes a long way.” At the end of the day, PEPPA PIG is about helping kids build confidence, and this song perfectly fits that mold.

You mentioned earlier that Peppa’s Party is Peppa’s fifth album… She makes Adele look like a slacker! What goes into crafting an album for a character?
I think what makes great music for kids is first based on the topic. Is the song educational or story-based? Or does it aim to encourage physical activity? It’s important to ground each song in the theme we’re trying to portray. Additionally, we dive into the genre of music and the instruments and sounds we use to tell the entire story of each track. Most importantly, we want to ensure that PEPPA PIG music speaks to our primary pre-school audience – they want to hear and enjoy upbeat songs with catchy choruses and plenty of repetition!

Jenny, thanks again for taking time out for this. I have one last question – and it’s an important one… Have you got a favourite track from one of these albums? We’ll share it here!
I really love some of our latest Peppa tracks, including the lofi remixes, which are a great twist on some of the classic songs ‘Bing Bong’ and ‘Rainbow Rainbow’. And, of course, ‘Roar’ by Peppa, it’s in my head all day!