The Little Mermaid is finally getting a live-action film this year.
For this edition, American singer-songwriter Halle Bailey and English actor Johan Hauer-King will star as Ariel and Prince Eric. Directed by Rob Marshall, the iconic Disney adaptation will be accompanied by the award-winning music of Alan Menkel. The live-action version has also enlisted Lin Manuel Miranda to write new songs alongside Menkel, including 'For The First Time'.
Written in 1986 by Menkel and famed lyricist Howard Ashman for the 1989 animated film, The Little Mermaid, the song is given new life by Halle for the live-action adaptation. Since the original movie's release, various international versions have emerged for their dubbed versions.
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This time, Disney has tapped numerous Asian acts to reimagine the iconic anthem. Ahead of the global release of the film on 26 May 2023, we take a look at the Asian artists behind the voice of Ariel – from NewJeans' Danielle to Thai singer-songwriter BOWKYLION.
NewJeans' Danielle
Taking a breather from breaking records with NewJeans, Danielle shows fans a new side of herself as she sings and voices Ariel in the Korean dub of The Little Mermaid.
The Korean-Australian artist made her debut in 2022 with ADOR girl group NewJeans. Since then, the group has garnered global success with their music, breaking into the mainstream with massive singles 'Hype Boy,' 'Ditto,' and 'OMG'. Aside from performing, Danielle has also dabbled in songwriting, co-writing NewJeans' surprise debut release, 'Attention'.
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Watch Danielle with her version of 'Part Of Your World' here.
Yichun Shan
Rising Gen Z star Yichun Shan sings and voices Ariel in the China release of The Little Mermaid. A member of global pop act Lay Zhang's "music alliance" D.N.A., the singer recently dropped a solo single titled 'Oh lala'. Together with platinum record producer Bijan, the young artist showcases her R&B style in her first English release. Earlier this year, she took part in 'Cypher I' alongside Lay Zhang, GALI, Danko, Lin, and Boogie Wang.
For the Chinese release of the live-action film, the singer also performed her versions of 'Part Of Your World (Reprise),' 'Part Of Your World (Reprise II),' and 'For The First Time'.
BOWKYLION
Thai pop artist BOWKYLION welcomes a new chapter as she embraces the role of Ariel in the Thai release of The Little Mermaid. Marking the first time to work as a voice actor, BOWKYLION shares the challenges she faced in dubbing and recording the for the Thai version of the live-action film. In an Instagram post, she also writes about how happy she is to be cast by Disney in this role, especially because she never even dared to dream about voicing such a beloved character.
Born Pichsinee Veerasuthimas, the artist goes by her pseudonym BOWKYLION for both her music and acting credits.
Listen to her rendition here, as well as the full version of the Thai soundtrack below.
Erika Toyohara
Singer-actress Erika Toyohara stars as Ariel in the Japanese-dubbed version of The Little Mermaid. She made her acting and singing debut in Annie , the musical in 2008, and studied in New York before moving to Japan.
Ahead of the live-action film's release in Japan, the Toyohara, alongside the rest of the cast, performed the soundtrack live at a live event in Fukuoka.
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Toyohara recently starred in the stage play adaptation of Japanese manga series, Jujutsu Kaisen.
Check out her version of 'Part Of Your World' here.
Janice Yan
Singer Janice Yan is the voice of Ariel in for the Taiwanese release. Born in China, and raised in Singapore and Hong Kong, Yan emerged victorious at the Taiwanese TV singing competition One Million Star: Star Legend in 2010. Now based in Taiwan, the singer dives into the world of voice acting as she returns with her take on The Little Mermaid's 'Part Of Your World'.
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In an Instagram post, she shares her experience in recording the theme song, as well as dubbing the song for the live action film. "The real-life version of the movie Little Mermaid is really good!" she writes.
Duyên Quỳnh
Singer and voice talent Duyên Quỳnh is back for another Disney project. This time, the champion of singing competitions Love Storyteller 2019 and Shining Double Star will be starring as the voice of Ariel in Nàng Tiên Cá(The Little Mermaid). Prior to this casting, the singer has performed songs in Vietnamese releases of Frozen 2 and Encanto.
For this edition, the singer performs 'Trần Gian Mộng Mơ (Part Of Your World),' two reprise versions of the song, as well as 'Lần Đầu Nơi Ta Đến (For The First Time)'.
The Vietnamese release also features a full soundtrack with the cast such as Hoàng Thiên, Thanh Hiền, Hồ Hoàng Ngọc, and more.
Listen to the soundtrack of The Little Mermaid (2023) here.
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