The Awardist Grammys Bridgerton-inspired TikTok viral hit wins Best Musical Theater Album at Grammys The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical is the first Grammy-winning album for a project originated on TikTok. By Calie Schepp Calie Schepp Calie Schepp is an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly, where she writes the script for EW's daily What to Watch podcast and covers a plethora of pop culture. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. EW's editorial guidelines Published on April 3, 2022 09:59PM EDT Even Lady Whistledown herself couldn't have predicted this exciting turn of events. The viral, Bridgerton-inspired, TikTok sensation "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical" is now a winner at the Grammy Awards. Creators Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow noted their unconventional path to the Grammy win in their acceptance speech. "A year ago when I asked the internet, 'What if 'Bridgerton' was a musical?' I could not have imagined we would be holding a Grammy in our hands," says Barlow. "We want to thank everyone on the internet who has watched us create this album from the ground up, we share this with you." The duo began writing songs based off of the hit Netflix drama "Bridgerton" during the pandemic. Speaking to EW in 2021, Barlow tells EW that she was initially "inspired by a line of dialogue in the TV show that really inspired me, and it was basically poetry the way the dialogue is written, so I wrote the first song, 'Ocean Away,' and that's how it came about." "It truly has every element you'd want for a Broadway show," added Bear. "Abigail texted me the night she started 'Ocean Away,' and was like, 'Oh, my God, Emily, what if Bridgerton was a musical?' and I had the same exact reaction as the rest of the world, which was, 'Oh, my God, yes.'" Bear and Barlow beat out powerhouse nominees like Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella, Les Misérables: The Staged Concert, the cast recording of Girl from the North Country, and Stephen Schwartz's Snapshots. Barlow thanked the fans once more for the collaboration and inspiration they provided, saying "They made this project soar by supporting two young women with a crazy dream and watching their journey every step of the way." Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films. Related Content: Stars hit the red carpet at the 2022 Grammy Awards Grammy Awards 2022: See the list of winners (updating live) Tony Bennett's sons on their dad's 2022 Grammys tribute and Lady Gaga friendship: 'They love each other'