Someone Great director breaks down her favorite songs from the epic soundtrack

“I find myself dancing to the movie every time I watch it.”

Writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is the woman behind Netflix’s Someone Great, a movie about friendship, heartbreak, and navigating both in New York City. Specifically, Someone Great stars Gina Rodriguez as Jenny, a twentysomething who turns to her best friends, played by Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise, after her boyfriend of nine years ends things. With one week left before she moves across the country, Jenny decides to spend an epic final night with her girls.

There’s a lot to love about the film, including its amazing soundtrack, which features the likes of Lizzo, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Frank Ocean, and more. “What’s so fun about being able to put music to picture in that way and use music in that way is it’s like I get to create my own little mixtape and give it to people, and I love doing that,” Robinson tells EW. “I love creating playlists.”

When it came to Someone Great, Robinson says, ”I knew that the soundtrack had to be very specific, and the perfect blend of things like ‘Int’l Players Anthem’ with ‘The Jump Off.’” Below, Robinson highlights some of her favorite tracks from the film.

“Dope” and “Great One,” by Jessie Reyez
“I knew I wanted Jessie Reyez to be in the movie. I knew I wanted ‘Dope,’ which is the fun, upbeat song. And then I heard ‘Great One,’ and I remember being in the tech scout van right before we started shooting. I was listening to ‘Great One’ and laying out a scene for the [director of photography], and it just clicked. It’s like synesthesia, but with seeing scenes of movies. I hear music and I see scenes instead of colors.”

“Saturdays,” by Twin Shadow feat. Haim
“‘Saturdays’ came after the fact. We put it in when we were editing the movie, and it just brought the thing to life.”

“Moon River (cover),” by Frank Ocean
“‘Moon River’ is a big one for me. It dropped the Valentine’s Day right before we started shooting, and I heard it and I was like, ‘What do I have to do to put this song in the movie?’ So much of Somoene Great is me pulling from all the things that I love, and especially the New York things that I love, and what song is more iconic in terms of the lexicon of New York romantic movies? So that was a big one that I knew I wanted.”

“Supercut,” by Lorde
“‘Supercut’ was something I always knew I wanted. ‘Supercut’ was written into the script.”

“Your Best American Girl,” by Mitski
“‘Your Best American Girl’ might be my favorite sync in the movie. It’s also my favorite scene in the movie,” Robinson says, referencing the sex scene right after Jenny and Nate’s big fight. “That scene just rips my heart out, and it was a very, very, very important scene to me.”

“Truth Hurts,” by Lizzo, and “Karaoke,” by Big Freedia feat. Lizzo
“I love Lizzo so much she’s in there twice. I think she is a queen of all queens.”

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• Someone Great writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is one to watch
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• Gina Rodriguez has one last epic New York City night in Someone Great trailer