Song selection is more than just finding a catchy tune—it’s vital in the quest for Olympic glory. Consider this: If you were competing on the sport's biggest stage, how would you want the world to see you?
The speakers at The Skating Club of Boston blasted Lady Gaga’s “911” and “Rain on Me” last August as Mariah Bell glided across the ice during a dynamic short program for the Cranberry Cup International, choreographed by Cordero Zuckerman (aka drag queen Denali Foxx) and Adam Rippon (the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in figure skating’s team event). It wasn’t the first time Bell had used upbeat, dance-pop songs in competition—her programs in previous years were backed by Britney Spears, ABBA and P!nk—but as the Beijing Games neared, the ’22 U.S. national champion knew she needed to make a switch.
“It was so fun, but ultimately it’s just not in my wheelhouse,” says Bell, 25, from Tulsa. “This is an Olympic year, so everybody is trying to play to their strengths, and everybody has something different that they skate well to. For me, it’s definitely a slower song.”
Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports; Illustrations by Michael Byers
Many skaters spend the three years between Olympic seasons experimenting with different types of music, so by the time the next Winter Games arrive, they know which songs and choreography best showcase their strengths.
The music selection process involves a lot of trial and error, but ultimately, a crucial decision has to be made.
“I feel like 99% of the people who are watching skating at the Olympics, it’s either the first time they’ve watched it in four years—or ever,” says Rippon. “How do you encapsulate 20 years of work into four minutes and show: This is who I am, this represents my career, this represents me as a person?”
The approach for finding the right music is a bit different for each skater. Some lean on their coaches for suggestions, while others spend hours scrolling through Spotify for something that simply feels right. Bell says her choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne “has this huge vault of music somewhere” that she often pulls from. It wasn’t until last April that she stumbled upon her current short program track, “River Flows in You,” by South Korean composer Yiruma, while browsing YouTube for beginner pieces to play on the piano she received for her birthday.
When searching for tunes, skaters also evaluate the tempo, the way the music builds and flows to create tension or drama, and how choreographed moments of rest and recovery fit into the piece. The judges’ impressions are also considered, including potential reactions to the lyrics: After a rule change in 2018, the competition in Beijing will mark only the second Olympics at which skaters are permitted to use songs with words in their routines.
But above all, says 2018 U.S. Olympian Vincent Zhou, the skater must feel relaxed and at ease. In his case, for the ’22 Games, that means returning to a familiar tune from his bronze medal performance at the ’19 world championships: “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” composed by Tan Dun.
“It just felt so comfortable right away, like putting on an old-favorite pair of shoes,” says the 21-year-old from San Jose, adding that his free skate music is not only “culturally appropriate for the setting of the Olympics” but also a reflection of his Chinese American heritage.
It isn’t uncommon for skaters to switch music or choreography midway through an Olympic season if they feel a program isn’t a reflection of their best work. Karen Chen, who placed 11th at the 2018 Olympics, initially chose “La cena” by Ennio Morricone for her short program this season. She says she had a connection with the “beautifully dark” piece, but after skating to it at a few competitions, she felt it was negatively affecting her performances.
“I really immerse myself into the music, and I really feel the emotions,” she says. “I felt really sad and unmotivated and almost depressed when I skated to it because I really felt the emotions of the music. I realized that it wasn’t a good fit for a short program this year. I wanted something a little more upbeat.”
A few weeks before the ‘22 national championships, Chen returned to Escala’s “Requiem For A Tower,” which she first used as a junior in 2015, and the change paid off. She finished second behind Bell and punched her ticket to Beijing.
Once skaters cut and finalize music to fit their programs, they listen to it over and over every day during training. Rippon estimates he heard his music “at least 2,000 times” in the lead-up to his performance in PyeongChang, and, though he retired from skating in November 2018, he still gets “thrown back into those competitive mindsets” when he hears his Olympic pieces.
“It becomes part of you,” Rippon says. “You rely on it. You know those notes by heart.”