If you think Bridgerton is about corsets, scandalous glances, or that bathtub scene everyone won’t stop whispering about, you’re only half right. The real star of Season 4—the element that will actually destroy you emotionally—is the music. Specifically, the way music supervisor Justin Kamps has weaponized your favorite pop songs, turning them into string quartet masterpieces that hit like a freight train made of feelings.
Remember when you tweeted, DM’d, and possibly sky-wrote your desperate plea for Taylor Swift’s “Enchanted” to appear in this show? Kamps saw you. All of you. He saw the fan campaigns, the YouTube compilations, the increasingly unhinged comments sections. “Anytime I was posting about Season 3’s music, there were all these people just retweeting the YouTube video of this song or being like, ‘You have one job,'” he laughs. So he did it.
He put “Enchanted” in Season 4. But here’s the twist—he didn’t put it where you expected. Instead of the masquerade ball meet-cute (which would have been too obvious), he saved it for that moment when Benedict shows up at Penwood House and Sophie sees him through the door. You know the one. The yearning. The restraint. The absolute agony of almost-but-not-quite. Kamps admits it gets him “a little misty-eyed” every time, and if you’re not similarly affected, you might want to check if your heart is still beating.
But Kamps wasn’t done playing with our emotions. He’s been manifesting Olivia Rodrigo’s inclusion since Season 2, back when he was already declaring her songwriting perfect for string arrangements. This season, her track “bad idea right?” scores the moment when Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress—which, if you’ve read the books or have functioning eyes, you know is a pivotal turning point.
Kamps describes it as having “this manic, crazy fiddle that’s going on that really builds,” which is really just a fancy way of saying it sounds exactly like making terrible romantic decisions in a staircase while hoping no one catches you.
The Season 4 soundtrack is basically a masterclass in emotional manipulation disguised as entertainment. Coldplay’s “Life in Technicolor” plays when Sophie arrives at that first ball, and suddenly you’re remembering every time you’ve walked into a room hoping to change your life. Usher and Pitbull’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” becomes a dance number because Kamps apparently has a personal vendetta against letting any season pass without a Pitbull reference (respect).
Third Eye Blind’s “Never Let You Go” soundtracks Queen Charlotte being absolutely unhinged and forbidding Lady Danbury from leaving Mayfair, which is the energy we all need in our lives.
Episode 5 gives us Charli XCX’s “360” during Hyacinth’s practice ball, and Kamps recorded it early specifically so the choreographer could plot out dance moves. This is the level of dedication we’re dealing with here. Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” plays while Francesca and Michaela’s friendship sparks and Benedict and Sophie engage in that classic Bridgerton activity of staring at each other from across rooms with enough intensity to set furniture on fire.
Kamps heard this song at an early listening session for her album and immediately declared it “the perfect Bridgerton song,” which is really just him saying he has excellent taste (he does).
But then—and this is where Kamps shows he’s truly evil—he follows up the passion with Sting’s “Fields of Gold” in Episode 6. If you know, you know. If you don’t, prepare yourself. This plays during Francesca and John Stirling’s final ball together before everything changes, and Kamps admits it’s “going to be heartbreaking” for book readers. He says people will want to hear it again immediately after, which is true, but also, how dare he make us feel things?
Episode 7 contains no pop covers at all, out of respect for grief and the emotional devastation of the previous episode. This is the kind of restraint that makes the rest of the musical choices hit even harder.
By Episode 8, we’ve earned some release. Camila Cabello’s “Never Be the Same” scores that bathtub scene (yes, THAT one), and Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met”—another fan-requested favorite—plays during Benedict and Sophie’s official first dance. Kamps points out that while the original lyrics are bittersweet, this cover allows for reflection on how things might have been different if they’d made different choices sooner. It’s full-circle storytelling with violins, which is really the only way to end a season properly.
So pour yourself something strong, queue up that playlist, and prepare to feel absolutely feral about string arrangements for the next several weeks. Your Spotify Wrapped is about to look very interesting.
Ready to swoon? Stream Bridgerton Season 4 exclusively on Netflix and follow along with Bridgerton: The Official Podcast for even more behind-the-scenes magic.
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