Ghostlight Records Releases New Single “LOSER GEEK WHATEVER” from Joe Iconis’ BE MORE CHILL

Ghostlight Records Releases New Single "LOSER GEEK WHATEVER" from Joe Iconis' BE MORE CHILL 1 Ghostlight Records has announced the release of “Loser Geek Whatever” – the brand-new single from the Broadway-bound musical sensation BE MORE CHILL – performed by its acclaimed star, Will Roland. “Loser Geek Whatever” was written for the recent Off Broadway production and proved to be a popular fan favorite and the show’s breakout showstopper. The 3-track release, now available on all digital and streaming platforms, includes the “Loser Geek Whatever” single, plus the instrumental track and a special acoustic version featuring Will Roland and Joe Iconis. “Loser Geek Whatever” is produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen. This release marks the first new recorded music from BE MORE CHILL in three years, a period during which the original recording became one of the most streamed cast albums of all time. To download or stream the new single, please visit: https://ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/bmc-losergeekwhateverPR

Ghostlight Records has announced the release of “Loser Geek Whatever” – the brand-new single from the Broadway-bound musical sensation BE MORE CHILL – performed by its acclaimed star, Will Roland. “Loser Geek Whatever” was written for the recent Off Broadway production and proved to be a popular fan favorite and the show’s breakout showstopper. The 3-track release, now available on all digital and streaming platforms, includes the “Loser Geek Whatever” single, plus the instrumental track and a special acoustic version featuring Will Roland and Joe Iconis. “Loser Geek Whatever” is produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen. This release marks the first new recorded music from BE MORE CHILL in three years, a period during which the original recording became one of the most streamed cast albums of all time. To download or stream the new single, please visit: https://ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/bmc-losergeekwhateverPR

Composer-lyricist Joe Iconis explains, “‘Loser Geek Whatever’ took me three years to write. Or three days. Depending on how you look at it. I knew I wanted a big Act One closer for our protagonist Jeremy Heere when BE MORE CHILL was at Two River Theater in 2015, but I was never able to crack the moment. When we returned to the show this past summer Off Broadway, being in a rehearsal process with the creative team and our brilliant leading man Will Roland allowed me to finally put pen to paper and write the song. Charlie Rosen created a glorious arrangement that has the swagger of a Golden Age musical theater number reimagined as a maximalist synth-pop fantasia. My longtime collaborator Ian Kagey recorded and mixed this killer single that I cannot wait to unleash on the world.”

Producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper adds, “The most electric moment of our rehearsal process for the Off-Broadway production of Be More Chill was when the song was first brought into the studio. As Will tore into this thrilling new Joe Iconis anthem, it was clear we had an important solo moment for Jeremy that would bring the show to another level. Audiences cheered for it every night, and then spent intermission asking if they could buy it – but it hadn’t been recorded yet. Until now! We can’t wait for listeners to finally experience it as we release the first new official BE MORE CHILL track since the original cast album.”

The BE MORE CHILL Original Cast Recording, based on the 2015 Two River Theater production, is available on CD and vinyl, as well as all digital and streaming platforms.

Following an acclaimed off-Broadway run this summer, BE MORE CHILL will begin performances at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) on Wednesday, February 13. The official opening night is Sunday evening, March 10. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com. BE MORE CHILL features music and lyrics by Joe Iconis (NBC’s “Smash,” The Black Suits, Broadway Bounty Hunter) and a book by Joe Tracz (The Lightning Thief, Netflix’s “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”), based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini. Stephen Brackett (Buyer & Cellar) directs and Chase Brock (HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) choreographs. For more information about BE MORE CHILL, visit www.BeMoreChillMusical.com.

A hit with fans and critics alike, The New York Times hailed BE MORE CHILL as “one of the most popular new musicals in America.” The Wall Street Journal calls BE MORE CHILL “a delight with a pop rock score, written by Joe Iconis, that is unfailingly lively and fresh. The cast is engaging without limit.” The Guardian praised its “witty, resonant, and often lacerating lyrics” and “hearty, charismatic performances,” with Billboard raving “Joe Iconis is one of Broadway’s next great songwriters.” NY1 TV said “Joe Iconis’ score is quite winning, especially the more tunefully intimate numbers,” with Vox declaring “the second act-showstopper is shaping up to be the ‘On My Own’ of Generation Z.” According to AM New York, “With pop-rock show tunes that raise the roof, and high-powered acting performances, the production is a raucous good time, with a gleefully silly, hyperkinetic air that invades its every facet.”

The original cast album — produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen — was one of the driving forces that inspired a passionate community of BE MORE CHILL fans around the world, helping to bring the musical to its New York debut production. Before ever premiering on a New York stage BE MORE CHILL amassed an unprecedented following across various online platforms, with millions of fans from Brazil to Japan to New Jersey sharing fan art, streaming the album, and talking about the show. The cast recording, which has racked up over 200 million streams worldwide, entered the Billboard “Broadway Top Ten” chart in its 97th week of release and is one of the only shows to enter the top 10 prior to a New York run. In 2017, Tumblr ranked BE MORE CHILL as the #2 most talked-about musical on its platform, following Hamilton.

What if popularity came in a pill? Would you take it, no questions asked? In BE MORE CHILL, achieving that elusive “perfect life” is now possible thanks to some mysterious new technology – but it comes at a cost that’s not as easy to swallow. What could possibly go wrong? Blending the contemporary with retro sci-fi, this thrillingly exciting, comically subversive, and deeply felt new musical takes on the competing voices in all of our heads. And ultimately proves, there’s never been a better time in history to be yourself – especially if you’re a loser…geek…or whatever.

BE MORE CHILL had its world premiere in an extended run at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ. The show is licensed by R&H Theatricals.

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JOE ICONIS (Music & Lyrics) is a writer and performer. As a composer – lyricist – book writer, he has authored the musicals Be More Chill (Two River Theater), Broadway Bounty Hunter (Barrington Stage Company), Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova), The Black Suits (Center Theater Group), ReWrite (Urban Stages), Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We the People, and the currently in development Hunter S. Thompson Musical (for La Jolla Playhouse), and Love in Hate Nation. Joe’s songs appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “Smash” and The New York Times called him “the future of musical theater.” His concert act, Joe Iconis and Family, frequently plays Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Weston Playhouse, and other venues around the country. He has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, a Jonathan Larson Award, an ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, a Doris Duke Grant, and a MAC John Wallowitch Songwriting Award. Joe is deliriously inspired by Robert Altman, Dolly Parton, Martin Scorsese, Sardi’s, The Rolling Stones, whiskey, The Muppets, and The Family of artists he frequently surrounds himself with. www.MrJoeIconis.com

JOE TRACZ (Book) is a playwright and screenwriter. His musical Poster Boy (with composer Craig Carnelia) premiered at Williamstown Theater Festival, and his musical adaptation of the first book in the Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief (with composer Rob Rokicki) received Lortel and Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical and Book, and will soon be launching a national tour. Joe is currently a writer/producer on Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” He is an alumnus of the Ars Nova Play Group, a former Playwrights Realm writing fellow, and, with Two River Theater and Joe Iconis, a recipient of a 2015 Doris Duke Foundation Commissioning Grant. He has a BA from Kalamazoo College and an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

NED VIZZINI (Original Novel) (1981-2013) was the bestselling author of the acclaimed young-adult books It’s Kind of a Funny Story (also a major motion picture), The Other Normals, Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah…. He wrote for The New York Times, Salon, and The New Yorker. In television, he wrote for MTV’s “Teen Wolf.” His work has been translated into 25 languages.

ABOUT GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS

GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS has become the leading independent force in Original Broadway Cast Recordings – building a library of over 200 records over the past 18 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway’s brightest stars. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Ghostlight has won Grammy Awards for The Book of Mormon, In the Heights, and Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Recent notable cast recordings include the 2018 Tony winner for Best Musical, The Band’s Visit, and the blockbuster viral sensation Be More Chill. Ghostlight has also released solo albums from Patti LuPone, Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster, Billy Porter, and more. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theatre composers and has developed extensive relationships with Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, and David Yazbek, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek & Paul, Tom Kitt, Joe Iconis, and Shaina Taub. Ghostlight Records is part of the Arts Music division at Warner Music Group.