Rachel Zegler and Dave Cobb Explore the Music of ‘Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ From Why She Sang Live On-Set to How the Smiths Figured In
variety.comA.D. Amorosi With Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” looking to continue its reign at the top spot of the box office, it’s time to consider the most sonorous secret to its success: its original, bluegrass-tinted song selection, including a theme written and produced by Dave Cobb (with lyrics from “Hunger Games” author Suzanne Collins), and sung soulfully by the film’s star, Rachel Zegler.
Reaching back to the 2020 prequel novel by Suzanne Collins that the movie is based on, Zegler points out how clearly Appalachian Lucy was, and how her accent exists in that vernacular throughout the duration of the novel, something that was destined to carry over into the music. “District 12, where we exist canonically, lies in North Carolina and the Appalachian Mountains,” says Zegler, speaking from New York. “I’m glad Francis (Lawrence, the director) wanted to explore that — he even sent me the trailer for ‘The Coal Miner’s Daughter’ to give me an idea about the accent — but more so that Suzanne was passionate about it musically, as she used to be a country music DJ.” Cobb’s songs and production techniques added the perfect touch as Zegler was a fan of the producer-writer’s work with Dolly Parton and John Prine.
Between that, and the additional influences of 1930s and 40s music that Cobb brought to “Hunger Games,” Zegler’s vocal game was changed for the better.
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