ET chats with Carolina Gaitan about 'We Don't Talk About Bruno's success.
We are talking about Carolina Gaitán, oh, yes, yes, yes!
The 37-year-old Colombian entertainer has skyrocketed to success with the release of Disney’s Encanto. Gaitán, who voices the character Pepa Madrigal in the animated film, is also shattering records after her song, "We Don't Talk About Bruno," reached the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Global 200 charts. Plus, it’s also become a viral hit on TikTok.
"It's crazy! It's absolutely unbelievable. It's surreal, it's magical realism. It's happiness in the whole meaning of the word," Gaitán tells ET’s Deidre Behar about the song's success. "To be just at the same time tagged with Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran. It's crazy. I think it's the work of more than 20 years working in my country as an actress and singer. It's important just to continue doing it, to celebrate. And of course, to tell everyone that I am part of 'We Don't Talk About Bruno.'"
Encanto centers around the Madrigal family, who live in an enchanted town in the mountains of Colombia. While each family member has their own unique magical powers, Maribel (Stephanie Beatriz) is the only one without a special power. However, when the family's magic is under threat, she may be the only one able to save them.
The film and its catchy music is definitely enchanting fans around the world. And with Lin-Manuel Miranda behind the music, it's a sure hit!
"I really love the song from the first moment and I really love that it's not reggaeton…This is so much more. This is salsa music. This is cha cha cha. This is different rhythms, and then with this mix, this amazing mix that Lin-Manuel Miranda does with this hip hop vibes," she adds. "It's such a huge song. I didn't know this was going to happen. It's amazing and also it's such a great team that is behind this piece."
Life has been pretty sweet for Gaitán, who expresses that "everything" has changed for her, with people loving "We Don't Talk About Bruno" so much. "This is a phenomenon. This is an obsession around the world!"
It's definitely been a sensation on TikTok, to which she says, "I think because the song has so much creativity behind [it] and TikTok is about creativity, it's the perfect match!" The singer also loves the platform and while she says she's "not a dancer," she loves to dance and has fun doing her own TikTok videos to the song.
The timing and success of Encanto also works well with Gaitán's own endeavors, as she has a new song coming up titled "I Am Bolero." "It's salsa, but at the same time it's Spanglish and it's super, super, super joyable and you can dance to it. So I cannot wait to share it with you!"
And that's not all! The icing on the cake came this week when Encanto was officially Oscar-nominated, landing nods in three categories; Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score and Best Original song for "Dos Oruguitas."
"This is crazy. I feel so humbled and so honored and so excited because, oh my god, three nominations, three Oscar nominations," she exclaims. "And then 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' is first place on Billboard and it's insane. It's surreal, but it's magical as Disney. So being part of this magic is really, really, really huge for me."
While she was expecting Encanto to be nominated for Animated Feature, seeing it score the two other nominations was "amazing." She also understands why "Dos Oruguitas" was chosen to represent the film, saying, it's "definitely the part where the drama" occurs and represents Colombians. "And it's very important to tell about the displacement and tell about the loss, and this is the part where we do it. So it's a very important part of the movie. And I definitely love the song as well. And Sebastián Yatra, we all as Colombians love him. So I'm happy for them."
ET had previously spoken to Yatra about "Dos Oruguitas" receiving critical acclaim, after it was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
"It's just magical like Disney, es un encanto estar ahí," Yatra expressed. "'Dos Oruguitas' has literally just been a gift in my life [that] god has sent me and the universe, and I'm grateful. There's so many amazing people they could have chose to perform this song, and the fact that they called me, it's just part of my dharma, of my destiny."
Gaitán, on her end, also says that Encanto's major moment is not only exciting for her but, more importantly, for the Latinx community.
"As Colombian, we have been telling a difficult story for many years and even in the art pieces and in everything," Gaitán expresses, sharing how while the show Narcos has been a success, she felt like Colombia was always telling the same story. "But we are so much more than that. We are astronomy. We are music. We are brave people, but sensitive people, but human. And finally we have this chance. So I cannot wait to just be there and celebrate, because this is more than an award. I think this is inclusion. This is diversity, and this is the possibility to represent all this."
Encanto is now streaming on Disney+.
RELATED CONTENT:
