YouTube Originals launches November 18th Behind the Beats, a novel animated pop music anthology series produced by French TeamTO and 22D Music Group in collaboration with France Télévisions, the French public broadcaster.
Episodes 1-4 of the Pop Romance Tale will also appear on the YouTube Kids app, YouTube Originals Kids & Family announced Wednesday
YouTube and TeamTO exclusively shared first look images from the series diversity.
The deal sees YouTube launch the series worldwide, but with a one-year delay in French, where France Télévisions has exclusivity for the first window.
“This new animated music series from TeamTO is perfect for family co-viewing and fills a gap for parents who want to watch something they really enjoy with their kids,” said Craig Hunter, Global Head of Kids & Family Originals for YouTube.
Currently spanning a first season of 26 five-minute episodes, Behind the Beats tells the story of how talented musicians with radically different styles came together to create a new genre or movement.
For example, in Disco Meets Punk: A Story of New Wave, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein meet Donna Summer and composer Girgio Moroder at Studio 54 while I Feel Love charts. They decide to merge punk with Moroder’s futuristic synth sound. The result “Heart of Glass” creates New Wave.
In another episode, Snoop Dogg meets Dr. Drey, who infuses his childhood funk into gangsta rap. Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I” (“What’s My Name)?” becomes the first rap album to reach #1 on the charts.
Punk Meets Hard Rock: A Story of Grunge kickstarted L7, the all-female band that blends Ramones-style punk with the rock of Joan Jett (“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”) and their Seattle move to grunge.
The series also explores the stories behind movements like rock ‘n’ roll, reggae, electropop, and trap. Each episode contains three tracks that may contain some of the greatest songs of all time, such as Patti Smith’s “Gloria: In Excelsis Deo”, Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” in New Wave history .
The episodes feature lively exchanges between a male and female commentator making larger connections – for example between Debbie Harry and Lady Gaga.
“When we discovered this project, we dreamed of bringing it to both local and international audiences, so we are really excited to be collaborating with both YouTube and France Télévisions,” commented Corinne Kouper, SVP of Production and Development , TeamTO.
“We can’t think of a better way to launch this series on both digital platforms and public broadcasters, all made possible by the incredible resources and expertise of 22D Music Group,” she added.
The 22D Music Group took on the gigantic task of clearing artist rights.
Even if the partnership included a large company like YouTube, which belongs to Google, and a classic European public broadcaster like France Télevisions on the other hand, “the workflow was very pleasant for everyone. It was a very smooth relationship,” said Kouper. YouTube and France Télévisions also agreed on their goal of targeting an audience aged 12 and over.
The characters are drawn in vivid simplified lines, making them recognizable, although the series never attempts photorealistic likenesses.
Courtesy of TeamTO
Many now legendary artists started very young, Juan Atkins at 17 in his parents’ bedroom in Detroit listening to The Midnight Funk Association. His breakthrough came when his grandmother gave him “Behind the Beats” synthesizer sheet music as a gift. Impressed by Bernie Worrell’s use of the Minimoog bass on the Parliament song “Flash Light” and catching Kraftwerk’s “The Robots”, Atkins fuses Parliament funk with electronics and cuts 1983’s Cybotron’s “Clear”. Techno explodes.
“The series repeatedly shows young people with dreams and their realization, whose creativity is sparked by encounters with other artists. It’s very inspiring and moving,” said Kouper.
“In each episode, we use a person’s story, whether it’s a singer or an artist, to make the music more palatable. We also show how diversity is such a great creative tool. In today’s world, that’s an amazing message,” said Patricia de Wilde, TeamTO Director of Marketing and New Business.
“This series has it all, it’s educational, inspirational and just plain fun to watch for anyone who loves and appreciates music,” concluded Hunter.
The title track is Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ classic “We Are Family,” reimagined by Yeti Beats in collaboration with Rodgers himself and featuring Snoop Dogg and vocals by Sheléa: eras and styles collide for an inclusive, upbeat plea for inclusivity create.
“Behind the Beats” is by Baptiste Jaquemet. It is produced by Corinne Kouper (TeamTO) and Emmanuel Deletang (22D Media Group).
Hunter serves as YouTube’s creative lead on the series, with Zoë Di Stefano serving as creative executive. France Télévisions’ creative lead is Pierre Siracusa.
