Bobby Lopez incorporated traditional Scandinavian music into the songs of Frozen 2

There’s a reason that people can’t get the songs of Frozen and Frozen 2 out of their heads: Many of their tunes were inspired by the age-old practice of kulning, a traditional Scandinavian form of singing used for livestock herding. The journey from a literal cattle call to a pop song may seem like an odd one, but Frozen 2's highly awarded songwriting duo, Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, found thematic resonance in the idea of a voice from beyond beckoning Elsa away from her comfort zone. To celebrate the digital release of Frozen 2, the pair put on a special performance at Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA, and we had the opportunity to sit down with Bobby Lopez just before taking the stage. There, we ask the double EGOT honoree about creating a duet for Elsa with a mysterious voice kulning from beyond, the in-studio recording process for the cast, and the latest Oscar nominee “class photo,” which finds Bobby and Kristen dead center.