About the artist
Be More Chill Ensemble refers to the group of performers behind the cast recordings of the musical Be More Chill, based on Ned Vizzini's novel of the same name, with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz. The show follows an awkward teenager who swallows a supercomputer pill called a SQUIP that promises to make him popular, at the cost of losing himself in the process.
The musical had its world premiere at Two River Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2015, with a cast including Will Connolly as Jeremy Heere, George Salazar as Michael Mell, Stephanie Hsu as Christine Canigula, and Eric William Morris as the SQUIP, among other ensemble members. The original run closed without an immediate transfer, but its cast recording found an unexpected second life online, where songs like «Michael in the Bathroom» and «The Squip Song» became viral favorites among a young fanbase, eventually building enough demand to push the show to an Off-Broadway and later a Broadway production.
Musically, Be More Chill blends synth-pop textures with musical theatre tradition, capturing teenage anxiety, social awkwardness, and the longing to belong through catchy, electronics-inflected numbers. The ensemble's recordings remain closely tied to the show's grassroots, fan-driven rise — a rare case of an online audience reviving a musical after its initial closing and turning it into a cult phenomenon.