Alex Aster listened to this Taylor Swift song on repeat while writing 'Barbie: Dreamscape'

Aster says she listened a lot to 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' from Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Alex Aster has revealed that one particular Taylor Swift song was on repeat while she was writing Barbie: Dreamscape, the first official Barbie novel published by Mattel.

The New York Times bestselling author, known for her Lightlark series and Starside, told People that she never writes in silence and often has music playing while working on her books. For Barbie: Dreamscape, she listened to the 2023 Barbie soundtrack, but one Swift song became especially important to the writing process.

"I also listened a lot to 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,'" Aster said, referring to the song from Swift's 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department.

Although the song might seem like an unusual choice for a Barbie fantasy story, Aster said its themes perfectly captured the emotional state of her version of Barbie.

"I do feel like that [song] is Barbie," she explained, describing a character who is constantly trying to appear perfect while hiding what she is really feeling.

"So that was really, really the song that I kept playing over and over," Aster added. She said Barbie is "trying so hard to be perfect that she doesn't realize by doing that, she is actually making herself miserable."

Barbie: Dreamscape follows Barbie as she leaves her home of Heartland and travels through magical lands on a quest to discover her fate. Along the way, she encounters fantastical beings and challenges that force her to confront feelings and truths she had previously avoided.

Aster said Barbie initially does not want her life to change and prefers things to remain the way they are. However, a dramatic event pushes her to recognise how strong she can actually be.

The Taylor Swift connection is not new for Aster. She previously told People that Swift's music has inspired several of her books. While writing her adult romantasy novel Starside, she listened repeatedly to "Fortnight" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" from The Tortured Poets Department. She said "Fortnight" in particular calmed her while also making her feel emotional.

Barbie: Dreamscape is Aster's 10th published book and her first project based on an existing intellectual property. She said working with Mattel allowed her to bring her own ideas to the Barbie universe while drawing on the character's long history, including classic Barbie computer games and animated films.

The author is currently promoting the novel on tour, having begun with an event in New York City on August 18 before stops in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Barbie: Dreamscape is now available wherever books are sold.