As a baby of the 1980s, music shaped the vast majority of my world. MTV was still in its infancy, and in my house it played around the clock—back when the “M” really did stand for music. Somewhere between Fraggle Rock and Meat Loaf, there existed something incredibly different and entirely mine: Jem and the Holograms.

A glitter-bombed animated musical soap opera, it was unlike anything else on television at the time. It wasn’t a series made for adults, but neither was it something dumbed down for children. Created by Hasbro to introduce a new line of fashion dolls, the series was developed by Christy Marx and would become one of the most iconic shows of the decade—largely because of its music.

Over 200 songs were composed during the course of the series’ 65-episode run, crafted by an astonishingly small team of just three people. Composers Ford Kinder and Anne Bryant were responsible for the music, while television writer and Broadway lyricist Barry Harman penned the lyrics. Bryant also played a key role in shaping the sonic identity of each band: the Holograms favoured live instrumentation and glossy pop production, while the Misfits embraced a harsher, more electronic sound. Although a handful of these songs appeared on the cassette tapes originally packaged with the dolls, the overwhelming majority were never commercially released.

Until now.

To celebrate the series’ 40th anniversary in 2025, Hasbro partnered with The Orchard to begin releasing a series of Jem and the Holograms singles and EPs. The initial anniversary vinyl proved to be an unexpected success, cracking the top 50 of Billboard’s overall album sales chart and reaching the top 25 of its children’s albums chart.

The anniversary album consisted of reimagined versions of some of the series’ most beloved songs, including ｢Jem Theme Song｣, ｢Truly Outrageous｣, ｢Only the Beginning｣, ｢Like a Dream｣, ｢I Got My Eye on You｣, ｢She’s Got the Power｣, and ｢Glitter and Gold｣. It also featured ｢It’s Fun to Be Scared｣, a track that had never before been made commercially available.

The second release, Music Is Magic, took the form of a four-track EP featuring newly re-recorded and reimagined versions of ｢Music Is Magic｣, ｢Who Is He Kissing?｣, ｢Twilight in Paris｣, and ｢It Depends on the Mood I’m In｣.

Led by a female-driven creative team, Skyler Cocco has taken the mantle of producing many of the newly released tracks so far, including ｢Only the Beginning｣, ｢She’s Got the Power｣, ｢Glitter ’N Gold｣, ｢It’s Fun to Be Scared｣, ｢Who Is He Kissing?｣, ｢Music Is Magic｣, ｢Twilight in Paris｣, and ｢It Depends on the Mood I’m In｣. Cocco also produced the property’s first-ever holiday release: a cover of the WHAM! classic ｢Last Christmas｣.

Born in New York and now based in Los Angeles, Cocco is a music producer, songwriter, and indie-pop artist. She began writing and producing music at the age of eleven on a digital eight-track recorder and taught herself guitar, bass, and piano by ear. A graduate of SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music, she has amassed more than a decade of professional experience, with over ten million streams across her catalogue and more than 150 writing and production credits to her name. Known for lush soundscapes and hook-driven songwriting, Cocco has cultivated a signature sound that is both atmospheric and undeniably pop – which makes her perfect for Jem. 

“I tend to lean very nostalgic/80’s pop in my own writing so I was stoked to have the opportunity to produce these reimagined songs,” Cocco said during an exclusive interview with Life in Cartoon Motion. “Honestly, it’s like a dream to produce in this style. Major thank you to Head Bitch Music for thinking of me for this project!” 

“I was familiar with Jem and the Holograms as a teen!” she continues. “ I’m a millennial so I just  missed the original airing of the show (very jealous of everyone who got to experience it in real time) and wished I could have had my own Jem doll growing up.  

“My favorite song to work on was ｢Deception｣!” She cofesses, the track was included on the Delux version of the Music is Magic EP – out now! “It was the most fun to make and an absolute brain workout to produce with a lot of key changes and backing vocal stacks.” 

“Most of the Jem songs I’ve worked on are high energy/fast paced so I’d love to do more of a slow jam like ｢When It’s Only Me and The Music｣.”

When it comes to reimagining such beloved music, Cocco understands the delicate balancing act involved, particularly given how long fans have waited for many of these songs to become commercially available.

“Reimagining any song can be tricky and I didn’t want to deviate too far from the original sound,” she states. “Jem songs are so iconic and have a very distinct sonic world so my priority was to hold onto as much of the original instrumentation and feel with a sheen of modern pop and synth pop production.”

“There were some limitations.” she admits. “I wish I could have worked with the original session players/background vocalists, but I did my best to recreate those parts.  Some songs have slight restructuring / new sections to lengthen the songs and create more hooky moments.  I love 80’s drums and tom fills so it wasn’t a stretch for me to keep the drum production similar, just slightly modernized.  I basically went about each song with the mindset of “what would this song sound like if it was written in 2026.” Britta’s vocal performance definitely helped to marry the two worlds – she is a true ROCKSTAR!”

For Cocco, however, the key to bridging the gap between the original recordings and their modern counterparts ultimately rested with the voice at the centre of the franchise.

“The amount of times I’d have my jaw on the floor when Britta hits those high notes,” she adds about Phillips’ recording sessions. “She is such a fantastic vocalist and her range will never cease to amaze me!” 

Asked about the enduring appeal of Jem and the Holograms more than four decades after its debut, Cocco believes the series’ music offers something that contemporary pop often lacks.

“I find that Jem songs stand out in the modern age where “algorithmic” pop music seems to be taking over. I think we’re craving music that feels fun and has a palpable energy and that spark has always existed in these songs.  For the Jem fans I hope these songs are a welcome addition to the Jem universe and for new listeners I hope these songs make them feel good!” 

As the revival of Jem and the Holograms continues, Cocco seems perfectly positioned to continue bringing her own truly outrageous touch to the franchise’s reimagined sound.

There will be more Jem and the Holograms soon so…

Stay Tuned!