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Music of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom

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The Living Tombstone (left) was among the earliest musicians to create original music for the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom. More recently, Odyssey Eurobeat (right) has also gained mainstream recognition.
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The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom (also known as the brony fandom) has had a large musical subculture, often referred to as brony music,[1] since the show's premiere in 2010. Fan-created music has become one of the most prominent aspects of the brony community, encompassing multiple genres and styles, such as classical guitar, rock, and electronic dance music. A number of brony artists have achieved significant followings both within and outside the fandom, with several tracks going viral and gaining recognition from mainstream music publications. According to a 2018 study on the brony fandom, 70% of respondents reported that they listened to brony music almost daily.

The brony music scene has evolved significantly since its inception, developing distinct subgenres and even fostering collaborations between fan creators and official actors from the show. Fandom musicians like Ken Ashcorp gained substantial followings during the fandom's early years. More recently, artists like Vylet Pony have achieved mainstream recognition beyond the fandom, with some of their tracks appearing in mainstream media despite their My Little Pony-themed origins. The fandom continues to produce new content even after the conclusion of the television series in 2019. Since 2020, with the introduction of 15.ai, AI-generated vocals and AI song covers have seen frequent use in brony music.

Brony conventions, such as BronyCon and Everfree Northwest, feature brony musicians at their dedicated music festivals. Several brony musicians, like The Living Tombstone and Odyssey Eurobeat, who gained popularity creating pony-themed content, have successfully transitioned to mainstream music careers. The musical subgenres of dubtrot (brony-inspired dubstep) and ponybeat (brony-inspired Eurobeat) have become part of the fandom's distinctive vernacular.

Overview

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The musical subculture of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom emerged almost immediately following the show's premiere in October 2010. Within two years of the show's premiere, the fan music scene grew substantially, with the fandom news website Equestria Daily regularly featuring new songs and albums.[2] Many fan-created compositions were inspired by the show's own music composed by Daniel Ingram, the show's composer. As the brony community grew, music creation became one of its most prolific creative outlets.[3][2] The characters of Friendship Is Magic are cited as an inspiration to musical compositions created by brony musicians.[4]

Pony music videos (PMVs)

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In addition to creating original music, the brony fandom produces numerous "pony music videos" (PMVs), analogous to anime music videos (AMVs) in anime fandoms. Like AMVs, PMVs typically feature clips from the show synchronized to music, often accompanied by visual effects, transitions, and sometimes original animation.[5][6][7][8]

History

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My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic era (2010–2019)

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"Heavy Is the Crown (instrumental)"
A piece of symphonic metal music inspired by My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, performed by L-Train & the Royal Canterlot Symphonic Metal Orchestra
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom's musical output is considered unique in its enormous volume compared to other fandoms' musical subcultures,[2] spanning a large range of musical content, including classical guitar, electronic dance music, and rock. Several brony musicians have millions of subscribers on YouTube, and many more have more than 100,000 subscribers.[9] In 2011, EverFree Radio—a brony music stream—identified nearly 5,000 pony-related songs, and subsequently streamed brony music 24 hours a day.[2] Musicians from various countries contributing across multiple musical styles including metal, rock, electronic, and specialized subgenres like "dubtrot" (also known as "ponystep"), as a brony version of dubstep remixed with pony voices;[10][2] and "ponybeat", for brony-inspired Eurobeat popularized by fandom musician Odyssey Eurobeat (formerly known as Eurobeat Brony[11]).[2] Fan musicians frequently created remixes and covers of original songs from the show, which were supported by Ingram.[2] Odyssey Eurobeat was the first DJ to remix a song from Friendship Is Magic.[12] The Equestrian Beats website was established to promote and preserve the remix culture around the show's original songs.[2]

BronyPalooza at the Baltimore Convention Center during BronyCon 2019.

In November 2011, Ken Ashcorp released the song "20 Percent Cooler", a reference to Rainbow Dash's catchphrase from the episode "Suited for Success".[13] In December 2011, a number of brony musicians collaborated with the charity Bronies for Good to produce Smile, a charity album that benefited Children's Cancer Association, which raised $21,000 in less than a month.[2] In 2012, Archie V. became the first brony musician signed to a record label (Kontor Records).[2] Michelle Creber, the voice actor for Apple Bloom in Friendship Is Magic, collaborated with fan musician MandoPony in album tracks.[2][14] A brony music festival called Ponystock was featured as part of the convention Everfree Northwest;[2] the music festival at BronyCon was called "BronyPalooza",[15] which featured popular fandom musicians like Silva Hound.[16] "Everfree Network", a brony media network, compiled more than 4,800 pieces of fan music by over 500 different musicians.[2] In January 2014, BronyTunes (an iOS and web app) was released that collected over 7,000 songs and remixes inspired by the show, such as an Abbey Road parody called Apple Road.[17][1]

Throughout this period, the brony music scene witnessed the rise of numerous influential artists spanning multiple genres. Electronic musician duo The Living Tombstone initially gained popularity making remixes of Friendship Is Magic.[18] In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Ingram acknowledged the vibrant fan musician community, noting that "YouTube views of works by The Living Tombstone, Alex S., Eurobeat Brony and more" were "rivaling those of label-signed musicians."[3] Alex S. became known for electronic remixes that gained substantial followings, while WoodenToaster created original compositions that frequently appeared in fan rankings.[19] Other brony musicians include Acoustic Brony, who gained recognition for melodic guitar compositions like "Balladshy"—a tribute to the character Fluttershy—and PinkiePieSwear, whose song "Flutterwonder"—a remix of the show's "So Many Wonders" song—was described by Geek Reply as a classic in the community for its trance-like qualities and creative sampling of show audio. Forest Rain contributed to the scene with songs like "Join the Herd," which chronicled the experience of fans discovering the show and joining the community.[19]

Musicians working in rock and metal genres also found an audience within the fandom. PrinceWhateverer gained recognition for compositions like "Between Fairy Tales and Happy Endings," which addressed the controversy surrounding the modification of fan-favorite character Derpy Hooves after concerns were raised about her portrayal.[19] Other notable contributors include Replacer, whose song "Finding My Way (Back Home)" gained popularity for its emotional depth, and performers like DustyKatt and Mic the Microphone.[20]

In November 2017, Ule Lopez of Geek Reply placed the two-part fan song and animation The Moon Rises (Remaster) and Lullaby for a Princess by Ponyphonic as number 1 on his list of the best brony songs of all time.[19] As part of a fandom endeavor, by September 2019, over 730 gigabytes of brony music was archived in The Pony Music Archive.[21]

Post-My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic era (2020–present)

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In March 2020, musicians began to experiment with AI-generated vocals from the popular text-to-speech web app 15.ai, generating vocals using characters from the show. Some music compositions and music videos made using 15.ai were regularly featured on Equestria Daily; AI song covers sung by the characters of Friendship Is Magic have also become popular.[22][23] One of the earliest examples was the explicit pony music video Pony Zone, which used AI-generated vocals of Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy.[24]

In June 2021, the The Living Tombstone remix of the 2012 song "Discord" by Odyssey Eurobeat went viral on social media. The song was themed around the eponymous character from Friendship Is Magic, a mischievous draconequus known for causing chaos and disharmony.[11] Several users who used the song in their videos reported that they had been previously unaware of its My Little Pony origin.[11]

Also in June 2021, fandom musician Vylet Pony released the song "Antonymph", an anthem encouraging people to "embrace the cringe" and celebrate their authentic interests without shame.[25] In February 2022, music critic Anthony Fantano featured the song "i've still got something to teach you" by Vylet Pony on his New Music Friday stream. Vylet Pony had previously gained recognition for albums like can opener's notebook: fish whisperer that reached the top of Rate Your Music's 2022 chart.[26][27][28] In February 2024, the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers played "Antonymph" during one of their games.[29][30] In November 2024, Vylet Pony released the album Monarch of Monsters, which has been described by Bonnibel Rampertab of The Daily Campus as her "most ambitious work thus far."[31]

Reception and analysis

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In a 2012 interview, Jayson Thiessen, the supervising director of Friendship Is Magic, commented that many of these fan productions approach the quality of his studio's work, and suggested the possibility of crowdsourcing some aspects of future production,[32] while the show's composer, Daniel Ingram, often features fan-made songs on his personal webspace.[2]

The brony music scene has attracted academic interest as a case study in participatory fan culture and creative community building.[20][33] Researchers studying the brony fandom have noted how the creation and sharing of music helped establish community bonds among fans while also serving as a vehicle for self-expression and identity formation within the fandom, with over 70% of fandom members reporting that they listen to brony music daily.[33]

A 2014 entrepreneurial case study identified brony music as an underserviced but growing market catered to by non-mainstream groups.[34]

List of brony music concerts

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Event Location Dates Performers
Everfree Northwest 2024[35][36] Seattle, WA Aug 22–23, 2024
  • Canto & Thrack
  • 4EverfreeBrony
  • Forest Rain
  • The Wonderbolts!
  • Evershade
  • Koa
  • SCR4TCHK4T
  • Vale & FL0
  • Metajoker
  • My Little Romance (PrinceWhateverer & MelodyBrony)
  • rawrity
  • loophoof
  • General Mumble
  • VinylTastic
  • John Kenza & Faulty
Ponyville Ciderfest 2024[37] Milwaukee, WI Nov 1–2, 2024
  • AchieveHunter1
  • Bolt the Super-Pony
  • Evershade
  • Forest Rain
  • IvoryBrony
  • Jensen Stiles
  • John Kenza
  • Koa
  • Maerstrom
  • The Manehattan Jazz Quartet
  • MathematicPony
  • Metajoker
  • My Little Romance
  • PHES
  • Sound Bandit
  • Sylvver
HarmonyCon 2025[38] Dallas, TX Jan 31–Feb 1, 2025
  • Pit Crew (Chuckles, Snowy Charm, Chompy)
  • Maerstrom (Thrack, Canto Acrylic, Luck Rock, JeshPK, General Mumble)
  • 4everFreebrony & Luna Jax
  • My Little Romance (MelodyBrony, PrinceWhateverer, 4everfreebrony, Whirlwind)
  • Azure Comet
  • Pony House Mafia (Jensen Stiles, Sylvver, Trey Husk)
  • loophoof
  • Faulty & Kenza Koa
  • Manehattan Jazz Quartet
  • Metajoker
  • dBPony
  • The Wonderbolts (Mongo/Pappa Pie, Skribbles, Whimsy, theoneGalen, Musket, Thrack, BlueBrony)
  • Color by Number (MathematicPony, BlueBrony)
  • Starcrush! (Evershade, Namii)
Pinkaboo's Neighhem[a][40][41] Redwood City, CA April 20, 2025
  • Wonderstorm (Captain Thrack, Luck Rock, General Mumble, Canto Acrylic, Wonderbolts)
  • Splash Meta4 (Turquoise Splash, Metajoker, 4everfreebrony)
  • TCB & loophoof
  • John Kenza & Trey Husk
  • Vinyltastic & VALE & FL0
  • Starcrush! (Evershade, Namii)
  • Seventh Element & PegasYs
  • Ponyphonic
  • The Dawn Seekers (PrinceWhateverer, MelodyBrony, dBPony)
  • Pony Rap Gods (Mic the Microphone, Rhyme Flow, Nexgen)
  • Chang31ing & Taps
  • Silva Hound, Garnika, Chi-Chi
  • Vylet Pony
  • Odyssey Eurobeat[b]
Everfree Encore 2025[42] Gut Steimke, Germany June 6–8, 2025
  • loophoof
  • Koron Korak
  • Lavender Harmony
  • Turquoise Splash & Pinkaboo
  • Odyssey Eurobeat
  • Blackened Blue
  • PrinceWhateverer
  • ElectroKaplosion
  • Pagan Pegasus
  • Captain Thrack
  • Bolt the Super-Pony
  • Celica Soldream
  • Scootaloo
  • Coltastrophe
  • Tom Hengst (aka Single Purpose)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Although the musicians were originally planned to be played at BABSCon 2025, the convention ultimately replaced them with Mystery Skulls.[39]
  2. ^ Listed as "Eurobeat Brony" on the BABSCon website

References

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  1. ^ a b Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2014-01-17). "This app is the iTunes of brony music". Daily Dot. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Orsini, Lauren Rae (2012-04-21). "For brony musicians, 'Friendship Is Magic' serves as muse". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  3. ^ a b Rutherford, Kevin (2012-04-20). "Behind the Music of Pop Culture Smash 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  4. ^ Palmer, Zachary D. (2023). "'I don't like to separate myself by gender': how women navigate hybrid masculinities in the brony community". Journal of Gender Studies. 32 (3): 296–307. doi:10.1080/09589236.2021.1979480.
  5. ^ Robertson, Venetia Laura Delano (January 2014). "Of ponies and men: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Brony fandom". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 17 (1). SAGE Publishing: 21–37. doi:10.1177/1367877912464368. S2CID 146577717.
  6. ^ Jung, Soo keung (2014-05-10). Global Audience Participation in the Production and Consumption of Gangnam Style. Department of Communication (Thesis). Georgia State University. Retrieved 2025-04-10.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Berg, Peter (April 2013). "My Little Pony takes Internet by storm" (PDF). Young D.C. No. 1. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-09.
  8. ^ Crome, Andrew (2019). "Cosplay in the pulpit and ponies at prayer: Christian faith and lived religion in wider fan culture" (PDF). Culture and Religion. 20 (2): 19. doi:10.1080/14755610.2019.1624268.
  9. ^ Edwards, Patrick; Chadborn, Daniel P.; Plante, Courtney N.; Reysen, Stephen; Redden, Marsha Howze (September 11, 2019). Meet the Bronies: The Psychology of the Adult My Little Pony Fandom. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. pp. 49–50. ISBN 9781476663715.
  10. ^ Levinson, Noah David (2012). LOLs, Lulz, and ROFL: The Culture, Fun, and Serious Business of Internet Memes. University of Pittsburgh Honors College (Bachelor's thesis). University of Pittsburgh.
  11. ^ a b c Haasch, Palmer (2021-06-10). "A song called 'Discord' is going viral on TikTok, but not all creators realize it's a fan-made 'My Little Pony' song popular among 'bronies'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  12. ^ Mantey, Jackie. "Pony Party: Columbus convention offers inside look at adult fans of "My Little Pony"". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  13. ^ Coppa, Francesca (2022). Vidding: A History. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. doi:10.1353/book.99672. ISBN 978-0-472-90259-0.
  14. ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2012-07-11). "Michelle Creber Hosting Upcoming Album Tracks on Youtube, Plus a Bonus Live Show with Mandopony". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  15. ^ Meehan, Sarah. "8 things you need to know about BronyCon, the 'My Little Pony' convention". Baltimore Business Journal.
  16. ^ Novak, Kristopher (2024-12-10). "Silva Hound – Editorial". edmsauce. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  17. ^ Eakin, Marah (2014-01-17). "Bronytunes, a 7,000-track library of songs about My Little Pony, is a real thing". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  18. ^ Literat, Ioana (2017). Rodriguez Kerr, Kristine; Vasudevan, Lalitha (eds.). "The Power of a Pony: Youth Literacies, Participatory Culture, and Active Meaning Making". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 61 (1). International Literacy Association: 113–116. doi:10.1002/jaal.661.
  19. ^ a b c d Lopez, Ule (2017-11-18). "Top 10 Best Brony Songs of All Time". Geek Reply. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  20. ^ a b Cusack, Carole M.; Kosnáč, Pavol (2016-11-18). "Introduction: fiction, invention and hyper-reality in new religions and spiritualities". In Cusack, Carole M.; Kosnáč, Pavol (eds.). Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality. New York: Routledge. p. 85. doi:10.4324/9781315582283-6. ISBN 978-1-315-58228-3. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  21. ^ "The Pony Music Archive Was Updated! Download 730 GB of pony music in one go!". Equestria Daily. 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  22. ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2021-11-30). "The Entire "Story of the Blanks" Played With 15.ai Voices". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  23. ^ "More Pony Music! Brony Rap, Rarity, 15.ai, Remixes, Night Music!". Equestria Daily. 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  24. ^ Abisola, Shojobi (January 3, 2025). "The MIT Project That Paved Way For Modern Voice AI". Independent. Archived from the original on February 27, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  25. ^ Amos, Freddie (2024-02-08). "Cringe Culture is Dead: And This Song Dances on Its Grave". WUSC. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  26. ^ Darr, J. (August 17, 2021). "Interview: Vylet Pony On CUTIEMARKS, Collaboration, And Confronting The Personal". The Fandomentals.
  27. ^ Zollner, Amelia (March 19, 2022). "Paging Through 'can opener's notebook' with Vylet Pony". Ringtone.
  28. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (June 1, 2022). "Vylet Pony Learned to Embrace Her Queer Identity Through the Music of a Saturday-Morning Cartoon". Willamette Week.
  29. ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2024-02-10). "Fandom Musician Vylet Pony's "Antonymph" Played During Portland Trail Blazers Game". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  30. ^ @RoxbyVinyl (February 9, 2024). "THEY PLAYED @VyletPony ON THE BLAZERS BROADCAST" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Rampertab, Bonnibel Lilith (2024-11-18). "Lamenting on trauma by creating a fictional world with Vylet Pony: "Monarch of Monsters"". The Daily Campus. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  32. ^ Turner, James (2012-03-20). "Is TV paying too much attention to fans?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  33. ^ a b Edwards, Patrick; Chadborn, Daniel P.; Plante, Courtney N.; Reysen, Stephen; Redden, Marsha Howze (September 11, 2019). Meet the Bronies: The Psychology of the Adult My Little Pony Fandom. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 52. ISBN 9781476663715.
  34. ^ Honig, Benson; Karlsson, Tomas; Hägg, Gustav (2014). "The Blessing of Necessity and Advantages of Newness". Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and Growth. Entrepreneurial Resourcefulness: Competing with Constraints. 15. Emerald Group Publishing Limited: 63–94. doi:10.1108/S1074-7540(2013)0000015006. ISBN 978-1-78190-018-5. ISSN 1074-7540.
  35. ^ "Grand Galloping Gala - Everfree Northwest". Everfree Northwest.
  36. ^ "Ponystock - Everfree Northwest". Everfree Northwest.
  37. ^ "Guests, Musicians & Panelists - Ponyville Ciderfest 2024". Ponyville Ciderfest.
  38. ^ "HarmonyCon 2025 Musicians". HarmonyCon.
  39. ^ BABSCon 2025 (PDF). 2025.
  40. ^ "Pinkaboo's Neighhem". Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  41. ^ "Pinkaboo's Neighhem Performers' Interviews". Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  42. ^ "Everfree Encore 2025". Everfree Encore 2025.
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