WRITTEN BY H.E.R. AND THREE-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER RYAN TEDDER, THE ‘90S-INSPIRED DUET CAPTURES THE FRIENDSHIP AT THE HEART OF THE NEW DREAMWORKS ANIMATION FILM
DREAMWORKS ANIMATION’S FORGOTTEN ISLAND OPENSIN THEATERS NATIONWIDE SEPTEMBER 25
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 8, 2026 – Back Lot Music today announced the release of “BRB”, an original song written for DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film FORGOTTEN ISLAND, performed by musician, producer and actress H.E.R., and Filipino-American actress and musical artist Liza Soberano. The track was also written by multi-award winning artist H.E.R. alongside Grammy Award®-winning songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder, who also produced the song.
“BRB” is a ’90s-inspired duet that reflects the lifelong friendship at the heart of Forgotten Island. H.E.R. and Soberano voice Jo and Raissa, best friends since grade school who are about to embark on separate life paths when a mysterious portal transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali. The song captures the nostalgia, warmth and joy of Jo and Raissa’s relationship while extending the film’s celebration of friendship and Filipino culture into its music.
Angela Leus, Senior Vice President, Film Music at Universal Pictures, says that neither she nor the filmmakers wanted to assume that H.E.R. would create an original song for the film. “Everything needed to come from an organic place,” Leus says. “But when H.E.R. saw the film, she was so inspired that she decided to write something — and she was even more inspired to bring in Liza.”
“I’m so grateful that Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, the directors of Forgotten Island, not only gave me the opportunity to play Jo, but trusted me to create the song that represents the friendship between Jo and Raissa, which is the heart of the movie,” H.E.R. says. “I knew I wanted the song to be a conversation between the two of them, and getting to share that moment with my co-star, Liza Soberano, on this duet has been a dream! It was so fun creating a song that reflects the sound of the ‘90s, and I’m beyond proud that this track is representation of Filipino culture, just like the film!”
“Getting to make ‘BRB’ with H.E.R. and Ryan Tedder was such a surreal moment for me,” Soberano says. “I’ve admired H.E.R. for years, not only for the amazing artist and musician she is, but for the way she always remembers to carry her Filipino heritage with so much pride. I think it’s so special and meaningful to see two Filipinas coming together through music and culture, especially at this point in my own journey as an artist. I’m so grateful she trusted me enough to share this song with her, and I hope people can feel the genuine connection between us when they hear it!”
ABOUT H.E.R.
H.E.R. is a five-time Grammy Award–winning, Academy Award–winning, and Emmy Award–winning musical artist, actor, director, and producer. Globally revered for her talent and influence across entertainment, she has released three critically-acclaimed albums and RIAA Platinum certification. She has also starred in notable projects such as The Color Purple (2023), and made her directorial debut with the celebrated documentary The Makings of Curtis Mayfield (2025). In 2021, H.E.R. earned the coveted Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe,” as well as the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Fight for You,” a track she penned for Judas and the Black Messiah.
ABOUT LIZA SOBERANO
Liza Soberano is one of the Philippines’ biggest stars and one of the most recognizable talents in Asian entertainment. After establishing an extraordinary career across film and television in the Philippines, she is now expanding her career internationally, bringing her global fanbase spanning Southeast Asia and beyond to Hollywood. Her work has earned numerous honors, including a FAMAS Award, a PMPC Star Award, and six Box Office Entertainment Awards, including Most Promising Female Star of the Year and Box Office Queen. She was also named one of Tatler Asia’s Most Influential People in Asia in both 2022 and 2023. Soberano made her American film debut in Focus Features’ Lisa Frankenstein (2024) and next stars in DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, voicing Raissa in an adventure inspired by Philippine folklore and mythology.
ABOUT RYAN TEDDER
3x Grammy award winning songwriter and producer, Ryan Tedder, has worked with everyone from Adele to Tate McRae, Rosalia, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, U2, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and U2, in addition to being the lead singer, writer and producer of the multi-platinum selling band OneRepublic. As a producer, Ryan received the GRAMMY award for “Album of the Year” for Adele’s 21 (17x RIAA certified Platinum; deemed the best selling album of this century), 25, and Taylor Swift’s 1989. As a songwriter, Ryan has received the National Music Publishers’ Association’s Songwriter Icon Award, the Honorary Clio Music Award, and has earned 3 RIAA certified Diamond Awards in addition to contributing to over 500M in record sales. Recently, Ryan co-wrote and co-produced several tracks off BTS’ highly anticipated comeback album, AIRIRANG, including lead single “SWIM,” in addition to two tracks off the globally successful F1: The Movie soundtrack: Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching,” and “Lose My Mind” (Doja Cat feat Don Toliver). Ryan has served as Tate McRae’s Executive Producer for the last two albums, So Close To What (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200), and Think Later, which included the global smash “Greedy.” Additionally, Ryan has created original music driving global brand and partnership campaigns over the last 15 years, including Sprite Limelight (2023), Hertz (2022-now), Samsung (2023), Bose (2016), Save the Children (2013), Atlantis (2021), Budweiser China (2025 – present) and more.
ABOUT FORGOTTEN ISLAND
DreamWorks Animation, the studio that brought you unforgettable bonds between a boy and a dragon in How to Train Your Dragon, an ogre and a donkey in Shrek, and a robot and a gosling in The Wild Robot, now welcomes a dazzling and emotional story about two lifelong best friends who must come together before they drift apart in Forgotten Island.
The new original film is written and directed by Academy Award® and BAFTA nominee JOEL CRAWFORD and JANUEL P. MERCADO and is produced by Academy Award® and BAFTA nominee MARK SWIFT, the filmmaking team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Grammy and Academy Award® winning supernova H.E.R. and international star LIZA SOBERANO (Lisa Frankenstein, Alone/Together) star as high school graduates Jo and Raissa, who have been best friends since grade school but are now about to embark on separate life paths.
While celebrating their last night together, Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.
Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but-hapless weredog Raww (Emmy nominee DAVE FRANCO) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winning icon LEA SALONGA), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
The film’s all-star voice cast also includes Emmy nominee JENNY SLATE (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dying for Sex), MANNY JACINTO (The Good Place, Star Wars: The Acolyte), BAFTA nominee DOLLY de LEON (Triangle of Sadness, Ghostlight), global comedy superstar JO KOY (Haunted Mansion, Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn) and Emmy winner RONNY CHIENG (The Daily Show, M3GAN).
Get the Track Here: https://backlotmusic.ffm.to/brb
For more information, please contact:
Nikki Walsh, Back Lot Music
(818) 777-9151 | Nikki.Walsh@nbcuni.com