The Hamilton soundtrack has made history by becoming the first Broadway cast recording ever to be certified Diamond by the RIAA. Released in 2015, the Hamilton soundtrack became just as lauded as the stage show of the same name. The record features 46 original songs, all penned by Lin Manuel Miranda.
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In addition to the album receiving an RIAA certification, every song on the album has received its own certification – totaling to 34 Platinum and 18 Gold certifications.
The entire original cast of the show – including Miranda, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Jackson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Leslie Odom Jr – took part in a special plaque ceremony denoting the milestone this past weekend.
The plaque was given to the cast at Centro de Ballas Artes Luis A. Ferré in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Diamond certification means that the soundtrack to Hamilton sold the equivalent of 10 million units. The award was presented to the cast by Atlantic Records’ Executive Vice President, A&R, and Label Operations, Craig Rosen.
The Hamilton soundtrack found success in multiple lanes upon its release. It became the highest-charting cast album since 1969, the first Broadway cast album to top Billboard’s Rap Album Chart, and earned a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Miranda’s latest musical pursuit was a series of original songs made for The Little Mermaid soundtrack. Miranda teamed up with Disney icon Alan Menken for the project, modernizing some of the original songs in the animated version as well as penning new offerings.
Miranda wrote new songs for Prince Eric and Princess Ariel, as well as a playful duet between Scuttle and Sebastian. The composers also updated some of the lyrics to better reflect the times.
“There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken said earlier this year.
Miranda started composing for Disney in 2016 for the animated feature Moana. He has since worked with the company several times including the live recording of Hamilton and the 2021 animated feature, Encanto.
Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images
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