“Self-Love Is Sexy!”: How BRLO and California Music Soundtracked a Relatable Calvin Klein Spoof
Where were you when you first saw Jeremy Allen White strutting in his underpants atop a New York high-rise? For many, the ad promoting Calvin Klein’s spring 2024 collection was a significant cultural event (“this is how we all needed 2024 to begin”, as one of thousands of adoring comments read). The ad immediately inspired a breathless reaction, as viewers swooned over the TV star and hitherto unlikely hunk.
And not long after, the German craft beer brand BRLO captured its own moment of virality with a knowing, hilarious, and empoweringly relatable parody. The spoof-concept ad, from the creative agency ACNE, was brilliantly soundtracked by an original composition from California Music’s Malte Hagemeister and Kristian Nord.
Contrasting White’s Instagram-perfect abs with the more relatable physique of its own star, the ad plays out as a simultaneously sexy and comedic ode to reality. The backing music highlights that tone perfectly, echoing the most sultry of 60s vibes whilst capturing the modern zeitgeist.
With the full track now having been released (you can listen across multiple platforms here), LBB caught up with Malte to learn more about how, and why, this track and campaign were put together…
LBB> Malte, can you talk us through your initial reactions when you saw the brief for this ad?
Malte> We loved the idea from the very first moment! We saw it as an opportunity to play around with an amazing reference track from the 60’s, and possibly create a true authentic new original song that brings more to the table than just parody.
LBB> And how closely do your initial visions line up with the finished ad?
Malte> It superseded them!. The BRLO spot became bigger than just pointing at another spot for being too old-school, or too traditional. As iconic as the original ad is, it does objectify the body. So what’s a positive answer to that? I think we took it way further than just critiquing the ad. The song became crucial to adding a new empowering and uplifting meta-message.
LBB> Can you talk us through your process for creating the music - aside from the obvious reference to a certain ad for a certain fashion brand, what vibes were you hoping to portray?
Malte> Usually the reference track is secret to those not on the project, but here everybody knows exactly what we were up to (You Don’t Own Me, by Lesley Gore). We saw this as an opportunity to prove how we can get inspired by a song, its style, and attitude without creating a cheap copy or a sound-a-like.
We always make sure to be legally copyright safe, and we knew it would be especially dangerous if we got too close. We kept the tempo, the sound of the 60’s, a female voice, and the general structure. But then we came up with completely new melodies, chords, and lyrics. We updated the retro sound with new beats and gritty sounds (because the brand is Berlin-based, of course!). Kristian killed it with a super inspired instrumental that he just knocked out of the park.
Then, we tried out different top-lines with multiple singers. Always test different approaches! And here’s where magic comes in: both lyrics and melodies somehow showed up for me when I dove in deep. The line “I Love Myself More Than I Love You” cracked me up. And the rest evolved from there. In my head there was Edith Piaf jamming with the Supremes and The Beach Boys, all infused with a current-day Berlin confidence.
Our dear LA friend Ursula Gueringer, who breathes both French chanson and vintage soul music, was the perfect choice for a vocal that is vintage but not a mere copy of Lesley Gore.
For the music nerds who want to geek out: Like a lot of songs, You Don’t Own Me starts in a moody minor key and then changes to major chords in the chorus. What’s special about the original track is that, going into the chorus, the song surprisingly shifts the root chord from minor to major. It’s a bit weird, and so good! We knew we wanted to create a similar emotional moment - but do it differently. So we decided to simply jump into a different key out of the blue which created a similar lift, whilst in no way copying the original composition. When working with reference tracks, you always want to recreate the emotion in a new way.
LBB> The lyrics suit the ad’s concept just perfectly - how did you settle on those?
Malte> This was such a major part of the task! My gut told me early on that this has to be about self-love and body positivity, but done in a tongue-in-cheek way. The problem is that this can get cheesy very quickly! To me this was the biggest challenge: to find the right words that have the sense of confidence in a way that Amy Winehouse would’ve sung it. It had to be unapologetic and likeable.
I wanted a sense of humour without being silly, and that’s a very thin line! It’s a fascinating process: you define your parameters, but then let true inspiration do the work. Aligning your head and your gut. You need a perfect balance of being prepared, and being under-prepared.
In the end, it should never sound like a song for a commercial. It should sound like an artist had an unstoppable urge to write this. And we’ve been artists long enough to feel when we’re onto something true.
LBB> When you’re looking to nod towards an already existing (and viral) ad, what kind of challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?
Malte> You know that you will be brutally compared!
One challenge is competing with a hit. No matter what you come up with, you’re up against everyone’s personal memories of how this song showed up in their lives. Hits have unique meanings deeply engraved into a person's story. This can be an uphill battle and difficult to win, especially when a client or agency falls in love with a temp track.
And in this case of a parody, we can run into copyright challenges. You could get sued very quickly if you get too close to the original. Yes there’s room for parody versions like Weird Al Yankovic, but not being used for a brand. It would be a nightmare with licences.
I think creativity is a fascinating process in general. Jim Jarmusch once said “Nothing is Original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination”. I believe we’re all standing on the shoulders of giants. It’s funny how these questions are very current in the age of AI - they do steal, don’t they? But every musician has soaked up millions of songs only to process them in their own personal way to create art in a way we call unique and authentic.
My duty as a composer is to recycle pop culture and pop music in a respectful way. To create an homage rather than a copy. A feel-a-like rather than a sound-a-like. And always on safe legal grounds.
I know we’re really good at this and I love the challenge of being watched by our peers. I loved proving our skills in the public eye, or rather the public ear.
LBB> Why do you think this song and this positioning was such a good fit for BRLO as a brand?
Malte> We created something way bigger than just making fun of a viral ad. Berlin stands for the new generation, progressiveness, and open-mindedness. In this way BRLO turns into an ambassador for these important values, and it’s fun to see how it all connects: non-alcoholic beer called “naked”, body positivity, and self-love. The song and message is the perfect fit for a young, modern, independent beer brand. In a very natural way.
LBB> Obviously there’s a humorous aspect at play with this ad - but is there something more serious going on about how we portray male body positivity as well? Do you have an opinion on that?
Malte> I love sneaking in much-needed messages into ads. Yes body positivity is a serious topic, but as with so many things humour is a better way in! Like Mary Poppins said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”
I’m convinced that men are under a lot of pressure in the age of social media and perfect six-pack bodies everywhere. And thinking of my own personal growth, I’m fascinated about how all of this is tied to self-love or the lack thereof. I’m grateful that this very personal topic of mine found its way into a viral campaign. When we come from a point of healthy self-love as opposed to vanity, we are able to not only show up with more confidence, but also shine in a beautiful way. I really want to make a t-shirt that says “self-love is sexy!”
LBB> Is there anything that you’d do differently if you had your time again?
Malte> No. I’m actually happy how the time pressure forced us to move very quickly. Sometimes the pressure cooker helps you rely on your instincts, and gets you closer to a truly inspired idea.
LBB> Finally, it’s been very enjoyable to read through some of the comments on the campaign’s Instagram post. Do you two have any favourites you’d like to share?
Malte> Yeah, a couple stand out. “Wow!!!!!!! Big compliments for this video. Such an important topic - never expected it from a beer company.”
“What is this song? I can’t find it and I’m starting to get cranky.” - There were many variations of that message! And the good news is that the long version of the song is finally out.
