Jodi Benson (aka the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid) joins us in the kitchen today to celebrate Disney’s World Princess Week! From her early days on Broadway in Smile and Crazy For You to her iconic voice work in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and the Toy Story franchise - that’s right, she voiced the one-and-only Barbie - Jodi takes on a journey under the sea to explore all her favorite Disney memories. Stick around for an exciting conversation on her legacy, the importance of Disney Princesses, Broadway, and even some heart-wrenching stories of the late Howard Ashman and how Jodi is determined to keep his memory alive.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 – Introduction

1:45 - Jodi Benson is here3:00 - Performing origins

8:30 - Early broadway days

12:00 - Auditioning for “The Little Mermaid”

16:30 - Finding Ariel’s voice

17:30 – Being coached by Howard Ashman

18:30 - “Part of Your World” controversy

21:30 - Creating Ariel and The Little Mermaid

23:30 - Working with Howard Ashman and Alan Menken

25:00 - Howard Ashman’s passing and legacy

31:30 - ”The Little Mermaid” live-action

33:30 - Jodi and Hallee’s relationship

35:00 – Jodi at the live-action premiere

36:00 - How “The Little Mermaid” continues to live on

41:00 - Favorite “Part of Your World” performances

45:00 - Performing with her daughter

47:00 – Voicing “Barbie” and other iconic voices

49:00 - World Princess Week

52:00 - Game time!

56:00 - Final thoughts and goodbyes

Follow Jodi Benson:

Instagram: @jodibenson

TikTok: @jodi.benson

Follow the hosts:

@AnthonyGargiula

@Jonathantilkin

@CounterMelodiesShow

Listen and Watch:

https://pods.to/countermelodies

Credits:

Executive Producer / Showrunner / Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renée Colvert

Kyle Gordon has arrived! From viral alter egos like DJ Crazy Times to his genre-bending comedy albums Kyle Gordon Is Great and Kyle Gordon Is Wonderful, Kyle takes us behind the wigs, accents, and absolute chaos to reveal the real artistry behind parody. We dive into the wild ride of going viral, crafting characters that stick, and what it really takes to write music that’s both hilarious and genuinely good. It’s a laugh-out-loud, unexpectedly heartfelt journey through comedy, creativity, and the beautiful absurdity of the internet.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 - Intro & Catch Up

4:20 - Welcome Kody Redwing!

8:00 - Kody’s Childhood and family

10:30 - Kody’s American Idol Experience

13:00 - Comparisons to other “millennial” bands

15:00 - Career Choices and their impact on family

17:00 - Favorite versions of “Hallelujah”

18:30 - What’s Next for Kyle

20:00 - “Married in a Year in The Suburbs” collab

22:10 - Welcome Kyle Gordon!

23:00 - A Cappella Roots

25:00 - Wardrobe Malfunction

26:30 - Transitioning into Musical-Comedy

27:45 - Music Background

29:00 - Tiktok Beginnings

33:00 - Kid Who’s No Fun

36:00 - Brendan Abernathy Collab

38:30 - Patterns of “Hate” on the Internet

43:30 - DJ Crazy Times Controversy

46:30 - Performing with the Jonas Brothers

50:45 - Running into Joe Jonas in NYC

53:00 - Jonathan and Paul McCartney

54:30 - Kyle’s new album!

1:00:20 - Game time!

Follow Kyle Gordon:

Listen to Kyle Gordon is Wonderful everywhere.

Follow @kylegordonisgreat on social for all the sparkle.

Follow the Hosts:

@AnthonyGargiula

@ JonathanTilkin

@CounterMelodiesPod

Listen and Watch:

⁠https://pods.to/countermelodies⁠

Credits:

Executive Producer / Showrunner / Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renée Colvert

Everybody welcome Dara Reneé! From her breakout role on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to Descendants: The Rise of Red, Dara opens up about growing up on set, navigating mental health, and the journey to owning her power. It’s a hilarious, emotional, inspiring ride through Broadway dreams, Disney magic, and the deep inner work it takes to truly love yourself.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Intro and catch up!

04:00- Dara’s here!

05:00 – Being homeschooled, raised by a single mom, and growing up backstage. Dara shares her early years of performing (and Beyoncé karaoke)

8:30 - Early Broadway auditions

10:15 – Auditioning for HSMTMTS with no agent, no reel, and no clue she was about to book her breakout role

19:30 - One year later: Freaky Friday reboot and still no HSMTMTS

20:45 - Working on “Black-ish”

25:00 – Origins of HSMTMTS and auditioning for every role except Courtney

27:45 - Callbacks with Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, and Sofia Wylie and booking the show!

31:30 - Dara’s relationship with Olivia Rodrigo

32:30 - Kylie Cantrall and wanting to be the best big sister in the business

34:00 - OG High School musical lore

36:30 - Overcoming anxiety both in real life and on-screen

39:00 - Dara’s actual mom playing her mom on TV

40:30 - How HSMTMTS evolved over the 4 seasons

43:30 - Working on Descendants: The Rise of Red

45:00 - The infamous Josh Colley fire alarm story

48:30 - Favorite moments from Descendants

52:00 - Dara’s acting process

53:00 - Upcoming Descendants/Zombies tour!

58:00 - Game time: blind ranking disney channel theme songs!

Follow Dara Reneé:

Watch Descendants: The Rise of Red and stream her music everywhere.

Follow @dararenee on social for all the sparkle.

Follow the Hosts:

@AnthonyGargiula

@ JonathanTilkin

@CounterMelodiesPod

Listen and Watch:

https://pods.to/countermelodies

Credits:

Executive Producer / Showrunner / Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renée Colvert