Jessica Darrow has only recently joined the Disney family as fan-favourite Luisa Madrigal from the studio’s hit 2021 animated film, Encanto. After the breakout success of her hit song from the film, Surface Pressure, she has now teamed up with the company for a second time by recording the vocals for the new single, A Little More, for their heartwarming new Christmas advert and spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about the experience.
Disney singer Jessica revealed she burst into tears upon seeing Disney’s new Christmas campaign, The Gift.
The final part of the studio’s ongoing campaign, From Our Family To Yours, concludes the touching multi-generational story of Nicole and her growing family.
This year’s commercial focuses on Nicole’s daughter Ella, who is introduced to a baby brother after stepdad Mike joined the family last year.
“There was one point where it feels like I’m talking to an old friend, almost,” Jessica told Express.co.uk.
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“The song is technically from the perspective of Ella, who’s the youngest daughter of the family, and she’s about to become a sister.
“It’s sort of an inner monologue wondering if the dynamic is going to change significantly. It sort of ties into wondering about life’s challenges and will I feel supported enough? Will I have what it takes to take these things on?
“But it’s also speaking to an old friend, it’s speaking to a family member.”
Since the campaign began in 2020, Jessica has been personally touched by Nicole’s journey as she experiences some major family milestones over the years.
In the first advert, Disney fans were introduced to Nicole’s grandmother, Lola, which struck a chord with Jessica following the recent death of her own grandmother.
“It’s Nicole’s journey, watching her grow over time,” she explained. “We see her with her grandma at first, and that really hit home for me.
“That was truly the first thing that just made me sob. My abuela, my grandmother passed away last year.
“She lived to be 99, so I just think, ‘Good genes, thank God!’ But she passed while I was recording Encanto and that’s something I was so excited for her to see.”
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Jessica’s grandmother sadly died before she got the chance to witness her breakout role in Encanto.
She went on: “Because of the connection of family and my own Cuban roots, I wanted her to see herself in a Disney film just as I was about to see myself.
“Seeing Nicole’s relationship with her grandma in the first [advert] just made me think about her and how I used to take her for granted.
“As I get older I’m also having to come to terms with that,” she added. “So I’m simultaneously feeling like Ella, who’s scared of newness, but also Nicole who’s accepting it as time goes on. And finding the joy in it and passing it on to her daughter.”
“If I ever have children one day – or have more pets – I will make sure they know they must remember joy first and foremost and try to find it as much as possible.
“She literally passed while I was recording, but I definitely felt her spirit with me, especially on the red carpet.”
In addition to working on Disney’s latest Christmas campaign, Jessica recently released her own single, Make It Clean, and has also been hinting at the Madrigal family’s return in an Encanto sequel.
Encanto is available to stream on Disney+.