On May 13, Off Campus premiered on Amazon Prime. Over a month later, it remains the platform’s number one show. Based on the best-selling series by Elle Kennedy, Off Campus season one takes viewers into the lives of musician Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and hockey player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), the main characters of the book The Deal. A plot twist halfway through the season, however, introduces viewers to a secret relationship unfolding between two other characters – Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn) and Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla). Both pairs circle each other, and while they are in the same setting at the same time, their dynamics are rather different – and so are their soundtracks.

Through a virtual press conference on Zoom with actress Ella Bright, composer Alana Da Fonseca, and music supervisor Amanda Thomas, EnVi got a deeper understanding of what choices were made when creating the sonic worlds of both the relationships and lives of the Off Campus characters.

Editor’s note: Spoilers ahead for season one of Off Campus.

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Hannah and Garrett

Hannah and Garrett have gone from being written characters that readers have followed in silence to being larger-than-life people who sing, dance, and laugh. The characters have largely stayed true to their book versions, which were first introduced to the world when The Deal was published in 2015. Since the show was released in 2026, however, we see subtle changes in the characters, such as Hannah’s adoration for the band After Hours rather than One Direction.

To emphasize the modernity of the situation, Hannah’s original love interest, Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), was switched from being a football player to both a musician and After Hours’ lead singer. This also created an opening for Justin to sing covers, as well as original songs, that act as a connection between Hannah and Justin. When creating the show’s soundtrack, the music team knew book lovers would still be looking for one or two One Direction references.

During the press conference, Thomas explained One Direction’s placement in the show, as well as the development of Hannah’s musical style. “We really wanted to be intentional and find the right moment where it felt additive and felt aligned with what we were saying in that we wanted Hannah to have an eclectic playlist but also feel current and feel like a savvy music person.” From Hannah’s love of singing Elton John to rocking out to Remi Wolf, this is proven with every song that circulates around the character. 

It’s this adoration of old music that initially brings Hannah and Garrett together in the locker room. As Hannah cleans during one of her many college part-time jobs, she and Garrett can both be seen dancing to “Dancing with Myself” in separate spaces, blissfully unaware of each other, until they stumble a bit too close. It’s in moments like these that the soundtrack not only plays a part in showing the characters’ subconscious feelings, but is also used as a tool to show how relationships and characters will ultimately develop.

This is seen in a significant way in episode four, when Hannah decides to open up to Garrett about a deeply personal event she went through and looks to him to help her overcome it. For Bright, the music in this scene is strikingly similar to what she listens to day to day.

“I loved watching the screeners back because everything that was added completely felt like [it was] from my own personal playlist. The one that stands out to me is ‘Vertigo’ by Griff. Actually, that was like my favorite song for so many years,” Bright said cheerily, throwing her hands around in explanation. “And yeah, that’s the one that probably resonates the most with me. I was so excited to hear that because all of my best friends know that was like my song for so many years.”

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After episode four is over, Hannah and Garrett are still not fully committed to each other, and are still going along with their plan of Hannah winning over Justin Kohl. Because Hannah and Justin are both so deeply ingrained in the music scene, both of their personalities had to show that effortlessly. There ended up being a very strong correlation between the actors and characters, as they played a large part in creating this musical persona.

“Before we wrote anything, we got on with both Ella and Josh, who plays Justin, and got into their musical taste. ‘What inspires you? What do you like? What sound would you like to have your character sound like?’” Da Fonseca said. “I think that also really helped keep it current because they’re obviously in the demographic, and so that was a big part of our process too, and we loved doing that. Just everybody. It was a whole real collaborative process between everyone.”

Every note and line was carefully selected to grow Hannah and Garrett’s relationship, from additions to help it bloom to ballads to soothe its struggle. As they both made grand strides to overcome the biggest challenges in their lives, the cadence and flow of their relationship only got stronger, resulting in a perfect end to season one. 

The Best of Hannah and Garrett’s Soundtrack

“In Every Lifetime” – The Two Lips

“Dancing With Myself” – Billy Idol

“Baby Now That I’ve Found You” – The Foundations

“Bed On Fire” – G Flip

“Vertigo” – Griff

“Girl That I Am” – Ella Bright

Allie and Dean

The beautiful resolution of Hannah and Garrett’s relationship allowed for more than enough room to welcome a new couple to center stage — Allie and Dean. More than halfway through season one, viewers are shown behind the curtain that has been blocking their full view of the relationship that has been unraveling in secrecy. Cue “Sue Me” by Audrey Hobert.

It can be quite difficult to balance the different cadences of two very different relationships at the same time. So, when building the soundtracks for these couples, Thomas and the majority-woman music team questioned how the individuals’ personalities would sound when brought to life and what would differentiate them from each other.

“With Dean, we started playing a couple of moments. Like, Garette is classic rock. Is Dean hip hop?” Thomas questioned, then referenced a moment in Dean’s book in the Off Campus series. “In The Score, there was a moment where they were playing hip hop on the radio, and that was a thought, like maybe that’s something to play with for him. There was a lot to explore, but it’s just all experimentation and trying what feels right in the scene, and how we contrast.”

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Since Dean oozes confidence, he seems to have met his match with self-assured Allie. The two officially connect on the dancefloor, with Allie perfectly clad in the iconic Jennifer Lopez dress. As “On The Floor” plays, the tone to which the pair moves is set.

Throughout the rest of the season, the viewer has the pleasure of watching the push and pull of Allie and Dean’s relationship, which includes musical moments, a good amount of classics, and a few key modern tracks, such as “Cinderella” by Remi Wolf.

Since the key this couple lives in is a tad different from the leading duo, their songs are on the more sultry side and also very unexplored. Allie and Dean have been confirmed to be the focus of Off Campus season two, which is filming now and will bring the couple to the public rather than behind closed doors.

The Best of Allie and Dean’s Soundtrack

“Alone in Miami” – Remi Wolf

“On The Floor” – Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull

“Whiplash” – aespa

“Sue Me” – Audrey Hobert

“Dirty Little Secret” – After Hours

“U+Ur Hand” – After Hours

To keep up with Off Campus and get all the latest updates on the new and future seasons, make sure to follow their official Instagram.

Looking for more intimate details about your favorite artists and entertainers? Get to know queer, Latin American R&B artist Omar Apollo! 

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