e.l.f. Drops Second Original Album 'Mirror Mix' to Champion Rising Artists
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: e.l.f. Cosmetics has released 'Mirror Mix', its second original album, spotlighting seven rising musicians as the beauty brand expands its entertainment-marketing playbook across streaming and Roblox.
A beauty brand with a record label
e.l.f. Cosmetics has released "Mirror Mix," its second original album, through its e.l.f. Made entertainment arm. The release was reported by Marketing Dive on 28 September and covered by Billboard, and it lands the brand squarely in territory most cosmetics companies never enter: original music IP.
The album spotlights seven rising artists — Brasko, Flau'jae Johnson, Hello Sister, Joaquina, Mamii, Nezza and Sadie Rose Van — across pop, R&B, Latin and rock. It is available on Spotify, Apple Music and inside e.l.f.'s own Roblox space, and the brand partnered with Genius on an Open Mic series, including a live performance on 30 September.
A format that already worked once
This is not an experiment with an unknown outcome. e.l.f.'s 2024 debut album, "Get Ready With Music," drew more than 500,000 Spotify streams and over 10 million views — numbers that reframe the album as a performing media channel rather than a vanity project.
The concept is also purpose-built. e.l.f. says "Mirror Mix" was inspired by research showing that one in three independent artists struggle with a lack of exposure. By giving emerging musicians a platform, the brand attaches itself to a cause its young audience cares about while generating a steady stream of content.
Behaving like an entertainment company
Here is Marketing Minute's read. e.l.f. is behaving less like a cosmetics advertiser and more like an entertainment company, using owned music IP to live natively inside Gen Z's streaming and gaming feeds rather than interrupting them with ads.
What makes it powerful is repeatability. The format — original music, distributed across streaming platforms and Roblox, amplified through a lyrics-and-culture partner like Genius — is a multi-platform system the brand can run again and again. Each release manufactures cultural relevance on a budget, because the content earns its own distribution instead of renting it.
The lesson for other brands
The transferable idea is to create content your audience actively wants to consume, rather than content they tolerate on the way to something else. Platforming up-and-coming talent — musicians, creators, designers — can earn more genuine reach than a paid campaign, and it generates goodwill a banner ad never will.
You do not need a record label to apply it. The principle is to find a passion point in your audience, then build something that serves it on the platforms where they already spend time. When the content is good enough to seek out, the media efficiency takes care of itself.
Quick FAQ
What is e.l.f.'s 'Mirror Mix' album?
'Mirror Mix' is e.l.f. Cosmetics' second original album, released through e.l.f. Made. It features seven rising artists across pop, R&B, Latin and rock, available on Spotify, Apple Music and e.l.f.'s Roblox space.
Did e.l.f.'s first album succeed?
Yes. Its 2024 debut, 'Get Ready With Music', drew more than 500,000 Spotify streams and over 10 million views, which is why the brand built a repeatable second release.
Why is e.l.f. making music instead of ads?
e.l.f. uses owned music IP to live natively in Gen Z streaming and gaming feeds, creating content its audience chooses to consume and earning reach and goodwill that paid advertising cannot.
e.l.f. has stopped thinking like an advertiser and started behaving like an entertainment company. Instead of buying attention around culture, it is making culture its audience actually wants to consume. Platforming new talent earns reach that a paid ad simply cannot, and it builds a brand people choose to spend time with. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The smartest brands now create content their audience genuinely wants to consume — platforming rising talent earns far more reach, and goodwill, than another paid ad ever could.
Could your brand create something your audience would choose to spend time with, rather than something they skip?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Dive, Billboard.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
