[5] The duo then brought an array of writers: Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick, and Joriah Kwamé, to write the tunes for the album.

[5][6] Will Speck and Josh Gordon had worked on mostly diegetic music, with Mendes performing the majority of the tracks as a singing crocodile.

Pasek wanted an energetic number, which also reflects the relationship between Lyle, Hector, and Josh (Winslow Fegley), with Kwamé suggesting the hook line, gave the song "the fire element which needed".

[5] Another ballad song "Carried Away", according to Pasek and Paul, "encapsulates the movie’s central theme of belonging", as in a sequence, Lyle is in a Zoo, "and the lyrics reflect his desire to live free".

[6] An original song written and performed by Mendes,[8] titled "Heartbeat" was released as the album's promotional single on September 23, 2022.