Two months before Supergirl hit theaters on June 26, an unsigned singer-songwriter named Kelty Greye received an unexpected email.
DC Studios wanted to use her cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" in the film. Greye had recorded it three years earlier in her bedroom while studying commercial songwriting at Middle Tennessee State University. She had never performed the song live. The recording had not been altered in any way for the film.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Greye about how the cover came together. She had recently signed with sync licensing agency Think Music after getting attention for posting an original song online. The agency connected her with producer KidMotel and gave her a list of possible covers to record.
"I recorded that in my bedroom between classes in a little booth I built out of packing blankets and PVC pipe," Greye told the outlet.
She was drawn to the song immediately. "I was an emo. I loved that whole genre of music, but that's not my style to sing like that. And I'm a violinist, so I talked to my producer and was like, 'What if I put violin strings?' He sent me the guitar track and was like, 'What if we slow it down a bit, and your voice is really soft?' It's such a powerful song, and I love the message. It was really, really cool to sing it as a woman."
The original "The Middle" has had an enduring run since debuting as a top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 25 years ago. Jimmy Eat World closed their Coachella set with it last year.
Greye's version is a slowed-down, string-accented interpretation, and its placement in the film sparked considerable discussion on social media. Much of the debate, however, had less to do with Greye's performance and more to do with the song being used during an action-heavy sequence featuring Milly Alcock's Supergirl. DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has already confirmed that the film's box office opening did not meet expectations, and the film itself has been widely debated since release.
Greye said the response took some adjustment.
"At first, it was a little surreal," she said of the attention. She added, "As an artist, all you want to do is make people feel something. So, what an honor to have created something that gives people a wide spectrum of feelings. Whether you loved it or hated it, if you walked out feeling something, that's just cool: 'Wow — gave you an emotional response.'"
Greye remains unsigned as of the time of publication.
