Victoria Monét gave “Star Wars: The Acolyte” a hit in the credits

One could argue that it’s too late to vie for song of the summer. We may not yet know what will define “summer 2024” in our minds, but the entries are in, the streams are counted. Maybe it’s because you’ve been worrying about whether it’s because of your espresso, or because you always start dancing a little when you hear “Not Like Us” (and repeat it five times), or because you rock out on the way to the bar, or because you hit the high note when you wish people “Good luck, baby!”

But that was Before The Acolyte broadcast episode 7, which ended with a very sudden cut to the credits and a song by a certain Victoria Monét.

Until now, The AcolyteIts main reason for fame was bringing the High Republic to live action and Manny Jacinto luring people to the dark side. Now the new Star Wars show is taking over the pop charts, relying on Grammy winner Monét, who ties together the stories of Mae and Osha in a post-credit song.

“Power of Two” is a much better bop than the coven chant from Episode 3, the kind of old-school pop take on a storyline we used to see in Disney movies or (even better??) their direct-to-VHS sequels. This is not just a Hercules-era self-serious cover from a pop singer, this is pure 98 Degrees’ “True to Your Heart” goodness. It aims to drive home the themes of Mae and Osha’s separation between the two sides of power, all with a brooding beat and layered vocals.

Will this song oust any of the other entries in the race for song of the summer? I’d say probably not. Sorry, Monét—the others are just catchy; it’s really crazy that we have such a good collection right now. (And to be honest, it won’t even displace Monét’s own “On My Mama” on my summer playlists.) But hey, it’s nice to have a show with a little retro fun.