Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Warriors Project

I thought I was just headed to an auditorium full of people at the Lincoln Center on Wednesday night, ready to quietly listen to the Warriors album and hear Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis talk about it. Maybe even get the chance to ask a question from the back row if there was a Q&A. Boy, was I wrong.

Instead, I found myself standing in front of Lin-Manuel Miranda himself, chatting all about the early days of YouTube marketing for In the Heights (he poked fun at himself, recalling clumsily DIY promotional videos), funny sayings our kids use as we pretend to know exactly what they’re saying, and post Hamilton ‘my life didn’t go back to normal’ moments.

“No way, it’ll never work,” Lin-Manuel Miranda

When I asked Lin why he chose to take on the Warriors album as a project, he responded

“It was 2009 and a college classmate of mine wrote to me and said ‘I’m working as an assistant to one of the producers for the Warriors movie, do you think it could be a musical?’ and i wrote him back, so fast, and said, ‘no way, it’ll never work.’ … But a part of my brain was always thinking about it so flash forward to 2016 and it was my first vacation from Hamilton, and I was like what do I want to do now as I wait for my life to go back to normal, which it never did by the way, and it was there…Warriors. It was a good idea and you were wrong.”

The Warriors Album

The album itself? It’s a 26‑song, cinematic ride through New York that follows an all‑female gang of Warriors. We follow Swan (Jasmine Cephas‑Jones), Cochise (Kenita Miller), Fox (Phillipa Soo), Ajax (Amber Gray), Cowgirl (Sasha Hutchings), Rembrandt (Gizel Jiménez), Cleon (Aneesa Folds), and Mercy (Julia Harriman) as they make their way home through chaos and grit. Executive-produced by Nas and produced by Grammy-winner Mike Elizondo, Warriors feels like the pulse of the city in musical form. It weaves together salsa, ska, rap, funk, metal, K‑pop nods, and more, all reflecting the diverse energy of New York’s boroughs in motion

We chatted about how having an all‑female gang reinterprets the original cult film’s energy (it works, btw. It’s edgy and empowering). Lin-Manuel explained that they designed Warriors as a concept album first, much like Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, or more recently Hadestown, a format that gives them creative freedom in the studio. That choice let them assemble dream collaborators who couldn’t commit to a Broadway schedule but could spend a day laying down tracks.ame it, can’t stick to a Broadway schedule but you can spend a day in the studio.

He pointed out that artists like Nas, Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Cam’ron, and Billy Porter could be brilliant one-off contributors, but not full-time cast members. The album approach bypassed Broadway logistics and let the music breathe.

Will It Be Lin’s Next Big Thing?

Here’s what you really want to know, is this Lin-Manuel Miranda’s next big stage project?

I asked the same question. The only question I had burning in my head before hopping on the NJT, and taking the 108 degree subway to the event… Yes. I can confirm YES. It’s his next stage project!

Cue the Silent Disco

Then came the best part. The headphones on, and Lin‑Manuel, Eisa Davis, and most of the Warriors cast hit the dance floor for a silent disco to the Warrior album. 

There’s something hilariously magical about dancing in silence, watching Lin bounce along, the crowd singing off tune, total Broadway meets club night mash‑up. What a night to remember…

Final Thoughts

I left feeling like I’d just lived through a backstage Broadway memory, but cooler, because: hip‑hop cameos, NYC drama, and electric disco moves with Lin‑Manuel. Warriors is a bold, fun, genre-smashing concept album. 100 minutes of theatrical storytelling as immersive as it is unexpected.

If you’re a Lin‑Manuel fan, a musical theater nerd, or someone who secretly wished Moana had more rap battles, stream Warriors, queue up your disco soundtrack, and get ready to ride that subway to Coney Island like you’ve never before. And keep your eye out for news on the next big hit, the Warriors heading to stage!