“Minions & Monsters” premieres on July 1.

Minions & Monsters inspires Olivia Rodrigo, Queen, Jackson 5 covers in ‘Minionese’ singing competition

"Minions & Monsters" premieres on July 1.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 30, 2026 1:45 p.m. ET

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Moments from the 'Minions & Monsters' premiere in Los Angeles in June 2026. Credit:

- The *Minions & Monsters *Los Angeles premiere hosted a singing competition in Minionese.

- Audience members were treated to babbled versions of Jackson 5 and Olivia Rodrigo songs, among others, in hopes of winning a Golden Banana.

- *Minions & Monsters *hits theaters on July 1.

Move over, *American Idol*. There's a new singing competition in town.

Four brave souls took the stage at the Los Angeles premiere of *Minions & Monsters** *to perform their interpretation of a translation of popular songs in Minionese, the fictional language spoken by the overall-clad creatures in the *Despicable Me *franchise.

Audience members seated at the Dolby Theatre were treated to covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Ill Be There" by the Jackson 5, "Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars, and Olivia Rodrigo's "drop dead." Even if listeners couldn't exactly understand the babbled translation, there was indeed a vibe.

'Minions & Monsters' singing competition at the movie's Los Angeles premiere on June 28.

Savion Washington/Getty

The winning song was "I'll Be There," performed by Rynia Kando. She was awarded a Golden Banana, while the other participants received larger-than-life bags of popcorn.

Naturally, the competition took the internet by storm, with fans discussing the unorthodox language while praising the artists and their renditions. "You will never hear a better version of Bohemian Rhapsody than this woman singing it in Minionese at the world premier of Minions and Monsters," one fan posted on X.

"They’re laughing? This woman is singing her heart out in minionese and they’re laughing?" another said. "Oh to be able to sing in fluent Minionese," a third mused. "When are we getting minionese in Duolingo ??" someone asked.

Another posed an important question: "So are people just practicing singing songs in minionese at home or are they some sort of minionese professional singers," they wondered.

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One fan imagined the potential that Minionese could have decades from now. "The year is 2067, Minionese is now the second most common language. You cannot succeed in business without knowing it," they wrote.

Another user perfectly summed up the impact the singing competition in the fictional language has on society. "this might be the minionese rosetta stone," they said.

Chris Meledandri, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr, Zoey Deutch, Trey Parker, Pierre Coffin, Jesse Eisenberg, Allison Janney, Jeff Bridges, and Rynia Kando at the 'Minions & Monsters' Los Angeles premiere on June 28.

Unique Nicole/Getty

Even Olivia Rodrigo was impressed by the new heights her song reached. "The most amazing thing I’ve ever seen," she commented on a TikTok video of her song performed in Minionese.

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For those keeping track at home, *Minions & Monsters *follows the 2024 film *Despicable Me 4 *and is the seventh in the franchise.

Per an official synopsis, the movie tells the "rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created."

Since the Minions' introduction into the world in 2010 with *Despicable Me*, the beloved creatures have helped propel the franchise to a global box-office sensation.

Moynihan, LaMarr, Deutch, Parker, Coffin, Jesse Eisenberg, Janney, Bridges, Kando and Meledandri at the 'Minions & Monsters' Los Angeles premiere on June 28.

Savion Washington/Getty

Starring in the latest installment of the Minions Cinematic Universe are Zoey Deutch, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, Bobby Moynihan, Jesse Eisenberg, Trey Parker, and Phil LaMarr.

*Minions & Monsters *premieres in theaters on July 1.

- Animated Movies

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Source: “EW Movies”