Kidz Bop Kids

All Music Guide:

Equally popular and controversial, Razor & Tie's Kidz Bop series of singalong collections debuted in 2001. Known for their "kid-friendly" versions of hit singles that are re-recorded by session musicians and singers and the Kidz Bop Kids, a chorus of child singers, the compilations became popular with families who wanted cleaned-up versions of contemporary songs: 2006's Kidz Bop, Vol. 9 debuted at number two in the Billboard Top 200 album chart, and at the time of the album's release, the collections had sold over seven million copies total. That year, the Kidz Bop Kids were named the number one children's music artist by Billboard for the fourth year in a row. However, many of the songs included on the albums dealt with mature themes and featured lyrics that, while not overtly explicit or vulgar, were still questionably suited for a very young audience. Along with the expected teen pop fare from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff, and Kelly Clarkson, Kidz Bop included more left-of-center picks like Franz Ferdinand's "Do You Want To?" and Modest Mouse's "Float On" as the series evolved. Along with the regular Kidz Bop collections, which were released roughly twice a year, the franchise expanded to include DVDs and collections of oldies, Christmas songs, and Latin pop hits. Kidz Bop also developed ring tones, toys, and a clothing line over the next few years. The eleventh Kidz Bop Kids album, which featured a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" as well as renditions of songs by Justin Timberlake and JoJo, emerged in 2007. Other releases in 2007 included Kidz Bop, Vol. 12 and Coolest Kidz Bop Christmas Ever. The series continued releasing albums every few months for the rest of the decade. By the time of 2011's Kidz Bop 20, the series emphasized the personalities of the Kidz Bop Kids, which included Steffan, Eva, Elijah, and Charisma.

Wikipedia:

Kidz Bop is a brand of compilation albums featuring child session musicians performing contemporary music. The series was developed by Razor & Tie co-founders Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam in 2001. The albums are composed of "kid-friendly" versions of the latest songs on Top 40 radio and are sung by young children.

Kidz Bop discography

Albums

Special collections

Billboard

The Kidz Bop Kids were Billboard's No. 1 Kids' Album Artist of 2010 and 2011.

Kidz Bop most recent release, Kidz Bop 21, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending February 4, 2012.

Related projects

Kidz Bop World Tour

The Kidz Bop World Tour was a nationwide rock concert for kids featuring child and adult performers backed by a full rock band which kicked off in the fall of 2007 in Minneapolis, MN at the Target Center. The ensembles were chosen from a nationwide talent search and featured Ashir Shumunov, Mary Sarah Gross, Markelle Gay, David Schiavone, Elizabeth Bashian and Brianna Komadina. The tour traveled the upper Midwest and east coast comprising some 29 shows during a 6 month run.

Kidz Star USA Talent Search

In 2010, KIDZ BOP launched KIDZ Star USA, a national talent search for kids 15 and under. In 2010, Hunter Pecunia, from Dallas, Texas won the first KIDZ Star USA Competition. In 2011, Kiana Brown from Phoenix, Arizona, became the second KIDZ Star and won a recording contract from RCA Records. American Idol (Season 8) winner, Kris Allen, was a celebrity judge and mentor for the competition.

Website

In 2008, Kidz Bop relaunched the brands' website, KidzBop.com, as a video sharing and social networking site for kids and tweens. As of December 2010, the website surpassed 900,000 registered users. The website is free and earns money from advertisements.

SiriusXM Radio

In January 2012, Kidz Bop launched its first radio show on SiriusXM Radio. Kidz Bop Block Party airs every Friday at 6pm est on Kids Place Live (Channel 78).

Kidz Bop Books

In 2010, Kidz Bop released three Kidz Bop Books:

Kidz Bop Kids

The Kidz Bop Kids are an American pop group and dance ensemble, founded in New York in 2009. The current members are: Steffan, Charisma, Eva, Elijah, and Hanna. The KIDZ BOP Kids sing on the albums and star in the music videos & TV commercials.

Former members include: Becca, Dana, Harrison, Zendaya, Kyra, & Valerie.