Kidz Bop
Kidz Bop is a brand of compilation albums featuring children singing and covering contemporary and clean pop songs, made more kid appropriate by changing explicit lyrics. The series was developed by Razor & Tie co-founders Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam on October 9, 2001. The albums are composed of popular songs that chart high on the Billboard Hot 100 and/or receive heavy airplay from contemporary hit radio stations several months ahead of each album's release. The songs are performed by the Kidz Bop Kids, often with lyrics deemed too inappropriate for younger children altered to be more "kid-friendly", although critics of this approach contend that "repackaging adult music as kids' music" does not remove the adult themes even when words or phrases are substituted.
The franchise has sold more than 16 million albums. Since its debut on October 9, 2001, Kidz Bop has expanded to include merchandise, music videos, a live touring division, and talent search competitions. There are 40 main albums as of 2019.
Albums
Chart performance
The Kidz Bop Kids were Billboard's No. 1 Kids' Album Artist of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 2016 and 2017. Kidz Bop 26, released in July 2014, marked the franchise's 40th charting album on the Billboard 200. Since the brand's debut in 2000, more than 17 million Kidz Bop albums have been sold.In November 2015, Billboard Magazine announced that the Kidz Bop Kids rank #4 on their list of artists with the Most Billboard 200 Top 10 Albums of all time. The Kidz Bop Kids rank higher than iconic artists such as Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, with 22 top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 Chart.
In 2015, Kidz Bop 29 debuted at No. 3 on the Top 200 chart. In the same year, the franchise moved 1.15 million units, or 23% of the entire kids music album category.
Kidz Bop has released the best-selling children's albums for the past few years; Kidz Bop 25 in 2014, Kidz Bop 27 in 2015, and Kidz Bop 31 in 2016.
Tours
Kidz Bop World Tour
The Kidz Bop World Tour was a nationwide rock concert for kids featuring child and one adult performer/mc backed by a full rock band which kicked off in the fall of 2007 in Minneapolis at Target Center. It was funded, at least in part, by Karen Zerby. The ensembles were chosen from a nationwide talent search and featured Mary Sarah, Markelle Gay, Kristian Real, Davide Schiavone, Elizabeth Bashian and Brianna Komadina. The tour traveled the upper Midwest and east coast comprising some 29 shows during a 6-month run.2014 "Dream Big, Sing Loud" Tour
The Kidz Bop Kids' nationwide tour promoted Kidz Bop 26 in over 40 cities in 2014. Major markets included New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and more. The final stop of their 2014 tour was at Radio City Music Hall, where The Kidz Bop Kids performed live to open for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.2015 "Make Some Noise" Tour
The national live tour hit over 50 cities in 2015, including New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington, Nashville, Baltimore, Seattle and Los Angeles. The tour was sponsored by Build-A-Bear Workshop's Honey Girls. Audience members at the Kidz Bop tour saw a special preview of the Honey Girls' debut music video at each show.In August 2015, Kidz Bop announced that it was extending the "Make Some Noise" tour to include nine holiday performances. The holiday shows were added following the success of the "Make Some Noise" tour's spring and summer dates.
2016 "Life of the Party" Tour
In February 2016, Kidz Bop announced it was celebrating its 15th birthday with the "Life of the Party" tour. In March 2016, Kidz Bop announced a partnership with Live Nation to add summer amphitheater dates to the "Life of the Party" Tour. The Kidz Bop Kids kicked off the summer shows on July 16 at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Connecticut. Additional cities included Brooklyn, Charlotte, and Chicago.The "Life of the Party" Tour is sponsored by Friendly's Ice Cream and Crazy 8.
2017 "Best Time Ever" Tour
In February 2017, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the launch of the "Best Time Ever" tour. The 2017 live tour visited more than 50 cities across the U.S. and include stops at BOK Center LegoLand, Greek Theatre, Boardwalk Hall, Honda Center, Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island and many more. The tour was sponsored by Juicy Juice Splashers, and kicked off in April 2017.2018 Kidz Bop Live 2018 Tour
Following the success of 2017's "Best Time Ever" tour, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the launch of the all-new North American Tour, "Kidz Bop Live 2018". The tour announcement coincided with the release of Kidz Bop 37. The summer leg kicked off in Toronto on June 1, 2018. and hit more than 50 cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Boston.Four Kidz Bop Kids perform live at each concert, which were produced by SRae Productions. The creative team behind "Kidz Bop Live 2018" has previously produced tours for Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd, Rascal Flatts and Pentatonix.
2019 Kidz Bop World Tour
In December 2018, Kidz Bop and Live Nation announced the launch of Kidz Bop World Tour 2019. The 2019 tour visited more than 50 cities across the United States, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom and Mexico. The tour was sponsored by Subway Fresh Fit For Kids, and kicked off April 20 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.2021 Kidz Bop Live 2021 Tour
In January 2020, Kidz Bop announced they would be doing a national tour. It will run from June to December.Kidz Bop rescheduled the tour to 2021 because of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic.
Notable Kidz Bop alumni
- Ross Lynch – Kidz Bop 13 – 15
- Noah Munck – Kidz Bop 14
- Olivia Holt – Kidz Bop 14
- Zendaya – Kidz Bop 15; her song "Replay" later appeared as a LeapFrog exclusive on Kidz Bop 26
- Elijah "EJ" Johnson – Kidz Bop 20 – 24
- Spencer Locke – Kidz Bop: Everyone's a Star
- Mary Sarah - Kidz Bop World Tour
- Becky G – Kidz Bop 19; her song "Shower" later appeared on Kidz Bop 27
- Kiana Brown – Winner of Kidz Bop's Kidz Star USA in 2011
International expansion
United Kingdom
In February 2017, Kidz Bop announced it was launching outside of the US for the first time and expanding to the UK. There will be a new lineup of British Kidz Bop Kids. Kidz Bop partnered with Universal Music Group, ITV, Crown Talent and Media Group, and Creative Artists Agency for the UK launch. The first album, Kidz Bop, was released in the UK on March 31, 2017, and was released in the US on April 7, 2017. The second album, Kidz Bop 2018, was released in the UK on November 10, 2017. The third album, Kidz Bop Summer '18, was released in the UK on March 23, 2018. The fourth album, Kidz Bop 2019, was released in the UK on December 7, 2018. The fifth album, Kidz Bop 2020, was released in the UK on November 15, 2019. And the sixth album, Kidz Bop Party Playlist, was released in June 2020.Germany
Kidz Bop Germany and Kidz Bop Germany 2 was released in Germany on March 29 and September 6 of 2019 respectively. The third album Kidz Bop Party Playlist! will be released on April 3, 2020. The series were sung by the German Kidz Bop Kids.Related projects
Kidz Bop experience at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana
In 2018, Kidz Bop announced the fully branded "Kidz Bop Experience" at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana.They opened a Kidz Bop experience at Hard Rock Riviera Maya August 2019.
Legoland music partnership
In 2016 Legoland Florida appointed Kidz Bop as its official music partner, coinciding with the launch of Lego Ninjago World, January 12, 2017. To celebrate the park's expansion, the Kidz Bop Kids recorded an original version of the park's theme song.Crazy 8 fashion brand
Kidz Bop partnered with kids' clothing brand, Crazy 8 to launch the Kidz Bop clothing line. The line was designed by Crazy 8. The collection is made for children 3 to 14 years old. The line officially went on sale on November 7, 2016, in Crazy 8 stores and online. The Kidz Bop performers wore the collection on stage during their 2016 Life Of The Party tour.Kidz Star USA talent search
In 2010, Kidz Bop launched Kidz Star USA, a national talent search for kids 15 and under.In 2011, Kiana Brown from Phoenix, Arizona, became the second winner and received a recording contract from RCA Records. American Idol winner, Kris Allen, was a celebrity judge and mentor for the competition.
Dallas Wayde was the 2012 Winner with Gavin Degraw as his celebrity mentor.
Isabel Lacatus was the 2013 winner with Jennette McCurdy as her celebrity mentor.
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. In January 2014, Kidz Bop and SiriusXM Launched Kidz Bop Radio, a 24/7 channel dedicated to playing Kidz Bop music.Video games
- Kidz Bop Dance Party: The Video Game – September 2010
Criticism