NEW KIDZ ON THE BLOCK
UK members of multi-million-dollar pop brand launch album and reveal they are desperate to meet Scots fans when they play here next year
THE biggest tweeny pop sensations in the world are heading for Scotland. With more than one billion views on YouTube, more than 20million albums sold, and three billion track streams, Kidz Bop are the first supergroup of the social media age and are getting ready for their first gig in Scotland.
Kidz Bop UK starlets Max, Ashton, Mia and Twinkle visited Glasgow last weekend to launch their eagerly awaited new album.
The Brit teenagers are part of a multimillion-dollar entertainment brand based in the US and since rolled out around the world with different groups in different countries.
The formula of bright and breezy kids dancing and singing along to cover versions of the biggest chart hits of the day has been a viral sensation – with 93million YouTube hits in the UK alone.
Their videos dominate social media, their tunes flood streaming sites and the tours have been huge successes across America – with the UK Kidz Bopteam now following in their footsteps with the first full British tour next year, including a date at the Armadillo in Glasgow in April.
The kids launched their new release, Kidz Bop 2020, in Glasgow and said they were thrilled to meet their Scottish fans. Ashton, 14, said: “We’ve not met Scottish fans before, so this is really good.” Twinkle, 13, added: “We’re really excited to see all of them.”
Max, 15, agreed: “Hopefully the album signing will give them a clue about what they can expect from us, as we’ll be performing a lot of the songs from the album on the tour.”
The singers record covers of pop hits – with lyrics often changed to make the song more appropriate for the singers and the fans, replacing any alcohol, drugs or sexual references with more family-friendly phrases.
They then post colourful and choreographed videos of the singles, encouraging their massive fanbase to sing and dance along.
The new album features covers of chart smashes such as Calvin Harris’s Giant, and hits such as Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road and Miley Cyrus’s Nothing Breaks Like The Heart.
But the group said one of the tunes they were most excited to put on the new album was Lewis Capaldi’s No1 hit, Someone You Loved.
Max said: “That was a huge song for us. We loved doing that. We are all big fans of the song, I’d heard it on the radio over and over for weeks before we recorded it, so I don’t think we needed to practise the lyrics too much.
“Lewis Capaldi is such a nice guy too.” One of the standout moments for the young singers is when one of a song’s original
performers gives their version a seal of approval. Twinkle said: “Anne-Marie and Mel B both did that. We did a 90s remake thing, where we did a Spice Girls song and Mel B retweeted it, that was lovely.”
Ashton added: “And with someone like Anne-Marie, you’re like, ‘Did that actually just happen?’ It’s crazy to know that they recognise the songs you’ve covered.”
Mia, from Greater Manchester, and Ashton and Twinkle, both from London, all attend the famed Sylvia Young Theatre School, where stars such as Rita Ora and Billie Piper trained.
Max, who is at a mainstream school in Essex, said: “It’s a dream come true. Who doesn’t want to be in Kidz Bop, singing in front of thousands of people, dancing in front of thousands of people on different stages like the O2 and the Hammersmith Apollo? It’s a massive dream and a massive opportunity.”
While Kidz Bop 2020 is the fifth album for the three longestserving UK members and the first for Mia, they are all looking forward to their first headline tour next Spring. ●Kidz Bop play the Glasgow SEC Armadillo on Monday, April 13. The new album, Kidz Bop 2020, is out now. Visit www.kidzbop. co.uk for tickets and more information.