Kidz Bop Kids have just released Kidz Bop 35, on which they cover The Chainsmokers and Zayn twice
On Kidz Bop 35 there is no future. I mean there is no Future Hendrix, the guest rapper on “Cold,” one of the 15 covers by the Kidz Bop Kids on their latest compilation of kid-friendly pop songs. Thankfully, there is also no Adam Levine of Maroon 5 on the track, which ends up being superior to the original. The same can be said for the cover of “Mercy” that removes the aghast Shawn Mendes. The Kids have come a long way from being an anonymous children’s choir. They now have names, Instagram accounts, music videos, and original tracks (Kidz Bop 35 offers up the platitudinous “Best Time Ever“). They are also able to emulate EDM distortion, which is demonstrated on “Down” (originally by Marian Hill) and “It Ain’t Me” (originally by Kygo & Selena Gomez). The Razor & Tie machine behind the Kidz also must love The Chainsmokers as the album includes covers of “Paris” and “Something Just Like This” (originally ft. Coldplay). The latter works especially well as a children’s song about heroes such as Hercules and Batman.
The Chainsmokers get a thumbs up from @KIDZBOPIsaiah
So what is lacking on the latest Kidz Bop? There is no “Despacito” (originally by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee with Justin Bieber on the Remix) and I’m not sure if that is because of its lyrical content or because the Kidz don’t do Spanish. Ed Sheeran‘s “Shape Of You,” the other mega-hit of 2017 is also absent. Its content can be considered risque for the Kidz so instead we get a spirited cover of “Castle On The Hill.” What is present is a lot of Zayn. A cover of “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” brings back the trauma of Fifty Shades Darker. There is also “Still Got Time,” originally a non-hit by @zayn ft. PartyNextDoor, which could be mistaken for a Kidz Bop original. I assume on the next iteration of Kidz Bop there will be covers of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson to finish up the One Direction bingo.
Kidz Bop Kids also have @brunomars type jackets
If it’s Kidz Bop, it must also mean rewriting some of the “mature” song lyrics. The one Hot 100 #1 covered on the album is Bruno Mars‘s “That’s What I Like” and it requires sanitizing: “sex by the fire at night” becomes the Kids’ “hang by the fire at night.” The parents approve. Alcohol references are also scrubbed, the @brunomars strawberry champagne becomes a strawberry milkshake, while on “It Ain’t Me” nobody’s sipping whiskey neat. Instead “I had a dream you were hanging out with me.” Hanging out is the name of the game, whether by the fire or highest floor, The Bowery, and the Kidz are fun to hang with, check out the “It Ain’t Me” video below and pick up or stream the album today:
