Kidz Bop Kids take on the hits from second half of 2018 on Kidz Bop 39
Hits are the fuel on which Kidz Bop Kids run. The group made up of child singers has been around since 2001 with frequent personnel changes. Kidz Bop 39 brings back the Kidz Bop 38 team – Ahnya, Julianna, Cooper, Freddy, Isaiah, Liv, and Shane. While the Kids stay the same, the hits change. The latest edition includes three Billboard Hot 100 #1s, starting with Cardi B‘s “I Like It,” which serves as a showcase for Ahnya, Julianna, and Liv. The Bad Bunny and J. Balvin parts are excluded making the cover short and sweet. Simplification also works for the cover of Drake‘s “In My Feelings.” The original is full of @champagnepapi nonsense; the Kidz Bop version keeps the New Orleans bounce and streamlines the sanitized lyrics to be more coherent than the original. The cover of Maroon 5‘s “Girls Like You” flips the formula of “I Like It.” This time, it’s Cardi B who is excluded and the outcome is flat, like Maroon 5’s Cardi-less performance at the Super Bowl.
Kidz Bop Kids stepped up their game with a world tour in 2019 before returning to the U.S.
Beyond the chart-toppers, the Kids take on both pop and rock on Kidz Bop 39. When it comes to Post Malone‘s “Better Now,” we get an effective combo of pop, rock, and hip-hop that demonstrates the broad appeal of Post Malone, even for the rated-G audience. The Kids’ approach also succeeds with Benny Blanco‘s “Eastside” that maintains the melodic melancholy of the original Khalid-Halsey pairing.
The album’s weaker covers generally spotlight weaker original versions. Historians will scratch their heads at the success of Bazzi decades from now. The Kidz Bop cover of “Beautiful” does not improve on the Gucci-loving duet with Camila Cabello. The cover of Imagine Dragons‘ “Natural” does not match the intensity of the original, yet it seems like the Kids will not stop covering an Imagine Dragon song on every release until of the end of time. A slightly better rock cover is the Kids’ take on the frantic Panic! At The Disco hit “High Hopes,” which brought Brandon Urie‘s band a new relevance with Gen Z.
Obviously “Happier”
Some hits on Kidz Bop albums just feel grander and this go-round the highlights include covers of Marshmello‘s “Happier,” The Greatest Showman’s “This Is Me,” and Ariana Grande‘s “Breathin’.” The latter was bound to be a big hit for Grande, but it was swept up by the surprise drop of Grande’s “Thank U Next” in November that took #1 on the Hot 100 immediately and left “Breathin'” at a peak of #12. Kidz Bop knows how to call an audible though. Their version of “Thank U Next” came out earlier this March, scrubbing out the profanity and the @arianagrande-specific references. The video also previews the next Kidz Bop album. There are four new members of the group, which means that the recruitment machine for Kidz Bop is thriving, and for that the new kids on the block are so thankful.
The newest Kidz Bop recruits at the “Thank U Next” video shoot