The dynamic kid quartet Kidz Bop is set to return to Concord this month for another family-friendly pop concert at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, Kidz Bop has had great success with its unique product: cleaned-up versions of Top 40 songs performed by a select group of young talent starting at the ages of 11 and 12. The brand has grown from releasing two albums a year to releasing four or more annually; they have a wildly popular YouTube channel; there is a Kidz Bop channel on Sirius satellite radio that plays nothing but their songs – commercial-free; and they started touring the U.S. two years ago, doing as many as 55 shows a year. This year’s “Life of the Party” tour will stop in Concord on May 21 at 7 p.m.
Sasha Junk, senior vice president of marketing for Kidz Bop, said the concerts are great for the whole family.
“For a lot of the kids, this is their first-ever concert experience, and they’re coming out with their parents, and their brothers and sisters, so it’s a great time for all,” Junk said. “It can also be very inspirational for a lot of the kids, to see these kids performing the way they do.”
And with music that both the parents and the children can enjoy, expect the show to be quite lively.
“The audience can expect lots of energy, lots of singing and dancing . . . to be on their feet the whole time singing along,” said Ashlynn Chong, 14, of Los Angeles and a member of the group. “My favorite part of the show is the LED lights. We use them in every possible way. We even light up our clothing.”
Chong said her favorite song on the tour is “No” by Meghan Trainor, and she said the tour itself is the highlight of this whole experience for her.
“I think it’s really cool to be part of Kidz Bop because of how much they’ve been able to accomplish,” she said.
Kidz Bop was started by two Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam in 2001, about the time both men were on the “birthday party circuit” with their young children, Junk said. After attending parties weekend after weekend, the two men noticed there wasn’t any music geared toward school-aged children; there was a lot for preschoolers and teenagers, but nothing in between. “There was nothing between Elmo and Eminem, Sesame Street and Britney Spears,” Junk said.
The Kidz Bop artists are carefully selected from a large pool of candidates from across the country. Every two to three years, there is a national casting call and thousands of children send in videos. From those videos, 10 to 12 finalists are brought to Kidz Bop headquarters in Dallas and then the final four are picked from there.
The current group is: Chong; Sela Hack, 15, from San Antonio; Matt Martinez, 13, from New Jersey; and Grant Knoche, 13, from Dallas.
“They are an amazing group of kids,” Junk said. “Not only are they super talented, but they are the greatest, just the sweetest bunch of kids.”
All of the concerts are performed on weekends, so the artists are able to go home during the week and spend time with their family. They also have a teacher on staff who travels with them, Junk said.
The artists sign on for three years. This keeps the group fresh and maintains the “for kids by kids” vibe that makes Kidz Bop what it is. That means this is the last year for the current group. So not only are they celebrating a Kidz Bop birthday but celebrating the end of their run.
“This is the last tour (for us), and mostly we’re just kind of celebrating the amazing adventures we’ve had and reflecting on the past couple of years and making the most out of our year,” Chong said.