'Cheesy goodness': Louisville girl lands recording deal with cute 'mac and cheese' song

Rae Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read

"Mac and cheese? Give me some please!"

Lila Andrews, a third grader at Norton Elementary School in Louisville, got noticed on Twitter by The Kraft-Heinz Co. after she wrote a sweet song about her love for mac and cheese. Now she has a record deal.

Talk about "cheesy goodness." (That's also in the lyrics, folks.)

In a yard decorated with elbow noodles, family, friends and company officials surprised 9-year-old Lila at home on Tuesday with a new ukulele, backpack and a recording contract.

Gail Andrews, Lila's "Gigi" who came up from Eastern Tennessee to support her granddaughter, said Lila has always been a performer, especially when it comes to dressing up like her favorite princesses.

"From the time she could walk, she liked to put on shows and dress up," she said.

Kori Andrews, Lila's mother, said she and her husband didn't know about Lila's song until she was singing it and told them "Mr. A", Jamie Albritton, her music teacher, tagged Kraft in a Twitter post and that Kraft had responded. Lila's parents weren't sure it would turn into anything, but three months later, the family was seeing Lila off in a limo to record her song.

"We're just really proud," Kori Andrews said.

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When asked what inspired "Mac and cheese? Give me some please!" Lila said, "I was just kind of hungry."

Kori and Adam Andrews said their daughter draws the spotlight wherever she goes and especially loves the social parts of school.

She "grabs the room when she goes in," her father said.

Lila's parents said she enjoys karaoke and that she's always singing and dancing at home. Lila said her favorite song to sing right now is "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes.

"It's just kind of fun," Lila said.

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On Tuesday morning, she performed her song for a small crowd, most holding signs that said #MacLilaFamous, alongside her teacher, who played the ukulele. Then she was whisked away by a limo for Lila to record her song.

You can follow more of Lila's journey, her classmates and Mr. A @NortonElemMusic on Twitter.

Although Kraft officials were present at the event, Jefferson County Public Schools said the company wasn't going to release a statement about Lila's record deal until June.

Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville girl's 'Mac and cheese' song wins Kraft recording deal