Kidz Bop Teams Up with Barbie For New Music: 'She Is Just a Great Role Model'
Not everyone can get Barbie to make a cameo, but Kidz Bop can.
The brand that consistently delivers catchy PG-rated versions of some of the biggest hits in music, is partnering with Mattel’s golden girl to release five new holiday music videos, including visuals for Christmas classics “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells” and a new original, “KIDZ BOP Shuffle”, a new rendition of singer Cupid’s 2007 hit “Cupid Shuffle” (check out the latter above).
The videos will star Barbie and the Kidz Bop Kids: Alana, 10, Isaiah, 12, Jacob, 13, Julianna, 14, Layla, 11, Liv, 12, and Stephen, 11. The new group of kid singers are all under the age of 14 and hail from states all over the nation.
PEOPLE caught up with the young stars on the set of their Barbie video shoots, where they shared how exciting it is to work with one of their “favorite characters.”
“It’s super cool because it’s the first time that anyone other than a Kidz Bop kid has sang on a Kidz Bop track,” 10-year-old Alana tells PEOPLE. “So Barbie, one of our favorite characters is so cool to be singing with us and she’s really good.”
For Alana, Barbie is part of a sweet tradition she shares with her grandma.
“With my Nana, we have this tradition where she gives me Barbie dolls every year. And they’re different,” she says. “There’s like a doctor and a wedding planner. And it’s just super cool. I’ve grown up with Barbie and to be in a music video with her has just been so amazing.”
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Barbie also has a special meaning for 11-year-old Layla and her mom.
“Our moms have grown up with her,” she says of the character. “[My mom] was super excited. We got shirts and a bunch of Christmas stuff ready so we can like dress up every day when we walk in and it’s just super exciting.”
A post shared by KIDZ BOP (@kidzbop) on Oct 23, 2019 at 1:56pm PDT
Layla, who looks up to Barbie, has even dressed up as the character for Halloween. “She is just a great role model,” the singer says. “For Halloween one time, I was Barbie and my brother was Buzz Lightyear. And we trick-or-treated and everyone’s like, ‘I love your costume.’ She’s always been a huge part of my life.”
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Since its 2001 debut, Kidz Bop has sold 20 million albums and generated 3 billion streams. They’ve also had some big-named alumni like Zendaya and Becky G. More than 32 million subscribers tune in to Kidz Bop Radio on Sirius XM and additionally, the Kidz Bop Kids have been named Billboard’s No. 1 Kids’ Artist for nine consecutive years, from 2010 to 2018.
