Yahoo Lifestyle What It Takes to Make a Grammy-Nominated Kids’ Album in 2025
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There’s a stereotype among parents that “kids’ music” is synonymous with “toddler tunes.” Adults think once you get through the phase with the sing-songy, repetitive melodies of Baby Shark, Cocomelon and Ms. Rachel, they can switch to the Top 40 and whichever of their own favorite songs have the fewest bad words. (I’m guilty of this myself. Then again, my kid has always loved David Bowie, even as a toddler.)
While there’s nothing wrong with exposing kids to a wide range of music, are those adult songs really speaking to them? I talked to some of the artists nominated for a 2025 Best Children's Music Album Grammy Award to find out how to make music that captures the experience of childhood today, when kids have so many other distractions around them, and why the adults in their lives could benefit from listening, too.
Music Can Speak Directly to Kids
Writing songs for kids, who have short attention spans and no patience to stick with things that don’t grab them right away, requires a different approach than writing songs for adults. Take it from someone who has done both: John Legend, whose album My Favorite Dream is his first foray into children’s music.
And yet you still have to please parents, who are often the ones deciding what to play (at least sometimes). “I think parents want quality, thoughtful music for their children, the same they would want in TV, movies and books,” Legend tells me in an email. “It’s important to provide music and other entertainment that is intentionally created for today’s youth with their feelings and perspective in mind. I think if you do that, the parents will see that and respond.”
The tricky part is getting down to kid-level without condescending. “We're not gonna talk down the kids,” says Divinity Roxx, a former bassist and musical director for Beyoncé. “We are going to lift them up and bring them up to our level.” Divinity's Roxx's new album, World Wide Playdate, does just that, and has earned the artist her second Grammy nomination.
If you can walk that line, you can end up with music that celebrates the joys of getting bigger while helping them through the hardships. Lucy Kalantari of Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats named her album Creciendo, which literally means “growing up.” She notes that you can make fun music for families to listen to while also addressing some of the rough spots in kids’ lives. “The second song on the album is called ‘Me Caí, Pero Me Levanté,’” she says. “That means ‘I Fell, but I Got Back Up Again.’ It’s about resilience, and how when you want to get somewhere, it's not always a straight line. And sometimes you fall, but what do you do? You dust it off, you hug your bravery, and you say, ‘I fell, but I got back up again.’ There's something about that celebration, and saying, ‘I overcame that.’ And that scenario will play over and over throughout life in different ways.”
Making Kids’ Music Personal
It may seem like the pull to speak to some kind of universal childhood experience means that kids’ music is less personal, and that the artists can put less of their (adult) selves into their songs. In reality, the opposite is true.
Creciendo is Kalantari’s first album her first full length Spanish children’s album, an homage to her upbringing in the Dominican Republic. “I really wanted to make something in Spanish, but it kept getting delayed,” she says. “And then my mom was diagnosed with dementia. I realized I really wanted her to hear the songs I was making in Spanish. So I suddenly felt this pressure, like she needs to hear this album before she's gone. And you're not going to believe this, but she was learning the songs. She couldn’t remember something that I told her two minutes before, but then she remembered the lyrics to the song that I just sang to her. And then suddenly she was singing along with the chorus.”
Kalantari’s mom wasn’t the only family member who had a big impact on the album. Her 12-year-old son also played cello on the album, getting up early to record the songs before school. His work with the band means he’s nominated for the Grammy along with his mom.
Legend also brought his kids into the recording studio. “Luna and Miles have never sung on a record before,” he says. “It was fun to be there for their first time, teaching them how to sing into the mic, how to use headphones and hopefully helping them not feel nervous!”
“I wrote the album at home, which is the first time I’ve ever done that,” he adds. “So, all of that energy of home life is infused into the music.” (And some of the family's favorite toys, too? On the album, Legend covered a few songs from Fisher-Price toys, including "Maybe," a song from the Kick & Play Piano Gym. An earworm to be sure!)
Divinity Roxx wanted the album to feel like an ode to the '90s hip-hop she remembers from when she was younger. “When you think about some of the fun, colorful hip-hop from the ‘90s, like Missy Elliott and Timbaland, you think of the break dancing and beat boxing and how hip-hop was supposed to bring joy back in the '90s,” she says. “I wanted the album to feel like that. I really wanted it to feel like fun and exciting and full of positive messages.”
“I also figured that there was an audience of parents out there who were missing the fun in hip-hop music and who'd like to share it with their kids — but share kid-friendly hip-hop music,” she adds. Uplifting words to kids set to beats that hit the nostalgia button for adults? Sounds like something the whole family can agree on. (Sorry, “Baby Shark.”)
Take a Listen
The artists pick their favorite track from their albums:
Divinity Roxx - “Celebrate”
From Divinity: “‘Celebrate’ always goes hard. It doesn't matter whose birthday it is — an adult's birthday or a kid's birthday. When we perform ‘Celebrate,’ it's fun.”
John Legend - “Always Come Back”
From John: “We all really love ‘Always Come Back.’ It’s so hard on all of us when Chrissy or I are away for work but it’s especially hard on the children. This song is a loving promise that no matter where I am, I’ll always come back to them.”
Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats - "El Sonido de los Vientos"
From Lucy: “‘El Sonido de los Vientos’ means “The Sound of the Winds.’ In this case, it means the sounds of the horn section of an orchestra. So it has these really cool jazz arrangements, and you hear these ‘Pows!’ and horn hits. I love that.”
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