In the first Kidz Bop compilation album, the “edge” of popular music was defined as the adult voices singing the songs, rather than their content, which is why a backing chorus of children was added: Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” was still invested in staying warm in the middle of the night, and the subject of Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” has “devil red” lips and is still “like a bullet to your brain,” despite the chorus of preteens screaming along with the adult lead vocal (and rendering the earlier albums nigh unlistenable). Created by record executives Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld after realizing the challenge of finding kid-appropriate music that parents could tolerate, Kidz Bop set out to “take the edge off a little bit so that parents and kids both feel comfortable.” But in the beginning, that edge had very little to do with lyrics. The conservatism at the heart of such edits is undoubtedly a matter of perspective-many parents would applaud these choices, which theoretically remain in line with the original brand mission.
So although the body-positive message of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” managed to survive the Kidz Bop translation process, other instincts are more protective than productive, as when Swift’s “tight little skirt” in “Style” gets turned into “favorite shirt,” as though even the idea of a “favorite skirt” is too risqué. 'KIDZ BOP,' 'Sung by kids for kids' and 'Kidz Bop Kids' are registered trademarks of Kidz Bop Enterprises LLC. Parents need to read the lyrics before letting their children listen to the music. 5 and 6 year olds are listening to this drivel. There is too much sexual overtones and our society has sexualized things at way to early of an age.
Kidz Bop is in a position to help introduce meaningful concerns regarding social and cultural identity to children, in a media space where these ideas could be raised productively, but doing so threatens their reputation as a safe space for even the most protective parents. This Kidz Bop music is not suited for anyone under 16. While we could identify these as “post-identity” politics (post-feminist, post-racial, etc.), here they are closer to “pre-identity” politics, operating under the belief that kids should not yet be dealing with these issues. Kidz Bop has faced such criticism before, drawing complaints in 2011 for removing the explicit references to issues of sexuality, race, and ethnicity from Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” But in light of the brand’s growing conservatism, it’s not shocking that Kidz Bop’s values would shy away from addressing issues of identity and struggle in contemporary society.