What are the (young) kids listening to these days?

July 28, 2011 6:09 PM

I've been asked to put a bunch of music on an mp3 player for a visiting 9 year old girl. I know she likes the Bieb and Gaga and (for some reason) ABBA. Beyond that, I'm at a loss. Suggestions?
posted by Carlo to media & arts (27 answers total)

If she likes Gaga, she'd probably also like the original version: Madonna.
posted by litnerd at 6:11 PM on July 28, 2011 [3 favorites]

I went through an 80s music phase in high school, and the 9 year old girl I was nannying at the time loved the girl groups: The Go-Gos, Bananarama, The Bangles, etc. (I burned her a CD with her favorites, much to the chagrin of her mother who came of age when that music was in, and thought she had finally escaped it.)
posted by phunniemee at 6:18 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

My girls love Pink!
posted by rockhopper at 6:18 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

All Slayer. All the time.

Just kidding - 3OH!3, Katy Perry, Adele, Kesha, etc.

Last.fm's Similar Artists page for Justin Bieber lists tons of people I've never bothered to listen to, but who might be appropriate.
posted by Magnakai at 6:20 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Taylor Swift is popular with girls I know who are about that age.
posted by thewestinggame at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'll give you the favorites around here:
80's/Retro:
Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles
I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
ABC - The Jackson 5
Madonna
Mickey - Toni Basil
Outkast - Hey Y
The soundtrack to Grease

More current:
Firework - Katy Perry
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Miley Cirus -Party in the USA
Cee Lo - Kung Fu Fighting
Bruno Mars - Just the Way you are
Taylor Swift - Mine
Selena Gomez - Who Says
posted by hellochula at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Miley Cyrus is very popular amongst the kids at the camp where I work.
posted by JoannaC at 6:49 PM on July 28, 2011

You can go a lot of ways from Lady Gaga & ABBA. I totally think hellochula is on the right track and already suggested a lot of the songs I'd add if I were making a mix for this kid. I'd probably also add 99 Luftbaloons (sp?), Total Eclipse of the Heart, Who's Lovin' You (Jackson 5), I love Rock 'n' Roll (Joan Jett), Don't Speak (No Doubt), Spiderwebs (No Doubt), Only You (Yaz), probably a couple songs from the Rent soundtrack... you could also see what you can get from the Glee soundtrack.
posted by Ashley801 at 6:54 PM on July 28, 2011

How about They Might Be Giants?
posted by Leezie at 7:00 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Imogen Heap
Goldfrapp
Elton John
Queen
Mika
Lenka
Rihanna
posted by John Cohen at 7:01 PM on July 28, 2011

Ke$ha
Rhianna
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift
Ace of Base (?)
use Pandora for sure and start with any of the above artists. Look at the top 40 pop charts for right now and select songs from there.
posted by Pork n Beans at 7:10 PM on July 28, 2011

I also came to suggest Taylor Swift (my 6 and 10 year old cousins literally SHRIEKED with glee when i gave them one of her CDs as a gift). Also Katy Perry, and, now that i think of it, songs from the show Glee.
posted by Kololo at 7:11 PM on July 28, 2011

The individual song recommendations are perfect. Much easier than trying to root out which Kesha song I think she might like.
posted by Carlo at 7:30 PM on July 28, 2011

aren't things like Kesha, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga too explicit for a 9 year old? At least that's how I was raised....
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:33 PM on July 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I was thinking teenybopper pop groups through history...
Backstreet Boys, "I Want it That Way"
Early Beatles
New Kids on the Block, "Hangin' Tough" or "Right Stuff"
N*Sync, "It's Gonna Be Me"
Monkees
posted by HeroZero at 7:34 PM on July 28, 2011

Okay, more individual song recs... Older stuff: "I saw the sign"-Ace of Base, "Just a girl"-No Doubt, "California Girls,""Barbara Ann,""Good Vibrations"-Beach Boys, "Shoop"-Salt-N-Pepa, "Girls just wanna have fun"-Cyndi Lauper, "La vie boheme" & "Seasons of love"-Rent soundtrack, "Bohemian Rhapsody"-Queen, "Birdhouse in your soul" -They Might be Giants, "The Time of my life" & "Hey Baby" - Dirty Dancing soundtrack, "American Pie"-Don McLean. Newer stuff that hasn't been mentioned as specific songs: "You belong to me" -Taylor Swift, "Wake up" "Stranger" "With love" "Our lips are sealed" - Hillary Duff, "Tell me something I don't know" "Magical" - Selena Gomez
posted by Ashley801 at 7:46 PM on July 28, 2011

and -- "King of anything" --Sara Bareilles
posted by Ashley801 at 7:47 PM on July 28, 2011

Awesome, thanks everyone. I also remembered that allmusic.com is a great resource.
posted by Carlo at 8:23 PM on July 28, 2011

Cee Lo Green - Forget You (of course, be sure it's the Forget You version).
Kris Allen (American Idol champ) - Live Like We're Dying
Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue (in case she's a little bit country)
Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me
Jack Johnson - Upside Down (she may recognize it from Curious George)
Grace Potter - Something that I Want (from Tangled)
Kelly Clarkson - she has several songs that are popular, but My Life Would Suck Without You may be tops(I don't know if suck will cause a problem, but the song was hugely popular)
Taylor Swift's latest song Mean is also pretty popular with young girls
Cody Simpson - Summertime or All Day (personally, I find him annoying - but according to my 13 year old he's the Beiber from down under)
posted by kbar1 at 8:30 PM on July 28, 2011

B-52's!
posted by brujita at 10:04 PM on July 28, 2011

Big Time Rush - Boyfriend
David Archuleta - Crush
Jesse McCartney - Beautiful Soul
Colbie Caillat - I Do
Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
Paramore - The Only Exception
Jessie J - Price Tag
A*Teens - Upside Down (or any of their songs, considering she likes ABBA)
posted by Cue the Strings at 10:13 PM on July 28, 2011

ABBA is back in with tweens now because of "Mamma Mia." And kids who like ABBA often also love The Beatles -- go with Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper.
posted by Tylwyth Teg at 10:15 PM on July 28, 2011

I'm tempted to encourage you to use this opportunity to expose her to some older music she probably wouldn't hear otherwise, and open up a whole other world. The Katy Perry/Kesha stuff, she's probably heard it all anyway.

With the Beatles, their "1" album is a perfect starter. Lots of catchy, easy songs there.

The Jackson 5 suggestions are good, and you could probably branch out into some Motown stuff, in particular the Supremes (You Can't Hurry Love), Temptations (Ain't Too Proud to Beg), and Marvin Gaye duets (It Takes Two, with Kim Weston).

Monkees: Daydream Believer, I'm a Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday
Go-Gos: Our Lips Are Sealed, Vacation, Head Over Heels
Bangles: Manic Monday, Eternal Flame, and Walk Like an Egyptian
Blondie: One Way or Another, The Tide Is High, Call Me, Hanging on the Telephone
Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Time After Time, True Colors

And other obvious hits by the likes of Billy Joel, Elton John, Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac...

You're sure to get a lot of "I didn't know they sang that first" and "I thought that was a song for a commercial/movie/TV show."
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:25 AM on July 29, 2011

That stupid "Grenade" song by Taio Cruz that even my three-y.o. sings now. Ugh.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:27 AM on July 29, 2011

When my daughter was at that age, she also loved ABBA - and The Ramones. Seriously. This has the added benefit of providing entertainment for you when she returns home to her family and bops around their the house singing "I Wanna Be Sedated!"

The Isley Brothers- Twist and Shout
Taio Cruz - Dynamite

And yeah, although she's probably already heard it, I personally would not give a 9 year old Katy Perry. Elementary school kids don't need to hear about wild weekends in Vegas, getting drunk and having barely-remembered orgies.

Also, I believe "Grenade" is by Bruno Mars. And I am ashamed that I know that.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:14 AM on July 29, 2011

Alphabeat - particularly "Fascination" and "Boyfriend" from the album "This is Alphabeat". Catchy and upbeat to the extreme.

Also, while I haven't listened to much myself, I understand Robin is some real quality pop music.
posted by TangoCharlie at 10:34 AM on July 29, 2011

"Chewing Gum" by Annie (any Annie is really fantastic pop!)
posted by haveanicesummer at 11:32 AM on July 29, 2011