Meet AJ Pop | Children’s Pop Music Duo

We had the good fortune of connecting with AJ Pop and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi AJ, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
We had been writing music for popular children’s TV shows for years, and felt that it was time to start a project where we could be even more creative and start something really special in kids’ pop music. We decided to create animated avatars that kids could connect with and who also allow our imaginations to run wild.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about:

While there are a lot of amazingly talented kids’ artists, we are proud of the fact that AJ Pop brings a different sound to the genre. We’ve blended our experience as pop/commercial songwriters and artists and our time writing for children’s television, to craft songs that sonically could fit on a top 40 station while telling important stories and teaching essential lessons. We are big proponents of never singing down to kids because they really are so bright deserve to be treated as such. We also align, whenever possible, our art with our values, which includes things like building self-esteem and empathy, a love for the environment, and exploring different perspectives and cultures.

How did you get to where you are today professionally?:

We met years ago while working as actors on a network TV series and became close friends almost instantaneously. We supported each other in our individual endeavors as artists and songwriters, until a chance to write for an American Idol alum brought us together and we realized what a creative force we could be as a songwriting team. That led to us writing for some of the biggest children’s shows in the world, including Dora the Explorer, Dora and Friends: Into the City, Sesame Street, and Blaze and the Monster Machines. That successful partnership has also blossomed into us forming AJ Pop: an animated, intergalactic kids’ pop music duo supported by Platoon. There is a tremendous sense of freedom to working as a team and in creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to appear. And since there are two of us, we can get more accomplished and can brainstorm and bounce ideas off one another — something you can’t do when solo.

Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?:

We don’t think forging a career in the arts, and especially music, is ever “easy”, mainly because there really isn’t a clear roadmap the way there is if you want to become a lawyer or doctor, for example. Each person’s journey is going to be unique, but there’s a beauty in that along with the struggle. For us, we overcame the challenges by embracing the uncertainty and believing that if you’re passionate about something, work as hard as possible, seize the moment when opportunities present themselves (even if they’re not how you imagined them), and staying mentally and emotionally flexible to handle both the highs and lows — you will find your way. And luckily, we’ve found that to be true.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way:

One big thing we’ve learned is that it’s important to surround yourself with people whose energy and vibrations match your own. Early on in our career, we would sometimes find ourselves collaborating with people who were very talented, but not easy to work with, which made what should’ve been fun and exciting, extremely stressful. Now, we are lucky to have a network of incredible individuals. And that positivity permeates throughout a project. On our latest release, “AJ Pop Rainbow Bops” which happens to be the first pop Pride album for kids, we had no less than 5 producers on it, each one bringing something special. For example, Grant Adler, is a young, talented multi-instrumentalist who infuses funkiness into every track and he’s a DFW native!

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?:

That it’s just the beginning! There’s a Universe of possibilities with AJ Pop and we can’t wait to share all we have in store with kids and families everywhere.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Of course it would revolve around food — because we’re foodies! The day would start by hitting up some of the food trucks in Klyde Warren Park. We’d then head over to explore art museums and galleries in the art district. We’d then go to Vidorra for dinner to enjoy tasty Mexican food. And the night would end with live music in Deep Ellum. And grabbing some elote from a street vendor before going back home is a must!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We couldn’t talk about our success and journey in children’s media without mentioning the incredible person who started it all! Back in 2012 we met Holly Gregory — who was then a producer at Dora the Explorer – at a songwriter’s event and she saw something in us and offered us a contract to work on the show. Her belief in us, even without a track-record to speak of at the time, changed the entire trajectory of our career. In addition to bringing us into other shows at Universal Kids, she is also someone whose opinions and thoughts mean so much to us. We are lucky to now call her a friend and mentor; someone we can go to whenever we have a new idea. To have a person who you know truly sees your talent and is in your corner rooting for you every step of the way, is valuable beyond measure.

Website: https://linktr.ee/ajpop

Instagram: @ajpopmusic

Facebook: ajpopmusic

Youtube: @ajpopofficial