Let’s hear it
for the Girls!

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes a look at a relatively new kids singing group, Girl Authority, which wants to have the seal of approval from parents. Plus, I have interviews with three members of the group.
The nine Boston-based performers in Girl Authority are all between the ages of 9 and 15. Their main goal is that their music is family friendly and parents will realize younger children will be able to listen to them without questioning the lyrics in the song. They want to send a positive message to preteen girls. A main message of their song selection is, "girls can just be themselves and they do not have to try to be in a certain clique. They can be accepted for being who they are."
They also pick their songs around their personalities and from influences in their lives such as family and vacations. Girl Authority songs are uplifting, with positive messages about teamwork and friendship.
They have been performing together for more than five years, since becoming friends at a local theater company in Massachusetts. Rounder Records had this idea about forming a group. The director of the shows, their manager, decided to put Girl Authority together. In fact, each of them has at one time or another appeared in a theatrical production of Annie, and are all trained singers and dancers.
Each girl in the group has her own identity and style: Tarr, Rock-n-Roll Girl; Alex, Fashion Girl; Jacqueline, All-Star Girl; Carly, Glamour Girl; Jess, Boho Girl; Gina, Urban Girl; Crystal, Country Girl; Kate, Party Girl; and Zoe, Preppy Girl.
Their Road Trip CD contains the following tracks: Let’s Get Together (original); Holiday; Life Is a Highway; Rhythm of the World (original); We Are Family; Reach; My Wild Side (original); This Is My Day (original); The Loco-Motion; Vacation; Car Wash; Shine; Walking on Sunshine; Here to Stay; Dancin’ in the Street; This One’s for the Girls; Perfect Day; Don’t Stop; and Girl Authority (original).
On Sept. 10 the group’s new CD Halloween Party Songs was released. It includes Monster Mash; Thriller; I Want Candy; Purple People Eater; Celebration; and Ghostbusters. It will be sold exclusively at New England iParty stores. The girls will be headliners for iParty and Boston Medical Center’s Halloween Town Boston on Oct. 27 and 28 at The Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Halloween Town 2007 is a two-day, fun-filled family event that benefits the Kids Fund at Boston Medical Center.
My first interview was with Gina, nicknamed Urban Girl.
"I love clothing, being in the city with my family and walking around seeing all of the shops. That’s how I got my name," said Gina, who was born Dec. 11, 1993.
She became involved with Girl Authority about a year and a half ago. She said they all did community theater together.
"I’ve known one of the girls, Fashion Girl, for about seven years," she said. "I’ve done other shows where I met some of the other girls such as Carly. Everyone became good friends, and then this came up, so here we are."
Her formal training includes performing in shows by age 8 and singing lessons. However, she said the best part is being with all of her friends and doing something that they love.
"I’ve always loved being at the center of attention," she said cheerfully.
Gina said her dad, Joseph, probably had the greatest impact on her, because he loves to sing and plays the guitar.
"My mom, Michelle, always says that I get my musical talent from him," said the young star.
Personal info: Gina has one brother, Michael, who is 15. Favorite female singer: Christina Aguiliera, because of her amazing voice; male performer: Nick Lachey; favorite song: You Got To Be.
Next interview was with 15-year-old Jacqueline. Her nickname is All-Star Girl because she absolutely loves sports.
"We picked our names by choosing the personalities that best fit us," she explained. "My favorite sports are golf, tennis and softball."
Her formal training includes being involved with musical theater since age 8, dancing lessons as well as being in many chorus programs for voice.
Jackie said she loves performing and the most enjoyable part of this whole experience is being on stage in the moment and the phenomenon of just hearing the crowd cheer. Jackie sometimes gets a little nervous, she acknowledged, but it all goes away when she goes on stage and remembers that there is nothing to be scared of because the crowd is cheering for her.
What is her hope for her future?
"I definitely want to continue my pursuit in the performing arts," she said. "If I don’t continue my singing career as an adult, then I would like to go into teaching younger children, like first-graders."
Personal info: Pets: two pet bunnies and fish; she has three younger brothers: Christian, Nicholas and Tommy; Favorite male and female singers: Kelly Clarkson and Billy Joel; favorite music genre: country or pop, but she also loves Broadway musicals.
Last but definitely not least is Crystal, Country Girl, who was born Aug. 13, 1994 and is currently an eighth-grader. She acquired her nickname by osmosis.
"When I was little my dad used to sing country music to me and I just grew up loving it," she said.
She became involved in the group at age 11. Her formal training includes taking acting and dancing lessons with the group’s manager, Samantha Hammel. However, she also did a few professional performances with Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College in Boston, where she played Tiny Tim in a Trinity Rep production, Christmas Carol.
Crystal said the most difficult aspect of performing is dancing.
"There are a lot of songs, and some of the dances are easy but some are hard. That is probably the hardest part," she remarked.
She also pointed out that nerves know no boundary.
"I have been nervous in the past," she said. "We performed with Jesse McCartney and the Jonas Brothers. I was really scared when we performed with them, because the crowd was larger than we usually have. I had nothing to worry about, because I knew all of the steps and I knew all of the songs."
Crystal owes her performing desire to her friend Lindsay, who really wanted both of them to go to camp together. At Camp Sam, they were given instructions on singing, acting and dancing.
"I was really scared, but I really loved it the second I got to camp," Crystal said.
For her future, she would love to stay in the performing, musical, acting, and dancing area.
"Besides singing and dancing, I love acting," she said. "I would also like to be a fashion designer. I really like to design things. I love putting different pieces of something together and making it better."
Personal info: Pets: three dogs; brother named Jake; favorite song: Defying Gravity by Wicked; favorite female and male country singers: Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, plus her all-time favorite country singer is Rascal Flatts.
Anyway, all the girls mentioned that the most difficult aspect of being involved with the group Girl Authority is the rehearsals, which are very long, as long as six hours. The girls need to come home and get all of their work done without getting distracted. The bottom line is they must juggle their schedule and manage their time well.
"I have study hall in the middle of the day. I get down to work and try to get through all of my homework before the end of the school day so I will not be overwhelmed," Crystal said.
Also, Gina, Jackie and Crystal predicted that Girl Authority will have a positive impact on society.
"We don’t have a lot of other positive role models for girls. You are always hearing on the news about them doing drugs or other wrong things," the three girls agreed. "We try to provide a model that other girls can look up to. We are trying to set a positive role model for those kids who are still young — to not look at those celebrities who are not doing so well, but instead to look at us and say, ‘wow, they are really good.’"
As for the group’s future projects, the girls are working with Beacon Street Girls and have already been in one of their books.
"There might be a book about Girl Authority regarding how their lives are and what it takes to get ready for the shows," Gina said.
"The group has been signed for a TV program by Porchlight," added Jackie.
I read they are hoping for a multi-platform licensing and brand deal to develop a television series, Web site merchandising and an original book series to take Girl Authority to the next level.
A NOTE OF INTEREST
Metropolitan Ballet Company will present the world premiere production of Peter Pan on Saturday, Oct. 20, and Sunday, Oct. 21, at the Josephine Muller Auditorium at Abington Friends School, 575 Washington Lane in Jenkintown. For more information, call 215-663-1665. ••
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com