When they invited me to open their concert with a reading of Strum and The Wild Turkeys, Sonshine and Broccoli deepened an already special connection. That’s what they do. You can see it on the faces of the children and families as they walked into the theatre last Sunday, beaming with joy at the site of this Juno nominated children’s duo who has already built deep bonds with their audience of fans. Even after the book reading, this dynamic duo welcomed me on stage to sing “Different is Good” with them. These generous performers know how to create community and invite everyone into their special world full of warm messages and powerful ones, especially on their new album Born to Be Brave.
After Strum and The Wild Turkeys was published on April 30, 2021, I had been doing a lot of readings in interviews and with schools. Each time I got to the part of the story where Strum, the main character who is a peacock with an imperfect plume, sings Different is Good, I would ask the audience to give me a genre and I’d make up a melody in that style. Approaching an online event with 400 students, I wanted to know the melody and was playing around with a tune that kept coming to me. My youngest daughter really loved it, so I used it with the school for that author visit . The student loved it so much, I was hearing that they were singing it at home, so the team behind the book encouraged me to write the whole song.
Once I finished the lyrics, unsure what to do next, I was introduced to Kayla who taught me a lot in our first phone call. She explained that the rhythm of the song helps make the melody, so I played around with the lyrics again in advance of a meeting that was set up with Marc Shapiro of Main Event Music arranged through the wonderful connections that Avi Glina and Barry, the catalyzers of this project, have.
Marc was the perfect collaborator. Not only did I know him through a close friend, but he was so relaxed and made me feel comfortable to play around in a world I had never really been in trying to create the lyrics as a song. I know the melody for the chorus and, thanks to Kayla, I figured out the sound of the verses. Marc was playing with the cords and helping to build the compositions that would become the song. It was amazing to have this creative experience, but what came next elevates this experience to something extraordinary.
I only had the recording that Marc and I had made when we wrote the song, but I was meeting with Avi to thank him for the chance to create Strum’s song. He liked it so much that he called his friend Lisa Sonshine and encouraged me to send her this rough, newly created song. I was so nervous. This was Lisa Sonshine, of Sonshine and Broccoli, whose voice was something I had heard about long before we ever met. I reluctantly sent her our song and braced myself for her feedback. She loved it and immediately decided that she wanted to make a recording of it for her new album. What??!!! Wow!
Two weeks ago, I heard the Sonshine and Broccoli version of “Different is Good” just ahead of their album release concert for which I was opening. It was better than I could have dreamt. When Lisa said that she heard it as an anthem, I was excited, but when I heard how very rock n roll it was and what they did with the bridge, I was smiling with my whole self. This song is really amazing, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
The entire album of Born to Be Brave is special and unique. It has affirming songs that celebrate our unique selves, make it alright for us to make mistakes, and tell us that we’re going to be okay at a time when we need it most. Along with the empowering music, there are fun songs like Kaboom and Hip Hop Hippo as well as Bounce with Lexi the Rap Daddy. There are other collaborations on this album, too. Hearing Kairo McLean sing the title song Born to Be Brave which he wrote with Sonshine and Broccoli and Kirk Diamond adds a lot to the lyrics because of the cool reggae vibes and the strength behind these young and experienced artists. My students annotated the lyrics of this song last week and took away a lot of ideas around growth mindset and how we can be brave, even when things get difficult. These talented performers made their stage a community, and I feel truly blessed to have been a part of it.
The Sonshine and Broccoli version of "Different is Good" is so good, that my Grade ⅘ students have each added it to their playlists and listen a few to a few hundred times a day. We are getting videos from families recording their children singing it unprompted, and we are hearing that this song helps kids get through tough times, singing it to overcome challenging scenarios. As a teacher motivated to make a positive impact on children, this song could have more reach than any project I’ve created or children's book I’ve written. Check out this song on the following streaming networks along with the rest of the album and let us know what you think. I think it’s so much more than a collection of really good songs for kids. I think it’s a layered and meaningful album for the whole family and for kids big and small. We are all born to be brave, but we sometimes need reminders of why, how to do that, and how to let go and just have some fun. This new album from Sonshine and Broccoli is well timed, well balanced and really really special. Check it out.