Billboard Family
John Legend thought his daughter Luna’s favorite singer was Sabrina Carpenter. He was wrong.
The Short n’ Sweet pop star actually ranks at No. 2 for the 8-year-old, Legend learned in a round of “Our Favorite Things” with Luna and her 6-year-old brother, Miles. The very first episode of the Billboard Family game, featuring Legend quizzed by his two eldest children, is premiering now but was filmed in late 2024 — when Luna also led a one-on-one interview with her dad about his children’s album, My Favorite Dream.
“Favorite singers?” Luna asks her father during the game, in the video that’s seen above.
“Right now your favorite is Sabrina Carpenter,” Legend says, only for Luna to refute his response.“How is that incorrect? Because I am in the car when you’re picking songs,” he says to his daughter.
He’s wrong because her favorite singer is Dad, of course. (Cue the heart-eyes and smiling-with-tears-in-your-eyes emojis as you watch her quietly point at him.)
“Awww. OK. You just melted my heart,” the “L.O.V.E.” singer says in the clip of the family game.
Legend then correctly identifies some of Miles’ favorite music artists: Zedd, Marshmello and The Chainsmokers.
“He’s very into DJs,” Legend says, joking, “I think he wants to do a Vegas residency at some point.”
The sweet game also has Legend answering questions about Luna and Miles’ favorite hobbies, things to do together with Dad, TV shows, books and meals. Stick around until the end of the video to see what scores they give their superstar parent.
Plus, Legend — who has two more kids, 2-year-old Esti and 1-year-old Wren, with wife Chrissy Teigen — is tested on his children’s favorite songs from his own album My Favorite Dream, which is nominated for best children’s album in the 2025 Grammy Awards, among good company: Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band’s Brillo, Brillo!, Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats’ Creciendo, Rock for Children’s Solid Rock Revival and Divinity Roxx and Divi Roxx Kids’ World Wide Playdate are also up for the award.
The Grammys will proceed as planned on Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena, and will be telecast on CBS.
Many Los Angeles music events were canceled or postponed due to the wildfires that have devastated communities in the greater L.A. area, but the show “will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Tammy Hurt, the chair of the academy’s board of trustees, said in a joint statement last week.
Legend and his family were safely able to go back to their L.A. house after evacuating, Teigen shared in an update on Jan. 13, nothing that they were “feeling grateful to be back home.” In addition to sharing resources for fire victims on social media, her brand Cravings made a total of $100,000 in donations to organizations including World Central Kitchen, the YMCA, LA Regional Food Bank and the Red Cross “to support in fulfilling much needed supplies and most importantly – food, to help people begin to recover and rebuild.”
Carole King’s Really Rosie, her 1975 collaboration with legendary children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, marks its 50th anniversary with a vinyl reissue on Feb. 28. It will be the first time the album has been released on vinyl since its original release on Ode through A&M Records in 1975. (The album was released on CD in May 1999 on Ode through Epic Records.)
King was riding high in 1974 when she worked on Really Rosie, which featured 11 songs which she composed and performed, with story and lyrics by Sendak. The project encompassed an animated TV special that aired on CBS on Feb. 19, 1975 and also a soundtrack album. The album did very well, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and later receiving a Grammy nod for best recording for children.
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How did a children’s album climb so high on Billboard’s flagship chart? King was riding high at the time. Her previous pop album, Wrap Around Joy, had reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November 1974 and spawned two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, “Jazzman” (which received a Grammy nod for best pop vocal performance, female) and “Nightingale.”
There’s a second reason the album did so well. It’s really good. King didn’t “dumb down” her songwriting just because the songs were aimed at kids. AllMusic called it “that rare children’s album with the wit and intelligence to capture the imaginations of adult listeners as well.”
The album was co-produced by industry legend Lou Adler, who produced all of King’s albums from Tapestry (1971) through Thoroughbred (1976), and Sheldon Riss.
Really Rosie is based on Sendak’s books Chicken Soup with Rice, Pierre, One Was Johnny and Alligators All Around – which comprise 1962’s “The Nutshell Library” – and an earlier book, The Sign on Rosie’s Door (1960). The first four book titles mentioned here are song titles on the album.
The TV special was directed by Sendak and animated by Ronald Fritz and Dan Hunn of D&R Productions Inc. King voiced the title character. The special was released uncut on VHS by Children’s Circle in 1993. It has never been released in its entirety on DVD.
Sendak expanded the piece for stage productions in London and Washington, D.C. in 1978, and an off-Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch with designs by Sendak, which opened on Oct. 14, 1980 at the Westside Theatre.
Over the past five decades, Really Rosie has remained a staple for children’s theater groups.
King was 33 when Really Rosie was released, and keen to try new things. In March 1975, she appeared in a small role as Aunt Helen on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. You can watch her scene here.
Sendak died in 2012 at age 83. King, now 82, has lived to get her roses, as they say. In 2002, she received the Johnny Mercer Prize from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2013, she became the first woman to receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The 2014 jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ran on Broadway for more than five years. In 2015, she received the Kennedy Center honors. She has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – in 1990 in tandem with first husband and collaborator Gerry Goffin and in 2021 as a solo artist
The anniversary edition of Really Rosie will be reissued worldwide on 1-LP standard-weight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. It is available for pre-order now in King’s digital store for $26.99.
Complete Track List
“Really Rosie”
“One Was Johnny”
“Alligators All Around”
“Pierre”
“Screaming and Yelling”
“The Ballad of Chicken Soup”
“Chicken Soup with Rice”
“Avenue P”
“My Simple Humble Neighborhood”
“The Awful Truth”
“Such Sufferin”
“Really Rosie (Reprise)”
John Legend’s children Luna and Miles interview the singer to see if he knows their favorite things, from their favorite color to their favorite artists. Keep watching to see how well John Legend knows his kids!
Luna: Who’s our favorite singers right now?
John Legend:Your favorite is Sabrina Carpenter.
Luna:Wrong.
John Legend:How is that incorrect? Because I am in the car when you’re picking songs. Daddy?
Luna:After that, Sabrina Carpenter.
John Legend:OK. I’m ready. I know you well, and I know you well, too.
Luna:What’s our favorite color?
John Legend:So I think Luna’s favorite color is lavender.
Luna:Correct!
John Legend:And Miles’ is blue. What is it?
Miles:Neon and black.
John Legend:Neon what?
Miles:Green.
John Legend:Neon green and black are your favorite colors now? It used to be blue, though, right?
Luna:What’s our favorite hobbies?
John Legend:Favorite hobby — Luna’s favorite hobby is like drawing and crafting and doing artwork, building things, building things. And …
Luna:Wait — is gymnastics a hobby?
John Legend:Yeah, gymnastics is a hobby, and it’s a sport, too. And then Miles, your favorite is playing sports. So I would say football is your favorite.
Miles:Yeah, and there’s one more.
Guest:His iPad.
John Legend:Oho, your iPad. Playing games on your iPad. OK, fair enough.
Luna:What’s our favorite songs on My Favorite Dream?
John Legend:Luna’s favorite I already heard is “Always Come Back.” Miles’ favorite is “L-O-V-E.”
Miles:How did you know?
John Legend:I got it, yay.
Luna:What’s our favorite thing that we do with you?
John Legend:Our favorite thing is drawing together, and our favorite thing is playing football in the backyard.
Luna:Yep!
John Legend:Yep.
Keep watching for more!
The latest No. 1 on the Top Gabb Music Songs chart is a fitting one: Jelly Roll’s “Run It,” from the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 soundtrack, debuts atop the December 2024 ranking as the most-played song on Gabb Wireless phones that month.
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Billboard has partnered with Gabb Wireless, a phone company for kids and teens, to present a monthly chart tracking on-demand streams via its Gabb Music platform. Gabb Music offers a vast catalog of songs, all of which are selected by the Gabb team to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Gabb Music streams are not currently factored into any other Billboard charts.
“Run It” is the first song to debut at No. 1 on Top Gabb Music Songs, coming in the tally’s third iteration; Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” led the inaugural list, while KSI’s “Thick of It,” featuring Trippie Redd, paced November 2024, having risen two spots from its No. 3 rank on the October 2024 chart.
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Jelly Roll’s coronation comes after the song was released Nov. 21, a month ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s Dec. 20 theatrical release.
The song reigns over previous No. 1 “Thick of It,” which falls to No. 2, while ROSE and Bruno Mars’ duet “APT.” leaps to a new best of No. 3, a month after debuting at No. 24 on the November 2024 chart. “APT.” is currently the top-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 that’s also on the December 2024 Top Gabb Music Songs ranking; it appears at No. 5 on the most recent Hot 100 dated Jan. 18.
Inaugural leader Boone’s “Beautiful Things” drops two positions to No. 4 on Top Gabb Music Songs, while Luke Combs’ “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” again rounds out the top five.
After “Run It,” the latest list’s next-highest debut belongs is another tune from a film soundtrack: Ariana Grande’s “Popular,” from Wicked, which bows at No. 7. It’s joined on the 25-position survey by fellow Wicked tracks “Defying Gravity,” by Cynthia Erivo and featuring Grande (No. 11), and the Grande/Erivo collaboration “What Is This Feeling?” (No. 17).
The top non-movie-related debut? Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” which starts at No. 20.
See the full top 25 below.
Top Gabb Music Songs, December 2024
“Run It,” Jelly Roll (debut)
“Thick of It,” KSI feat. Trippie Redd (-1)
“APT.,” ROSE & Bruno Mars (+21)
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (-1)
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (=)
“Face 2 Face,” Juice WRLD (+2)
“Popular,” Ariana Grande (debut)
“Deja Vu,” Olivia Rodrigo (+1)
“Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter (+3)
“Slow It Down,” Benson Boone (-7)
“Defying Gravity,” Ariana Grande feat. Cynthia Erivo (debut)
“Stargazing,” Myles Smith (+6)
“Golden Hour,” JVKE (re-entry)
“God’s Plan,” Drake (-10)
“Butterfly Effect,” Travis Scott (-9)
“Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (+1)
“What Is This Feeling,” Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo (debut)
“Too Sweet,” Hozier (+5)
“Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots (+3)
“Wildflower,” Billie Eilish (debut)
“Let You Down,” NF (-14)
“Bones,” Imagine Dragons (-12)
“Enemy,” Imagine Dragons (-2)
“Eyes Closed,” Imagine Dragons (-4)
“Jealousy, Jealousy,” Olivia Rodrigo (debut)
DROPS FROM NOVEMBER 2024: NF, “Hope”; NF, “Motto”; Maddox Batson, “X’s”; Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”; 24KGoldn feat. Iann Dior, “Mood”; Justin Bieber, “Ghost”; Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”
Looking for new family movies to watch? This Billboard Family calendar is a roundup of 2025 kid and family movie releases that should be appropriate for most ages. To help people find picks that the entire family can enjoy together, only rated PG movies — or those that are expected to be rated PG — […]
Just like Beyoncé and Post Malone before them, Australian children’s music group The Wiggles is going country.
The upcoming album Wiggle Up, Giddy Up! is slated to release March 7 and will feature music and collaborations between The Wiggles and country artists including Dasha, Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Jackson Dean, Orville Peck, MacKenzie Porter and Lucky Oceans.
The album will also feature music from Australian and New Zealand-native country artists including Morgan Evans, Troy Cassar-Daley, Travis Collins, Kaylee Bell, The Wolfe Brothers and the late Australian country music icon Slim Dusty.
The album’s title track features “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” hitmaker Dasha, who released the project What Happens Now? in February 2024.
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“This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve ever been a part of, in fact, I’ve never spent so much time on an album before,” Anthony Field, who portrays the Blue Wiggle and is a co-founder of the group, said in a statement. “Country music is all about storytelling and connection. Combining that with The Wiggles’ fun and imagination and collaborations with these legendary country music artists felt like the perfect match. We can’t wait for families everywhere to hear these songs!”
Lachy Gillespie, who portrays the Purple Wiggle, added, “We’re so excited to share ‘Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!’ with families everywhere. It’s a song that’s packed with energy, fun, and plenty of country flair. Collaborating with the incredible Dasha, whose music has already brought country music to a whole new audience, was an absolute joy. Whether you’re three, thirty-three, or ninety-three, this song is all about bringing people together to sing, dance, and even try a bit of line dancing!”
The Wiggles have released music projects since 1999, and previously issued the country-themed album Cold Spaghetti Western in 2004.
The Wiggles will also tour in the United States this summer, when their Bouncing Balls Tour runs from June 1 to July 6.
Hear Dasha’s title collaboration with The Wiggles below:
Sesame Street has an impressive roster of special guests lined up for the 55th season of the beloved children’s show, which premieres on Max on Jan. 16. SZA, Noah Kahan, Chris Stapleton, Reneé Rapp and Samara Joy are set to appear on episodes this year, during a season that will center on teaching kids about emotional well-being.
Actor Michael B. Jordan, TV personality/hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness and tennis player Billie Jean King round out the list of celebrity guests Sesame Workshop announced on Thursday (Jan. 9).
This season’s celebrity guests will join the program for “Street Stories,” songs and other segments.
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New Sesame Street episodes will air every Thursday.
With its focus on emotional well-being, this season of the show aims to “help children learn accessible strategies to comprehend and cope with big feelings through fun, lighthearted, relatable and engaging stories,” according to a press release from Sesame Workshop.
“New episodes of Sesame Street will help young viewers understand and express their feelings, learn new mindfulness practices, and as always, have a blast with their favorite furry and funny friends,” Sesame Street executive producer Sal Perez says. “Whether it’s taking a volcano breath when angry, learning to give yourself a hug when frustrated, or wiggling it out when disappointed, we are empowering children with the strategies to help build resiliency and the foundational skills for emotional well-being.”
“This season’s emotional well-being curriculum was developed in response to the growing mental health crisis affecting children globally. Focusing on emotion awareness and social connection skills, children will learn that all feelings are important and that we all experience big feelings, as well as how to navigate social scenarios with friends, families, and the wider community,” adds Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop’s senior vp of curriculum and content.
Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert, Ernie, Elmo, Abby and more keep joining in on the fun and learning on Sesame Street, which also continues to be available on PBS stations via streaming on PBS KIDS.
See the full lineup of upcoming guests announced for Sesame Street and watch the trailer for Season 55 below.
Reneé Rapp (Thursday, January 16)Michael B. Jordan (Thursday, Jan. 23)Samara Joy (Thursday, Feb. 6)Noah Kahan (Thursday, March 6)SZA (Thursday, April 10)Chris Stapleton (Thursday, July 24)Jonathan Van Ness (Thursday, Aug. 21)Billie Jean King (Thursday, August 28)
Broadway Week in NYC is an annual ticket promotion that basically offers the chance to get Broadway tickets for half price (when you buy a pair), or the opportunity to get an upgraded seat location at a discounted price. If Broadway’s been on your family’s wish list, this could be a good time to make a trip to the city. Tickets for 2025 just went on sale and are available here.
The discount code to buy two tickets for the price of one is: BWAYWK25
The discount code to buy “better seat locations” at $138.50 per ticket is: BWAYUP25
Discounted tickets were made available for the following Broadway shows: & Juliet, Aladdin, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, The Book of Mormon, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Chicago, Cult of Love, Death Becomes Her, English, Eureka Day, The Great Gatsby, Gypsy, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Left on Tenth, The Lion King, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Oh, Mary!, Redwood, Romeo + Juliet, Six the Musical, Sunset Blvd and Wicked.
For elementary school-aged kids and older: Wicked is the obvious go-to right now, but seemingly too popular — I looked for tickets for my own kid at on-sale, and didn’t find anything that worked for us. They sold out quickly. The Lion King is a great choice for most families; Aladdin is also available. Both Disney productions suggest they’re best for ages 6 and up. It’s generally recommended to wait until kids are at least 4 to sit through any Broadway musical, in respect of the performers (and other patrons who paid to see the show without interruptions), but 6 is a better bet.
For tweens and up: Consider Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (this one is not a musical, and it’s a long show, but it’s a must-see for lovers of the Harry Potter series), Hadestown (especially for kids interested in Greek mythology) and Six the Musical.
For teens and older: Whether they love a good Broadway musical or find the idea of a Broadway musical cringe, Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler starring in Romeo + Juliet — with music by Jack Antonoff — might pique their interest. Other shows to look into that teens will likely enjoy: Maybe Happy Ending and The Great Gatsby.
Two-time Grammy winner Dennis Scott is the 15th recipient of The ASCAP Foundation’s Joe Raposo Children’s Music Award. Honoring the best in children’s music since 2010, the award is presented by the family of Joe Raposo, one of the co-creators of Sesame Street and the show’s longtime musical director. “I feel honored to be among […]
John Legend‘s daughter Luna Stephens, his eldest of four children with wife Chrissy Teigen, led her first interview — outside of a school homework assignment — with Dad, on behalf of Billboard Family.
Young Luna, age 8, conducted the on-camera Q&A like a pro for the latest episode of Billboard Family‘s new video series of kids interviewing their famous parents. Watch the father-daughter conversation in the video that’s seen above.
It all starts off with cute small talk, with Luna negotiating the age she’ll be allowed to get a smartphone (Dad’s leaning toward 16, while Luna’s eyeing 9), before focusing on Legend’s Grammy-nominated children’s album, My Favorite Dream.
“I wanted to make a children’s album because now that I have four kids, and I’ve watched all of you guys react to music and fall in love with music in different ways, I felt like I was inspired to write an album for my kids, and all the other kids that are out there and their parents too,” John tells Luna of the collection, which was released on Aug. 30 and is nominated for best children’s album in the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Luna comments on how cool that is and delves into Dad’s inspiration for the title of My Favorite Dream, his favorite part of making the album and more.
“My favorite thing was singing with my wife and my two oldest children, Luna and Miles. Do you know Luna and Miles?” John teases.
They all sing together on the album single “L.O.V.E.,” one of the original children’s songs he wrote for the album he produced with Sufjan Stevens. Recording vocals on the song “was fun” and somewhere “in between” hard and easy, Luna tells her dad during their convo.
Eight-year-old Luna not only sang on “L.O.V.E.,” but also designed the art for all the single covers for the My Favorite Dream. Her design work is also seen on hoodies currently available on John’s webstore.
“You and I, that’s one of the ways we bond with each other,” John reminds Luna in their interview. “We draw in the playroom together. It was very natural for you to design the single covers for the album. You killed it. You did a great job.”
“L.O.V.E.” is one of Luna’s three favorite songs on her dad’s album, along with “Always Come Back” and “Three Little Birds.”
John shares “Always Come Back” as a top pick. He’s candid about why the song is so personal to him in his Q&A with Luna.
“I wrote it for you guys,” he tells Luna. “I have to travel a lot for work. Mommy has to go away for work sometimes. But we’ve always been telling you since you were a little baby that Mommy and Daddy always come back. When I wrote that song, it was very emotional for me because the day I wrote it I was actually leaving to go away for a while, and I played it for you guys. It will always have that kind of sentimental feeling.”
“I try not to leave for more than two weeks because it feels so long when I’m gone for two weeks. I feel bad about it sometimes when I leave you. That song makes me feel better about it,” John says.
Watch Luna’s full interview for Billboard Family to hear John’s reaction to his children’s album being nominated for a Grammy, his thoughts on the 20-year anniversary of debut album Get Lifted, what he’s working on next (Broadway music!) and his favorite part of his job.
My Favorite Dream is available to purchase or stream now. It’s nominated for best children’s album at the Feb. 2, 2025 Grammy Awards alongside Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band’s Brillo, Brillo!, Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats’ Creciendo, Rock for Children’s Solid Rock Revival and Divinity Roxx and Divi Roxx Kids’ World Wide Playdate.