I had the opportunity to interview the renowned composers JP Rende and Kat Raio Rende, known for their remarkable pop sound featured in popular shows like Sesame Street, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Princess Power, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Baby Shark’s Big Show!, and more. Their Music has been performed and recorded by an impressive lineup of artists, including Cardi B, Tori Kelly, Michael Bublé, and Billy Porter. Read on to learn about their creative process, the responsibilities of being composers, and to learn more about their company, Earworm.

Can you tell us about your background in music and how you got started as composers for children’s media?

JP: Kat and I met when we both attended Purchase College Conservatory of Music. We each had not only a love for pop music but also TV theme songs so we hit it off immediately. After graduation, Kat got a call from Sesame Workshop to compose a song for a Toy (a vibrating furry red glove that looked like Elmo’s hand called Tickle Hands) and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her. She had been singing and writing pop-style jingles like Charmin’s Shiny Hiney and singing backup for artists (Kesha, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige). At the time I had a publishing deal and was focusing on songwriting and producing for artists, but it sounded interesting so I said yes, and 15 years later and we are still at it!

Your music can be heard in popular shows like Sesame Street and Baby Shark’s Big Show! What inspired you to bring a top 40 pop sound to kids’ media?

Kat: Because we had such a love of pop melody and form, it was very natural to bring that sensibility into shows like Sesame Street. The concepts are so easily memorable when paired with familiar-sounding music like something you’d hear on the radio. Kat loved R&B, jazz, classical, and theater, and I was in a punk band and heavily into rock and ska before we got together so we got a lot covered.

Can you walk us through the creative process of composing music for children’s shows? How do you balance creating something that is catchy and appealing to children, while also being musically sophisticated?

Kat: It’s a fun and challenging puzzle to insert serious educational concepts into a song, and we never dumb it down. We’re big kids so we try and step into their brains, then write empathetically and essentially score the emotions they may not be able to identify yet. For “We Don’t Walk Alone” a very serious Sesame outreach song that addresses gun violence and neighborhood safety, the song starts small and unsure (even in its key signature) as the child in the video is feeling alone, but gets bigger vocally and more complex musically as the community steps in to show support. Other times, being sophisticated means being truly authentic to the genre and the artist/character singing. We wanted to match Billy Porter’s style in Friends With a Penguin, and if we didn’t the song may have flopped- he may not have put the effort into it that he so spectacularly did.

Can you tell us about your company, Earworm? What was your inspiration for starting this company?

JP: As we started to grow as score composers and work on more and more shows like Gabby’s Dollhouse, Princess Power, Teletubbies, Tab Time, and Blaze and the Monster Machines, we got the idea to open a full-service music house that handles all musical needs from scoring to jingles, and that is where Earworm was born. It allows us to bring in new and diverse talent to a pool that is pretty small overall.

What is something you think that people would be surprised to learn that falls under a composer’s responsibility?

Kat: Different projects call for different responsibilities, but one unexpected part of the job that I really like and have gotten to do more of is with Gabby’s Dollhouse and Baby Shark’s Big Show! is vocal coaching the artists. It really helps to have a relationship with the voice artist or guest artist and know what makes their characters tick and be able to change the song on the spot if need be. I love Cardi B and got to coach her for BSBS when she and her family sang Seaweed Sway. Dream gig!

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your careers, and how have you overcome them?

JP: In my opinion, the hardest part of this business is when a show ends and you have to stop working on something you really love. Each show has its own musical personality and it’s sad when we have to stop writing for it- It’s as much a part of us as we are a part of it. That’s also when my neuroses get the best of me and I feel like there won’t be another project coming down the pike. Luckily we are very fortunate to still be doing this after all these years and we never take it for granted.

What advice would you give to aspiring composers and musicians who are interested in working in children’s media?

JP: something that took me a long time to learn is that it is much better to lose a pitch being yourself than winning it trying to be someone else. It’s very easy to get into the mind frame of having the “it” sound of the moment and neglecting what truly makes you unique in your craft. When the right project comes that fits what you do like a glove- that’s when the magic happens.

Kat: There’s a place for you, especially if you don’t see anyone like you around.

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For more information about JP and Kat, check out their website.