Laurie Berkner will perform in support of her new single and video, “Hello River,” and recent “Greatest Hits” album on Oct. 5 at URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center. PHOTOS BY JAYME THORNTON
Beloved kids’ musician Laurie Berkner evokes a sense of gratitude for nature's wonders in her new music video, “Hello River.” The lovely new single is a soothing soliloquy guaranteed to bring peace and calm to young children, as well as listeners of all ages who follow the instructions within the lyrics to “take a breath” and “feel the air” beside a river.
Laurie started writing the song one day as she biked home along the Hudson River. She said she felt supremely happy to be looking out at the waves and impulsively sang out, 'Hello, River!' She has been saying hello to the Hudson for more than 25 years, feeling grateful for all it does, the life it supports, and the joy she gets from just seeing the water. Glad to have been moved to channel those feelings into a song and video, she added imagery and hand motions for younger listeners to connect to and words that can inspire them later in life to be part of ensuring the rivers are here and clean for many more years to come.
“Hello River” was preceded by a 28-song “Greatest Hits” featuring remastered tracks released by Kidz Bop, the distributor of Laurie’s own Two Tomatoes label. Spanning more than a quarter century of songs, “Greatest Hits” will delight many of Laurie’s original fans from the early ’90s who now have children of their own. With a whole new generation of kids adoring Laurie just as much as their parents do, including my son and granddaughter, the anthology has something for everyone.
Being able to share songs written many years ago that have become classics alongside more recent tunes that also have become hits, feels like a gift, Laurie said, as does the way generations of fans march together like dinosaurs during “We Are the Dinosaurs,” buzzing like bees during “Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz),” swimming like a fish during “The Goldfish (Let’s Go Swimming),” “Walking with the Penguins,” and “Waiting for the Elevator.”
Recognized as “the queen of kids’ music” by “People” magazine, Laurie also is a author and composter of children’s musicals. With more than 1 billion total streams, an average of more than 22 million monthly streams, more than 525 million YouTube channel views, and millions of albums, songs, and DVDs sold, Laurie’s songs have become beloved classics for children worldwide.
“Business Insider” dubbed Laurie “the gold standard of the children’s music world.” As a leader and innovator in children’s music and entertainment for more than 25 years, Laurie has released 17 bestselling, award-winning albums, was the first recording artist to ever appear in music videos on Noggin, appeared regularly on the network’s “Jack’s Big Music Show,” and helped develop the short-form animated musical preschool series “Sing It, Laurie!”
Laurie has authored several picture books based on her songs and has created two “Laurie Berkner’s Song and Story Kitchen” series with Audible Studios, who released them as 10-chapter audio books through the Audible Originals brand. She has written the music and lyrics for three children’s musicals originally produced Off-Broadway by New York City Children’s Theater and now presented regionally. Laurie has performed at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the White House, among many other prestigious venues.
What sets the Princeton-raised, Rutgers-educated Laurier Berkner apart? She displays an instinctive understanding of children’s natural rhythms and energy, which keeps kids enraptured and brings parents and caregivers happily along for the ride. She said she finds inspiration in her audience to create songs that matter for children.
“I was singing once and saw a 4-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music,” Laurie said. “I thought, ‘That’s the reason I got into music.’ It keeps me wanting to do more.”
Wanna sway with Laurie? See her live Oct. 5 at URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center; Nov. 8, New York Society of Ethical Culture’s Adler Concert Hall, New York City; Nov. 22, Sacred Heart Community Theatre, Fairfield, CT, and Dec. 6, The Paramount, Huntington, NY. In the meantime, enjoy the following chat with the kindie rocker, who got her musical start in the late 1980s playing in New Brunswick rock bands:
What inspired your latest single ‘Hello River’ and its video?
I was biking along the Hudson River, going home from somewhere. The river looked so beautiful that day. I just ended up going, ‘Hello River,’ while I was biking. Then I started singing it. Then I went home and wrote it.
Years ago, when I lived on Riverside Drive across from the river, I’d go to the park every day. It reminded me of that time. I love walking along the river.
I have another song, ‘Walk along the River.’ I’m hoping kids who hear a song about how beautiful the river is will take care of it, might be inspired to protect them.
Are there plans to release ‘Hello River’ on your next album?
Probably, yeah.
What is the status of your next album?
I’m just making choices what to put on it. We have some other things next year that I’m not supposed to talk about yet because they’re not coming out until the end of year, maybe third quarter in 2026.
You recently released a ‘Greatest Hits’ album that features new versions of 28 of your songs. Did you re-record all the songs or just remix and/or remaster them?
Remastered. The songs that are from a long time ago, like in the ’90s – the first three albums came out the late ’90s – so they were remastered to bring up the audio quality to more like the recent songs. The first album was on one-inch tape and everything now is on Pro Tools.
Which new ‘Greatest Hits’ version surprised you the most and why?
That takes me back a little bit to the release of the first three albums on vinyl. Some of those super early ones we released before on a greatest hits album. I will say I feel like hearing the songs on the ‘Victor Vito’ album from 1999: ‘The Goldfish’ and ‘Good Night.’ I think those songs probably had the biggest improvement. You can really hear how the remastering helps them a lot in terms of quality. Those are the ones that sounded best.
Is ‘We Are the Dinosaurs’ still your signature song and why?
I think people would argue about that. We did a bracket thing in March of all the songs on the ‘Greatest Hits’ album and asked people to vote. ‘We Are the Dinosaurs’ did win, but with 12,000 votes, it won by two votes against ‘The Goldfish,’ so it’s hard to say which is the signature song. But, yes, people love that song.
The reason might be the movement. It’s an easy thing for a younger child and a toddler child to enjoy and do. It’s so much fun for kids to imagine being a powerful creature. The way we think of dinosaurs, it’s not always acceptable to act that way around grownups, stomping and roaring and imagine that you’re really big and you’re the one in charge. There’s something about that that excites kids’ imaginations and makes them feel happy and important.
Throughout her career as a kindie rocker, Laurie Berkner has owned and operated the Two Tomatoes Records independent label.
Why did you release the “Greatest Hits’ album on the Kidz Bop label rather than your own Two Tomatoes Records?
Because I made a deal with them in 2019 for my back catalog. They had ones that they wanted to put out on a ‘Greatest Hits’ package. It’s the same year as the 15-year anniversary of my ‘Best Of’ collection, so it’s good to add some newer songs on there. They own a lot of the older songs. The newer songs, they don’t.
Will your next album come out on Two Tomatoes or Kidz Bop?
Two Tomatoes, but they distribute all the new stuff. They can only release what they own. I release the new stuff, and they distribute it.
What has been the best and worst parts of owning your own record label?
The worst part is that I really knew nothing about running a business when I started the business. The best part is that learning how to run a business has been very interesting. I still have a lot to learn, but being able to make my own decisions about my own music, make choices that align with my own philosophy and not have to worry about pleasing someone else in that situation has been great. Also being able to choose people who work for me has been a great help in ‘doing it myself.’
How many people help you run Two Tomatoes?
I have two full-time people working for me and a part-time social media person. I also do a lot of work with subcontractors -- a PR person, a booking agent, an illustrator -- that I have on my team. But three people, plus myself make up the internal team.
Are you the label’s only artist?
I am.
Have you or do you plan to sign other acts?
I have had people ask about this a lot over the years. I’ve never felt it would be fair since I don’t have a lot of staff and don’t really have a marketing arm. That’s part of the reason I work closely with Kidz Bop. They’re owned by the Concord label, which used to be Razor and Tie, my distributor for a number of years. Working with them creates a marketing arm for my company. They have many more connections and resources than I do as a small indie company. I’m not sure I would ever do it, but I’ve played around with the idea of taking on other acts. I would have to be really inspired and super behind anyone I signed. I would end up having to oversee more business, and that’s not as interesting as being the artist, making sure I have time to write, perform, spend time with kids at meet and greets, and be in studio.
Laurie Berkner Band features from left to right Winston Roye, Susie Lambert and Bob Golden. Susie continues to record and make videos with the band but no longer is touring. The touring keyboardist now is Leslie Mendelson.
Your current tour is a solo greatest hits tour. Why did you want to do the tour solo, and how does it feel to tour without your band?
They’ll join me at shows starting in October. Most of the reason was the offers I get. Venues will send me an offer, and I can sell tickets pretty much the same solo or with a band. It costs the venue to bring in a whole band, and it’s a lot more work. I tend to get more solo offers. I just try to balance it out.
I love playing with band, but it’s a lot more work on my end as well with rehearsals and taking care of everybody. But I love playing with the band. It’s exciting to do shows with the band when we do them. At this point, I play about a quarter of my shows with the band, and the rest are solo shows. It’s mostly financial and what offers I get.
Who’s in The Laurie Berkner Band these days?
Bob Golden is on drums. Winston Roye has been playing bass for me the last couple of years. Susie Lambert played since my second show with kid’s music. But she is dealing with some health issues while still doing videos and recording. She decided not to play live shows. So we have a new wonderful keyboardist, a friend of Bob’s named Leslie Mendelson.
You’re playing URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center on Oct. 5. Having grown up in Princeton and attended Rutgers University, how much do you get to see family and friends from Jersey when you play here?
Sometimes people come say hello. No one in my family lives in New Jersey anymore sadly. But it’s always amazing driving through the Garden State, and remembering all the years my parents were there. We moved to New Jersey when I was 7. I stayed there until college when I went to Rutgers. When I graduated, I moved to Manhattan, but that 10-year period was all in New Jersey.
Are you working on any books or musicals?
A musical, but it’s not out in the world yet.
My granddaughter Jasmine listens to you every day. What is the best feedback you’ve ever gotten from a child?
I think just that when a kid says that listening to a song I wrote makes them happy. There really isn’t anything better than that.
This isn’t directly from a child, but a parent did tell me that their kid who was nonverbal decided to speak because they wanted to interact with one of my songs. To choose to use your voice because you wanted to hear a song that I wrote, that is a huge, huge compliment.
One mom told me her son, who is autistic and is now an adult, remembered this story. He had not spoken before, but he said, ‘Pig on Her Head.’ He started speaking because of that song. That’s truly a compliment.
Is there anything I didn’t ask on which you would like to comment?
I’m excited about this show in Carteret, and that one of things to share is that this is not a show where children have to stay in their seat and be quite. It’s about moving and singing and dancing. I make it a very interactive space where kids can come and be kids and have fun.
Also, I remember when I was at Rutgers playing in local bands. I knew everybody in Adam Bernstein’s house. I used to date his roommate and ended up marrying another one of his roommates, Brian. They played in his bands, and Adam played in my band. That whole time period, reading the Aquarian and reading your articles, it’s come full circle, and here we are talking about your granddaughter coming to the shows. That feels special.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].
