Ms. Rachel Takes Songs for Littles Off-Screen With Debut Album

Ms. Rachel, the YouTube children’s educator whose Songs for Littles series has become a fixture in millions of households, is bringing her music to streaming.

The entertainer, born Rachel Griffin Accurso, and her husband Aron Accurso will release their debut album, “I’m So Happy,” on Sept. 25 via Magic Star, the children’s and family division of Sony Music Entertainment’s The Orchard.

The 23-track collection features newly orchestrated versions of fan favorites from the show, paired with reimagined takes on childhood classics. The lead single, “I Love a Rainbow,” is out now — a bossa nova number that gives a first taste of the album’s research-informed, musically detailed approach.

Other originals include the title track and “Big Feelings,” while traditional songs like “Hop Little Bunnies,” “Icky Sticky Bubblegum,” and a bluegrass-leaning “Old McDonald” get expanded arrangements. The album closes with “Counting to 20!,” “B-I-N-G-O,” “Together,” and “I Love You to the Moon.”

From YouTube to Recording Studio

Co-produced by Ms. Rachel and Aron Accurso, known online as Mr. Aron, the album was principally arranged by Accurso with Grammy winner Scott Riesett. A team of 19 vocalists and 42 instrumentalists reworked the material into something bigger than the screen-bound versions fans know.

“I am a music educator, so I get excited about kids hearing a real clarinet on ‘Icky Sticky Bubble Gum’ and kids getting excited about hearing more real instruments,” Ms. Rachel said.

That ambition is what separates “I’m So Happy” from a typical children’s release.

Aron Accurso, a Broadway composer, conductor, and music director by training, has reworked the songs with the tools of his trade — a 61-person ensemble turning simple sing-alongs into layered arrangements without losing the catchiness that made them work in a living room.

Designed for Every Child

The album’s reach extends beyond music instruction. Songs like “I Could Be Your Friend” are built to give children — particularly those still developing language — a script for navigating social situations.

Ms. Rachel said the couple designed the project to be welcoming to a wide range of young listeners.

“We’re always thinking about all kinds of kids, whether they have disabilities, whether they’re autistic,” she said. “We just want the world to feel like it’s helpful to all children and the musical worlds as well.”

The instinct to use repetition, “parentese,” and interactive prompts that defined the YouTube series carries over to the album. Ms. Rachel launched the channel in 2019 after her young son experienced a speech delay, when she struggled to find content that supported early language development.

A former preschool music teacher with dual master’s degrees in early childhood education and music education, she built the videos around expert-informed strategies aimed at helping toddlers reach key developmental milestones. The series has since earned two Children’s & Family Emmy Award nominations, including one for the couple’s writing.

Album’s Growth and Expansion

The album arrives as the Ms. Rachel franchise extends well past YouTube. In early 2025, the series launched on Netflix and became what the streamer called its most-watched season of children’s programming. Licensed toys and live family shows have followed, turning a one-woman YouTube channel into a multiplatform brand.

For the Accursos, the move to recorded music is the natural next extension. “Music is at the heart of our show,” Aron Accurso said. “And so, we’ve always wanted to release the music and have families experience the music away from the screen.”

He described the album’s approach: “It’s songs that people know from the show, but we decided to expand them and elevate them with new arrangements and reproducing them.” His hope is that the result lands the same way the videos do — in real moments, with real families.

“We’re hoping for living room dance parties,” Aron Accurso said, “because that’s what we love with our children.”

Magic Star, launched in 2019, distributes and develops audio and audiovisual content for children as part of The Orchard.

Sources

• Apnews