8/3: Kidz Bop Kids to perform at Mesa Arts Center

For 13-year-old Ashlynn Chong, the desert might be familiar territory. The Kidz Bop singer grew up in Los Angeles, chasing her dream of being a professional musician.

But Chong will be in for a whole new kind of heat when she and her fellow performers visit Mesa this weekend on their Dream Big, Sing Loud! tour.

The quintet will perform kid-friendly songs off their new album, "Kidz Bop 26," which includes covers of popular songs, including "Happy," by Pharrell Williams; "Timber," by Pitbull; and "Dark Horse," by Katy Perry.

The album debuted this month at No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200 chart and is Kidz Bop's 19th top-10 album.

"People can expect lots and lots of energy," Chong said. "We're going to be singing and dancing the whole time. Hopefully, the crowd will be up on their feet."

The set will include about 15 songs, primarily recorded by all five of the Kidz Bop Kids who will play in Mesa, she said.

Other performers are Jayna and Bredia, both 12, and Grant and Matt, both 11. The five of them trained extensively at a Dallas Kidz Bop "boot camp" in preparation for the tour, which launched in March.

Chong said the show would be great for all ages and particularly enjoyable for small children.

"I think younger kids would have a blast," Chong said. "The fun part is we pull volunteers onstage and do a dance-off with their parents. We're kind of connecting with the audience."

Chong took a special interest in music in the second grade when her father opened a music school. She quickly learned how to play drums, guitar and piano. In preparation for auditioning with Kidz Bop, she also took a number of dance classes.

She tried out for Kidz Bop when she was 9 or 10 but was too young. Her agent pushed her to do it again a few years later, and she was thrilled to land the part.

Now on tour, Chong says the Kidz Bop kids are like her second family. At Chong's recommendation, they have bonded over the "Divergent" book series by Veronica Roth, and they have fun sleepovers while on the road.

Her favorite song to perform is Williams' "Happy."

"Everybody's on their feet dancing," she said. "I don't know whose having more fun, us or the audience."

Other artists covered on "Kidz Bop 26" include One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Justin Timberlake. For a full list of songs, listeners can log on to KidzBop.com.

Kidz Bop is the brainchild of Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam, co-owners of the independent record label Razor & Tie. The first album was released in 2001, and since then, Kidz Bop has become the heavy-hitter in music for kids. According to Nielsen SoundScan, in 2013, the franchise's albums accounted for 18.8 percent of all children's music sales.

Kidz Bop Kids: 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $25 and $45. 480-644-6500, boxoffice.mesaartscenter.com.