New kids album aims to combat ongoing children’s mental health crisis, by Erin DeGregorio

It’s no secret that people are continuing to process their emotions after enduring more than 18 months of uncertainty, separation, stress, and yearning for “normalcy.”

With that in mind, Mil’s Trills, a Brooklyn-based children’s music project released its fourth album, Let It Out! on September 29. It was made and mastered within eight months, in an urgent effort to combat stress and anxiety among youth suffering from the long-term mental health effects of the pandemic.

“Kids are going back to school after being at home for a year,” Mils’ major domo Amelia Robinson says. “These transitions can be really difficult.”

Robinson confessed that this is her “most personal and vulnerable album yet,” which is why she hopes its disco-inspired grooves, mantras, and affirmations resonate with families, adults, and children everywhere.

“I think [Robinson] put a lot of thought, effort, love, and attention to detail into this project,” said Divinity Roxx, former bass player and assistant musical director for Beyoncé, who was part of the “Let It Out!” track line-up. “I’m really excited that she decided to go ahead and release it because the world needs to hear this.”

The record not only features 15 original songs that include coping mechanisms to help identify, accept, and process difficult emotions like anger, sadness, and fear, but also engages children in creative activities.

Each song from “Let It Out!” is paired up with a lesson plan that is part of a larger, interactive social emotional learning curriculum (dubbed “Messy Music”), which will be launched later this fall for educators, music therapists, and school counselors.

“It’s focusing on process over product, giving teachers tools to use this music as short, little helpful moments in the course of their day,” Robinson explained, “whether it’s a way to start off and do check-ins, a way to kind of transition back into a learning space and a learning mindset, or to reflect.” The song “Punch a Pillow,” for example, focuses on charged emotions like anger. “You Matter” celebrates identity, and “How Does Your Body Feel?” acknowledges body awareness.

“It really works to help people validate and normalize emotions, and it’s a way to open up that conversation,” Robinson said. “In turn, my hope is that anyone who listens to these songs knows that they’re not alone and that it’s OK to feel this way.”

Robinson collaborated with GRAMMY winner Dean Jones and family musician peers primarily from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, including Lindz Amer of Queer Kid Stuff, Uncle Devin of WEE Nation Radio, Pierce Freelon, Uncle Jumbo, and Kymberly Stewart.

Let It Out! was recorded at the artists’ homes and in person at No Parking Studios in Rosendale NY.

“It was one of the first studio sessions I was in out of quarantine,” said Divinity, explaining that she collaborated with Robinson on the record’s first track, “Got a Feeling.” “What I love about it is that it’s not about a specific feeling—it’s just about the fact that we have feelings and acknowledging the fact that everybody has feelings.”

Uncle Jumbo, a Houston-based musical artist for children, noted how the creative process, as well as the listening experience of the album itself, felt “so seamless” from afar. “It’s really cool that [the album] starts off with ‘Got a Feeling’ and ends with ‘It’s OK to Feel This Way,’” Uncle Jumbo said, noting that his favorite track on the track is “Disco Rain.” “Songs like ‘Punch a Pillow’ and ‘I Wanna Know’ [which he is featured on] are all just human things.”

Uncle Jumbo also expressed the great sense of hope he feels from “Let It Out!” “Anything that helps build kids’ self-love and confidence and being able to navigate this world, I love,” he said. “That’s why I’m here as a children’s music artist.