The Beanies are an Australian children's music group, formed in 2016. The band consists of three theatre performers, Canberra-born Laura Dawson and Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, and Newcastle-born Michael Yore. The group have drawn acclaim and garnered an Australian Podcast Award for their educational podcast of the same name,[1][2][3][4] with their albums garnering two ARIA nominations.[5][6]
The Beanies | |
|---|---|
 The Beanies (from left to right: Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, Michael Yore, Laura Dawson) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Children's |
| Years active | 2016-present |
| Labels | ABC Music |
| Members | Laura Dawson Miriam "Mim" Rizvi Michael Yore |
| Website | https://www.thebeaniesaus.com |
About edit
The Beanies were formed in Sydney in 2016. As a response to the rising usage of tablets and smartphones amongst young children, the group aimed to produce Australian-made children's entertainment which encourages creativity and imagination without the use of screens.[7] They write and produce all their own material, in collaboration with Sydney-based composer and music producer James Court.[8]
In October 2018, The Beanies premiered their one-act musical for children, entitled The Beanies' Eggs-traordinary Day, at the Sydney Fringe Festival, which has since been performed at various regional locations throughout NSW. The group performs regularly at fairs, festivals, and community events Australia-wide, including shows at City Recital Hall and the Australia Day Sydney Children's Festival, and their episodes and songs are broadcast internationally. The trio has also been guests on ABC's Weekend Breakfast, Channel 9's Today and Weekend Today, several parenting and productivity podcasts, and at Australian podcast conference OzPod.
In early 2020, The Beanies were signed to the ABC Kids music label, who released their fourth album in April of that year.[9] The group also began live-streaming concerts, due to live shows being postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and released a single called Quarantunes during that time. In July of that year, the group also moved their podcast to the Podcast One network, which has since rebranded to LiSTNR.[10]
The group also maintains a YouTube channel, where they release music videos, comic sketches, and concert livestreams.
Members edit
The Beanies consists of Laura Dawson (Laura Beanie), Miriam Rizvi (Mim Beanie), and Michael Yore (Michael Beanie & Professor Know-It-All). The three also play all of the characters in the podcasts. Singer and drummer Brendan Paul occasionally performs with the group (as understudy Brendan Beanie), as does James Court as keyboardist and 'Music Wizard'.
For larger concerts, the trio perform with the 'Big Beanie Band' - a live band which consists of a number of Sydney-based session musicians including Court on keyboards, Rachel North on saxophone/clarinet, Michael Napoli on guitar, Amanda Jenkins on bass, and Brendan Paul on drums.
Podcast edit
With the support of the Mamamia Podcast Network, The Beanies produced ten 15-minute podcast episodes, which were released in April 2017. A second season was confirmed soon after, with sponsorship from Kinderling Kids Radio, and was released in December 2017. Since the third season, released July 2018, the podcast has diversified into multiple separate formats:
- Story Time, including a story, a brief guided meditation (or ‘brain break’), an original song, and an educational segment with 'Professor Know-It-All'.
- Show & Tell, where the trio interact with fans via voice messages and answer their questions.
- Kids News, where the group break down three of the week's top news stories for a young audience.
- Beanies Breakthroughs, standalone mini-episodes focusing on a single topic.
The podcast is currently produced on an ongoing schedule, with a 'Kids News' episode released every Monday, and 'Story Time' and 'Show & Tell' alternating fortnightly on Fridays.[10][11]
As of January 2022, the podcast consists of over 70 regular 'Story Time' episodes and have amassed in excess of 1.5 million downloads from over 30 different countries. Each episode of The Beanies podcast is written, performed, and edited entirely by The Beanies.[12]
Music edit
The Beanies' songs and albums are produced independently, and released on the ABC Music label. All tracks have lyrics by Dawson, Rizvi, and Yore, with music composed and produced by James Court.[8] As of October 2022, The Beanies' songs have collectively been streamed over four million times.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Raining Jelly Beans" | 2:00 |
| 2. | "Silly Dizzy Dance" | 1:33 |
| 3. | "Opera Moo" | 2:44 |
| 4. | "The Mean House" | 2:05 |
| 5. | "Gee Billy! That's A Hot Chilli!" | 1:46 |
| 6. | "Zigzag Stomp" | 1:45 |
| 7. | "Painting Party" | 3:17 |
| 8. | "There's A Fish In The Tea" | 1:51 |
| 9. | "Can I Get A Milkshake On Mars?" | 1:57 |
| 10. | "Boss For The Day" | 1:54 |
| 11. | "Sing In Harmony" | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 24:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power!" | 2:07 |
| 2. | "Bubbles" | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Jazz Shark" | 2:39 |
| 4. | "New School" | 2:01 |
| 5. | "Sneaky Robber" | 2:45 |
| 6. | "Saturday Morning Cuddles" | 3:32 |
| 7. | "My Shoes" | 2:08 |
| 8. | "The Shoelace Song" | 1:10 |
| 9. | "Sneezes" | 1:48 |
| 10. | "Speedy Snails" | 1:33 |
| 11. | "Christmas Rumba" | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 25:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brush Your Teeth" | 2:10 |
| 2. | "Seasons" | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Wobble Wombat" | 1:53 |
| 4. | "The Art of the Fart" | 2:36 |
| 5. | "Jinx!" | 2:09 |
| 6. | "Scissor, Paper, Rock!" | 1:37 |
| 7. | "Dig, Dig, Dig!" | 1:37 |
| 8. | "Shy Shadow" | 2:21 |
| 9. | "Fingernails" | 1:41 |
| 10. | "Amazing Machine" | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 23:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We're The Beanies!" | 0:43 |
| 2. | "Full of Beans" | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Super to Me" | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Can You Get Dressed by the End of This Song?" | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Puppy Love" | 2:37 |
| 6. | "Push the Button" | 2:14 |
| 7. | "Teeny Tiny Spider" | 2:12 |
| 8. | "Rainbow" | 3:53 |
| 9. | "The Escalator Challenge" | 2:26 |
| 10. | "Pluto's Lament" | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Why Are We Here?" | 2:15 |
| 12. | "We're The Beanies! (Reprise)" | 0:43 |
| Total length: | 30:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quarantunes" | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Band-Aid Boogie" | 2:01 |
| 3. | "BOAT" | 2:10 |
| 4. | "Noise Factory" | 2:14 |
| 5. | "Topsy Turvy Zoo" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "My Secrets" | 2:43 |
| 7. | "My Poor Farmer Friend" | 2:55 |
| 8. | "Elderly Elephants" | 2:13 |
| 9. | "Safe With Me" | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Spaghetti" | 2:21 |
| Total length: | 26:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hectik Skillz" | 3:06 |
| 2. | "Buzzy Bees" | 1:25 |
| 3. | "The Work Song" | 2:19 |
| 4. | "I Got Bones" | 2:25 |
| 5. | "Beans Are Best" | 2:47 |
| 6. | "Where Does My Poo Go?" | 2:19 |
| 7. | "Little Dinosaurus" | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Big Kid Bike" | 2:06 |
| 9. | "If I Were A Mermaid" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Groovy Train" | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 26:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Professor Know It All" | 3:08 |
| 2. | "I'm Ready" | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Beanie Bathtime" | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Fancy Cat" | 2:35 |
| 5. | "Very Impressive Trickeridoos" | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Sorry" | 3:01 |
| 7. | "Unicorns" | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Being Kind" | 2:06 |
| 9. | "Michael's Song (My Cool Song)" | 2:46 |
| 10. | "Brick One, Brick Two" | 2:59 |
| Total length: | 29:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meditation for Kids" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "I Feel My Feelings" | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Stretch, Rest, Breathe, Flow" | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 11:00 | |
Awards and nominations edit
AIR Awards edit
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Let's Go! | Best Independent Children's Album or EP | Nominated | [13][14] |
ARIA Awards edit
| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Imagination Station | ARIA Award for Best Children's Album | Nominated | [15] |
| 2022 | Let's Go! | Nominated | [16] |
Australian Podcast Awards edit
| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Beanies | Best Family & Kids Podcast | Won | [17][18] |
| 2019 | Nominated | [19] |
MMMA Awards edit
| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Let's Go! | Album of the Year | Won | [20] |
References edit
- ^ "Entertain the kids with The Beanies' new podcast!". Kinderling Kids Radio — music for children and families. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies launch new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio - The Dad Website". thedadwebsite.com. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies Group launches new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio". Mumbrella. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The kids podcast you're about to be obsessed with". Mamamia. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Aria Awards". www.ariaawards.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Here Are All The 2019 ARIA Awards Nominations". Music Feeds. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Mamamia continues podcast push with new program targeting kids - Mumbrella". Mumbrella. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ a b "The Beanies". The Beanies. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Party with The Beanies – LocalNewsPlus". 29 April 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b Manning, James (1 July 2020). "Podcast Week: Cooper Chapman, Howcroft delivers, Podshape mystery". Mediaweek. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "The Beanies". LiSTNR. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "The Beanies by Kinderling Kids Radio on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Tyler Jenke (5 August 2022). "Genesis Owusu Wins Big At The 2022 AIR Awards". MusicFeeds. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "2019 ARIA Awards Nominated Artists Revealed". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "The 2022 ARIA Awards nominees are here". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "2018 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED". Australian Podcast Awards powered by iHeart. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "2018 Winners Announced". Australian Podcast Awards powered by iHeart. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "2019 Nominees". Australian Podcast Awards powered by iHeart. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "The MMMA Awards". Major Minor Music Australia. Retrieved 22 November 2022.