Toronto, ON-based teen popsters, Girl Pow-R have divvied up their mega-talents into three mini-groups, and released two hi-hat trap remixes for “Fun All Day” and “Friends Click”.
“Friends Click (Remix)” is the premiere offering from the newly minted Girl Pow-R branch, The Squad — featuring Arielle, Cindy, Emma, and Ida-Maria.
“This song is all about that magic chemistry that happens between you and your good friends — like the girls in Girl Pow-R,” says The Squad. “You don’t need 100 friends, just one. And when you find that one, and you click, the rest is history!”
“It’s the type of history that leads into the vibes behind ‘Fun All Day,’” Girl Pow-R members continue. “This track reflects the magic between you and your best friend, and how you don’t need to feel alone — you’re always there for each other. It’s about how, as you spend more time together and get to know each other even more, you realize the bond between you makes life wonderful.
“There’s always so much you can do together — conquer the world, take a chance chasing your dreams, and you can have ‘Fun All Day,’ wherever you go, and whatever you do!”
Check out “Friends Click (Remix)” below, and find out more about The Squad via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
The Squad is a mini group within the JUNO-nominated all-girl pop-rock band, Girl Pow-R. We are made up of 4 girls; Arielle, Cindy, Emma, and Ida-Maria. Recently, we have released 2 trap and high hats-infused remixes to our originals: “Friends Click” and “Fun All Day”. We are all hard-working and passionate singers who have a dream to share our messages and music around the world!
Girl Pow-R performed at 200+ shows in its first three years, and we all have social causes on how we want to inspire the world and make the world a better place. In Girl Pow-R we are divided into 3 groups: The Club, GPR, and The Squad. Being in these three groups gives us an opportunity to work together to write music and perform our own, unique songs.
EMMA: I’m Emma and I am 15 years old and I’m from Hamilton, Ontario. I love to sing, dance, act, and inspire others. Ever since I was little I loved to watch Hannah Montana and sing along. I started off by doing recitals at my vocal schools and then began to do fairs and competitions. Then, I got into this band Girl Pow-R and it got me so many opportunities and taught me so much. Next, I started to write songs and record in the recording studio, encouraging others and performing all the time!
ARIELLE: Hello to all the readers, my name is Arielle and I am a 14-year-old singer, songwriter, model, pianist, dancer, and actress from Caledon, Ontario. I am a proud member of this JUNO-nominated group Girl Pow-R and the mini group, The Squad! I have been performing since I was 7 years old and I have a passion for it! I joined Girl Pow-R in early 2019 and have loved it ever since! I have performed at over 50+ events with the girls across Ontario and I am so excited to see what is in store for The Squad!
CINDY: I’m Cindy, a 15-year-old teenager growing up in the Greater Toronto Area. Like the rest of you, I have a dream. Mine is to go on a world tour and release award-winning albums with my singing group, The Squad. I truly believe that our music can make a difference in everyone’s lives, including yours. I grew up learning the ukulele with my elementary school teacher, and am now confidently playing the acoustic guitar at performances! None-the-less, I value academics and love participating in school clubs. I take on various leadership roles: I am the grade 10 representative, DECA (business club) member, and active singer at our school-run shows. I am also involved in activities that support my social cause: helping those dealing with poverty in developing countries. I have fundraised through school clubs and given back to the community during cold winters. I am currently developing accessible first aid kits and attending service learning trips. I encourage you all to make a change that coincides with your own passion. You are powerful enough to positively impact your community, school, and even the world. Don’t wait for an opportunity to find you, create your own, instead!
IDA-MARIA: My name is Ida-Maria and I am 13 years old. I live in Vaughan, Ontario, and I am a quadruple threat. I sing, dance, act, and play piano and ukulele. I am currently in grade 7 and I am in the High Performers Program. This allows me time to do all my training in dance, vocal, and Piano. I train about 22 hours a week. I started singing and dancing when I was 6 years old. I compete in Jazz/Tap/Hip Hop/Musical Theatre and Acro. I am in level 7 Vocal RCM and Level 5 in piano RCM. I am currently playing Lucy in the musical “13”. And I am also rehearsing to play Anna in Frozen for an online Project. We are Ambassadors for Youth Day Global in Toronto and I am involved with Youth for Change. As a Girl Pow-R member, my social cause is Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder when I was very young and I want to help stop the stigma around mental health. Music and the Arts have helped me through my anxiety. Each of us in the world supporting each other is how we can make a change.
Tell us about the recording process behind “Fun All Day” & “Friends Click”?
ARIELLE: Recording these 2 remixes was so much fun! Each of us had our own solo recording time since we have to continue social distancing. The mics and headphones were sanitized after each one of us recorded, and it turned out amazing!
EMMA: These songs were so much fun to record, even socially distant from each other. We each had our own time to record. We decided to do remixes of these songs because the hi-hat beat is very popular right now and it makes the songs so much more upbeat and fun to dance to!
IDA-MARIA: Due to COVID-19 the recording process changed dramatically. We went in to record one at a time and made sure that when we were singing that we would wipe down the headphones and the microphone every time someone finished singing and made sure that right after we sang we put our mask back on and left the building. I felt very safe with all the protocols that were put in place. It was amazing to still do what I love just with more safety and rigor.
CINDY: Due to COVID, we all came into the studio at separate times. We wore masks and had the equipment sanitized between each visit. We got the chance to record our vocals and then hear the final product a few days later. It sounded amazing, so go check it out on all streaming platforms!
What was the highlight of 2020 for you in Girl Pow-R or The Squad?
CINDY: In 2020, Girl Pow-R’s album, “This Is Us”, was nominated for a JUNO Award in the Children’s Album of the Year category. This was an incredible moment, not only because it was our first JUNO nomination, but we made history by being among the first children to ever be nominated in this category. It was amazing to see all of our hard work being recognized by Canada’s biggest music award.
ARIELLE: For me, one of the many highlights of being in Girl Pow-R was being nominated for the JUNO! It was absolutely crazy how we made history by being some of the youngest people in JUNO history — since before it was adults being nominated for making children’s music but this time it was children making children’s music!
Since 2020 was the year we went into lockdown, there weren’t many in-person performances, but we did a bunch online got the opportunity to be in “The First Social Distancing Flash Mob” with lots of other Canadian artists!
EMMA: The highlight of 2020 for Girl Pow-R was definitely getting nominated for a JUNO award. We worked so hard towards this and we are so proud of this. Being nominated for this award opened new opportunities and helped us to improve as a band.
IDA-MARIA: The number 1 amazing thing that happened for Girl Pow-R in 2020 is being nominated for a JUNO. Girl Pow-R was nominated for Children’s Album of the Year which was so amazing because this is the first year that children have been nominated in this category. Previously, it was just adults that make children’s music, so we made history and it was an amazing feeling being nominated.
As a member of The Squad from Girl Pow-R, we have been busy launching 2 remixes. We did a remix version of two of our original songs, “Fun All Day” and “Friends Click”, and launched the lyric video and instrumental versions for both. We now have 360,000+ views of our music from people who have used our song on TikTok — we have lots of popular creators using our song in their TikToks — it’s so exciting!
What do you hope to accomplish in your career in 2021 as part of Girl Pow-R / The Squad?
CINDY: I looking forward to releasing original music with The Squad. We have recently released these two remixes and choreographed great dance routines for them, so the next step will be to come out with some original music for our fans!
IDA-MARIA: I hope Girl Pow-R and The Squad go on a world tour. We really want to bring our music everywhere. We also would like to make a new EP, and we hope to get nominated again and this time win a JUNO award! I love being in this group with these amazing and talented girls.
ARIELLE: I hope Girl Pow-R / The Squad can continue making original music and maybe we can even win a JUNO!
EMMA: This year as part of Girl Pow-R and The Squad we would love to go on a tour around Ontario and maybe the U.S. again. We love performing and inspiring, so we hope to go on tour again! Also, I hope that we can start a podcast and have our own merch!
Is there anyone out there you’d like Girl Pow-R / The Squad to collaborate with in the future?
IDA-MARIA: My dream would be to collaborate with Ariana Grande or Alessia Cara. They are great artists and I know everyone in Girl Pow-R looks up to them.
CINDY: Along with many other girls from Girl Pow-R, my inspiration has always been Alessia Cara. She is an insanely talented singer who writes her music to empower others. She actively fights against the negative views of women that society creates, and Alessia is able to promote love and positivity through music. We already know many of her songs and we love singing covers of them at our shows! It’s definitely a dream of mine for our group to perform with her in the future.
EMMA: I’m thinking it would be great to collaborate with other young influencers, singers, and dancers, such as GEN:ZED, Mini Pop Kids, and more. Also, we would love to open for someone big like Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift!
ARIELLE: In the future, we would love to collaborate with Alessia Cara because for me personally she is an amazing person and singer/songwriter, and she’s all about spreading positivity — just like we are!
Look for our next online concert on Saturday, March 27th as part of the Moksha Spring Fest – Celebrating Canada’s Multiculturalism Festival — we recorded it live, on a stage — so we are super-excited to share it with you!!