Before Kamdenboy & Kyraboo had more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, recurring roles on Abbott Elementary, or a 10-song album, there was a toddler with an idea.
Kyra wanted to make a YouTube video. Her parents, Kristy and SJ Johnson, figured: Why not? “You know, your children ask for things, so you’re like, ‘OK, baby,’” Kristy says. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”
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That was nearly nine years ago. Kam was still a baby in a stroller when the St. Charles-based family filmed one of its first videos. At the time, SJ figured that even if nothing came of the experiment, they’d at least end up with some pretty great home movies. More than 1 billion views later, it’s safe to say something came of it.
Today, Kamdenboy & Kyraboo have built a national audience around colorful skits, toys, challenges, imaginative play, and a family-friendly approach. They’ve worked with major brands, traveled around the world, and become recurring student cast members on ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
Now they’re adding another title: recording artists.
The siblings released their self-titled debut album, Kamdenboy & Kyraboo, this summer, bringing the same big personalities and playful sibling energy from their videos into 10 original songs for kids and families. And yes, Mom and Dad got pulled into the recording booth, too.
From YouTube to the recording studio
Music isn’t exactly a sharp left turn for the KB Family. The family had incorporated songs into YouTube videos before, and Kam had even written lyrics years earlier that eventually found their way onto the new album.
SJ says they’d talked about making music for years and even purchased recording equipment at one point. But he didn’t want to release music just because the family already had an audience. “We’ve been presented with opportunities to do music,” Kristy says. “But it was kind of on their terms, and it wasn’t good.”
SJ was adamant that if the family put its name on an album, the music needed to stand on its own. Then came a party at John Legend’s house.
Yes, that John Legend.
The family was invited to the event through its relationship with Mattel, which was collaborating with Legend around his children’s album. There, they met family-music artist Ashli St. Armant, also known as Jazzy Ash, as well as Grammy-nominated children’s music duo Andrew & Polly.
St. Armant initially offered to write Kam and Kyra a song. SJ countered with a bigger idea: Why not an album? “She really, really took the time to learn our family,” Kristy says. “She would call and say, ‘Can I speak to Kyra?’ or ‘Can I speak to Kam?’”
St. Armant wrote the songs with the family’s personalities and experiences in mind, while Andrew & Polly produced the project. SJ calls the group their “dream team.”
The siblings recorded the first five songs in March 2025. The results went so well that the family decided to turn the planned EP into a full album, returning to record five more songs early this year.
Working alongside veterans of the family-music world wasn’t lost on Kristy and SJ. “We felt truly honored to work with them,” Kristy says.
Kam and Kyra, meanwhile, may have a slightly different gauge for what’s considered a major music-industry moment. During a recent visit to SiriusXM in Los Angeles, their parents had to explain what radio was.
The kids’ assessment? Something “from the old days.”
Big beats with something to say
The album may be designed to get kids dancing, but the family wanted the songs to say something, too.
Its 10 tracks tackle confidence, empathy, sibling relationships, individuality, trying new things, and family. “Dreamin’ Loud” encourages kids to imagine big possibilities. “I Can, I Can” is about taking a first step toward something that feels difficult. “Truth About Unicorns” celebrates individuality, while “The Whole Family” explores the different ways a family can look.
Those themes are a natural extension of the family’s YouTube channel, where SJ and Kristy have long emphasized teamwork, imagination, and positive messages.
They’re also rooted in a family phrase that predates YouTube entirely: “Be sweet.” Kristy’s grandmother used to send family members out the door with those two words. Eventually, Kam and Kyra adopted them as part of their videos, ending episodes by reminding viewers to “be sweet.”
“Being a good person goes a long way,” Kristy says. “There’s just something we truly believe and want to instill in our kids.”
The family also took inspiration from an early concert experience for Kyra: JoJo Siwa. Kyra was about 4 when she attended the show, and SJ remembers seeing dads dancing in the aisles with their daughters while positive messages filled the space between songs. “I knew if we were to do music, I would want it to be like that,” SJ recalls.
There’s one other requirement for the new album: Parents shouldn’t hate it. “The first thing I hope for when families listen is that the parents are like, ‘Ooh, this is something that I could listen to as well,’” Kristy says.
From St. Charles to Abbott Elementary
For all the family’s national opportunities, home is still the St. Louis metro.
Kristy and SJ were both born and raised here. She’s a Metro High School graduate; he’s a Jennings High School alum. Today, the family lives in St. Charles.
“I think St. Louis really is a good place to raise a family,” Kristy says. “Family values are important. Community is important.”
Those roots have remained important even as acting has required a lot of time in Los Angeles.
Kyra has appeared on seasons two through five of Abbott Elementary, while Kam joined for seasons three through five. During filming season, which the family says generally runs from late summer into winter, they may spend three to five days in Los Angeles, return to St. Louis for several days, then head west again.
The travel can be a lot. But the kids’ enthusiasm for the show is even greater. “It’s so fun,” Kyra says.
Part of that fun is the acting. Part of it is spending time with film friends. And, based on the siblings’ description of life on set, a big part is definitely the snacks.
The young actors complete required schoolwork during filming, and Kristy appreciates that Abbott Elementary creates an environment that mirrors an actual school. Student actors decorate classroom walls and complete their schoolwork in the same classroom sets where they film.
Once they’re wrapped for the day, though, Kam and Kyra know where they’re headed: Craft services. Doughnuts, specifically, are a big after-work perk.
Beyond the treats, Kyra says she wants to continue acting and explore modeling. Kam is interested in more acting, too.
Growing up with the cameras rolling
Kam has essentially never known a world without the family’s YouTube channel. Kyra was only a toddler when she first asked to make a video. That naturally raises a question their parents say they’ve heard before: How do you build a family entertainment business without turning childhood itself into the business?
Kristy says the family was conscious of that concern early. “I want them to be kids,” she says. “I don’t want them to grow up too fast.”
SJ says one of the biggest safeguards is simple: The family moves at its own pace. “We could be doing a lot more, a lot faster, a lot bigger,” he says. “But we move at the pace of what we’re wanting to do and are able to do.”
Sometimes that means filming. Sometimes it means taking a break because the kids don’t feel like filming. And sometimes the day’s schedule is: finish a little work, invite friends over, then go swimming.
The opportunities have also become part of the kids’ childhood experiences, Kristy explains. They’ve traveled extensively, played with toys for partnerships with major brands, and recently visited Tokyo, where they participated in a Mario Kart event representing the United States.
When the cameras are off, their favorite activities sound decidedly less Hollywood: Playing with their puppies and Roblox rank high on the list.
Siblings on screen, in the studio, and everywhere in between
Working with your sibling isn’t always seamless. Asked about the hardest part of creating together, the two don’t exactly need time to contemplate the question. Sometimes, Kyra explains, “a little brother just is a little brother.”
Fair enough.
But the best parts come quickly, too. They get to play, try new activities, laugh, and spend time together. “The best part for me is that I get to spend time with my family and have fun and play with toys,” Kam says.
The sibling dynamic now extends to their music. The album’s “Supah Dupah” transforms the pair into superheroes, while “Popsicle” takes on the very relatable experience of brothers and sisters disagreeing and learning to understand one another.
The album has also become more of a family affair than originally planned.
“It was really just supposed to be the children,” Kristy says.
That changed in the studio. SJ and Kristy ended up singing background parts, talking on tracks, and even beatboxing. “Now, the whole family’s on it,” SJ says.
So, what’s next?
YouTube. Acting. Music. Brand partnerships. Maybe animation. Maybe voice acting. The KB Family isn’t short on possibilities.
Their latest partnership with VTech has already brought their music and digital worlds together, including a “Shake It Up” music video featuring the brand’s musical toys.
But SJ and Kristy say they aren’t trying to check off every possible entertainment milestone as quickly as they can. Instead, they talk as a family about what Kam and Kyra actually want to explore next. Music had been on that list for years. Acting was, too. They’ve discussed animation, and after a recent studio visit, voice acting caught Kyra’s attention.
“When it’s our time, it’ll be our time,” SJ says.
For the parents, all of these projects are also giving their kids a look at how many jobs exist behind the finished product. Kam and Kyra have watched their dad write scripts, seen those scripts go through brand approvals and revisions, learned how cameras work, spent time with directors on television sets, worked with songwriters and producers, played instruments, acted, and recorded music.
The end goal isn’t necessarily for them to choose one of those paths, their parents agree. It’s to know that they can.
“We want our kids to grow up and be able to do whatever they want to do,” Kristy says.
