Party Ideas - Pop Star Recording Party

My daughter had a brilliant 11th birthday party so I thought I’d share.

Echo7 is a recording studio near us in Ewell, Surrey. I discovered that it’s not only a bona fide studio with great recording and mixing facilities for artists and bands, but also an amazing venue for children’s’ parties.

Sofia loves singing so a party where she’d get to perform her favourite tune with her friends and record the track sounded perfect.

Pop Star Recording Party Packages

Echo7 has a gold and platinum party package for children. We opted for gold at a cost of £280. This included a two-hour – sole use – slot at the studio for eight children (£10 per extra child) with three staff. With this package they record one song as a group and the birthday child gets solo recording time. It was very easy to book and the communication was first rate.

The party crew get the pop star treatment with a mocktail reception, walking the red carpet, snacks on tap and a chocolate fountain. Additionally, lots of photos and video footage is taken, which is used in the edited music video that you get after the event. More about that later…

Once Sofia had chosen her song (If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys) the lyrics and backing track were emailed out to her friends’ parents so they (the kids) could practise ahead of the party.

What happened on the day

Everyone was very excited, but a couple of children were nervous about singing in front of each other and Sofia wasn’t sure about doing a solo. However, the staff put everyone at their ease and nerves very quickly disappeared.

They went into the studio to get warmed up and have a few practises; they were already loving it. Then they were split into groups of three and four and recorded the whole song. Those not singing could watch and listen in on their friends from another room. It was all very professional!

Red carpet

Then it was time for the photo call. They all got a chance to sashay down the red carpet doing their best poses, pouts and hair flicks. Sofia did stints with friends and also went it alone in front of her ‘adoring fans,’ who did a great job of screaming for the birthday star.

Sofia had decided she would do the solo, so whilst she was recording that her friends were treated to more mocktails.

Chocolate fountain and cake

After the solo recording it was time for the chocolate fountain with lots of fruit and a big variety of less healthy things. It was a huge hit. Then it was time for more photos and footage for the video. The cake came out at this point and we all sang happy birthday.

UV face painting and disco

In the final 20 mins they all had UV face paint applied and had a disco mash-up in the studio where they could request their favourite songs. It was lovely seeing them have so much fun.

What we thought

I thought the party was brilliant. It all ran so smoothly, and I could see what a wonderful time they were having throughout. I didn’t have to do anything as the staff took care of it all, which was a huge bonus! Sofia said it was the best party ever and asked if she could do the same next year. This is praise indeed!

You get a lot for the money and the children are constantly entertained. The parents got a chance to have a peek when collecting and were really impressed. I had so much positive feedback afterwards with everyone saying how much their children had enjoyed it.

After the party

We got a rough mix of the recording on a USB on the day. A week later we received an email addressed to Sofia with two audio files (one was a mix including everyone and the other Sofia’s solo) and a link to the final edit of the video. Sofia’s guests all received the finished products too.

The video is hosted on Echo7’s YouTube channel and is private, which means it cannot be searched for or seen by anyone else. You can forward the link to anyone you want to see it and the studio can make the video public if you request.

Here’s the final product: