Scott and Mark Hoying Share Children’s Album Inspired by Baby Birdie — and Their Most Surprising Moments as New Parents
New parents Scott Hoying, of Pentatonix, and his husband Mark Hoying initially thought they’d create a lullaby album for their newborn daughter. But shortly after bringing baby Birdie home, the dads realized they wanted to record upbeat songs, too — like “Flamingo Song” a playful mashup of classic nursery rhymes, or the peppy, funk-pop “Happy Dance.”
So the Hoyings did just that, in August welcoming the arrival of Little Birdie’s Big Symphony, their follow-up to last year’s M.Y. F.A.M.I.L.Y., the couple’s first children’s record.
It’s not only a beautifully produced body of work, but also an impressive feat, considering how hard it is to adjust to post-baby life.
“We’ve always been a really strong team and good at delegating,” says Scott Hoying, who documented the early days of his parenting journey while competing on Dancing with The Stars in 2025. “While I was producing a lot of the album, Mark was on baby duty, and then we’d switch when Mark was cutting his vocals. We are very lucky to have an amazing support system around us too, and that’s what makes it all possible.”
One of the coolest aspects of the new record is the collaborations. “Happy Dance” is filled with some of the best talent in the children’s music scene (with Fyütch, Lucy Kalantari, Mega Ran, and DJ Willy Wow), while Christina Perri lends her soaring vocals to “Landslide.” Other guests include longtime friend Kina Grannis appears on “Lullaby (Close Your Eyes),” originally written by Trout Fishing in America.
But the best collaboration of all is with their sweet girl. Birdie made her recording debut at just one day old with opening song, “Welcome Home.” That audio is then woven throughout “Hello, My Baby Birdie!,” making Birdie James Hoying an official featured artist.
Rockmommy caught up with Scott and Mark to learn more.
Rockmommy: Hi again, Scott and Mark! When did the idea to do this album happen?
Scott Hoying: We had the idea of making “Little Birdie’s Big Symphony” a couple of weeks after our daughter was born. We had a feeling that we’d sing to her all the time, but we ended up singing to her even more than we expected. And we love making up little songs for her. At first, we decided to make her a little lullaby album, but we had so many upbeat song ideas as well that it turned into a full children’s album, complete with lullabies, upbeat songs, and everything in between!
Mark Hoying: Throughout our relationship, it’s always been such a joy to create music, songs, and albums to journal our story, and this feels like the perfect addition to that and a beautiful way to immortalize such an important chapter in our lives!
Rockmommy: I love all of your collabs on this record. How did Christina Perri come into the mix with the cover of “Landslide?” That’s such a beautiful choice and the harmonies are fantastic.
Scott Hoying: Thank you so much! We always call Christina our L.A. fairy godmother. She officiated our wedding, and she sang her song “A Thousand Years” while we walked down the aisle, which was so magical and surreal. We’ve been friends with Christina for years now, and she’s introduced us to so many important people in our lives, and I’ve collaborated with her with Pentatonix too. We’re just blown away by how stunning, relaxing, and emotional her voice is from the first note. It’s no wonder she is crushing in the children’s music space!
Mark Hoying: We love Christina and her family with our entire hearts! She was such an important part of our wedding day as our officiator, and we thought it would be so special if she was a part of our album as well. “Landslide” felt like a no-brainer! We are such big fans of Christina’s, and we were just so excited to sing this timeless song with her. When we asked her, she said “yes” immediately and was so generous and amazing. We’re really really grateful for her in so many ways.
[SEE RELATED: Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and Husband Mark Share Debut Children’s Album, Musical Aspirations, and Parenthood Plans]
Rockmommy: How on earth did you find the time to record some of these songs as new parents? :) Did family and friends bring instruments to your house? Did you take turns napping and recording vocals?
Scott Hoying: We’ve always been a really strong team and good at delegating. While I was producing a lot of the album, Mark was on baby duty, and then we’d switch when Mark was cutting his vocals. We are very lucky to have an amazing support system around us too, and that’s what makes it all possible. Birdie is surrounded by so much love!
Rockmommy: So far, what’s 1 or 2 of the most surprising things about parenthood?
Scott Hoying: I didn’t realize how much fun I could have doing the simplest things. Just making her laugh, singing to her, talking to her even though she can’t even speak yet. I can do that for hours.
Mark Hoying: We are absolutely so in love with Birdie! We couldn’t be more obsessed with being dads to our baby girl. We also can’t believe how fast time is flying by! The fact that she is almost four months old is blowing our minds!
Rockmommy: Does Birdie have a favorite nap time song?
Scott Hoying: I’m always changing up what I sing to her, but one that really seems to land that I sing a lot is “Lullaby (Close Your Eyes)” from our album, which features our incredible friend Kina Grannis. It’s originally by Trout Fishing in America, and it was one of my favorite lullabies as a kid, so we really wanted to cover it.
Mark Hoying: The combination of those magical melodies, the three-part harmony, and our amazing friend Kina Grannis’s one-of-a-kind voice is so breathtaking and calming. I think that’s the one Birdie likes best.
Rockmommy: “Happy Dance” is such a fun closer for this record! I can see the toddlers getting down to this one at a show! Any performance plans in the near future?
Mark Hoying: Thank you so much! It was so exciting to work with so many icons in the children’s music space. We went to the Children’s Music Network conference this past year, and we met a bunch of wonderful new friends, and when we decided to put this song on the album, we reached out to our friends Fÿutch, Lucy Kalantari, Mega Ran, and DJ Willy Wow! They are all so incredibly talented and have the kindest hearts. It was a blast to make!
Scott Hoying: When I was a kid, I loved songs that I could dance to, and songs that gave you dance moves to do, too! (“move to the left, move to the right”). This one has that same fun, infectious beat. It’s one of our favorites on the album. As for performing our kids’ music live? We can’t wait! Bringing joy to kids and families on the road would be such a dream!
