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This wholesome banger from a group of Irish kids is the spark you need

Music fans, have we got a new, totally infectious bop for you: "The Spark," a song created by a group of kids in Cork, Ireland. "I searched for my spark and I found it," they exuberantly sing over a vibrant techno beat. They let their rhymes fly, too: "Making bangers at a young age," one girl raps, "My pen setting fire to the page."

As one listener enthused on X: "They had no business putting out something this deadly."

"The Spark" was created by Rhyme Island, a youth rap initiative in Cork. The kids worked with a local producer named GMCBeats and The Kabin Studio, a music and creativity-focused nonprofit in the Knocknaheeny suburb of Cork.

They made the song in advance of Cruinniú na nÓg, an annual "national free day of creativity for young people" in Ireland. It features over 1,000 free events for kids and teenagers across Ireland, sponsored by the Irish government and supported by the Irish public broadcaster RTE. This year's Cruinniú na nÓg activities take place on Saturday, June 15.

Rhyme Island's video for "The Spark" was released by Creative Ireland, the Irish government initiative behind Cruinniú na nÓg. The video is just as cheery and wholesome as the song: The band of kids bounce down the aisle of a school bus and zip along a Cork sidewalk, decked out in colorful bucket hats and shades.

While "The Spark" does not yet seem to be available on digital platforms, Rhyme Island has a playlist of their other work on SoundCloud.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Anastasia Tsioulcas
Anastasia Tsioulcas is a correspondent on NPR's Culture desk. She is intensely interested in the arts at the intersection of culture, politics, economics and identity, and primarily reports on music. Recently, she has extensively covered gender issues and #MeToo in the music industry, including the trial and conviction of former R&B superstar R. Kelly; backstage tumult and alleged secret deals in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against megastar singer Plácido Domingo; and gender inequity issues at the Grammy Awards.