Over a series of creative sessions, the children shaped every part of the project themselves, from the lyrics to the name of their group. What began as a room full of ideas became a finished song, a hip-hop choreography, and a message they were proud to carry into the world.
Turning ideas into a track
The idea of engaging with rap first surfaced during the project kick-off in March 2025. It truly took shape later that autumn during a neighbourhood meeting at the community house, where the organisers watched the children light up and dance during a performance by local rapper Trond Wiger. With strong ties to the neighbourhood himself, Trond was the perfect artist to invite in.
To help children bring their thoughts to life, Trond teamed up with arts educator Camila Langfeldt and dancer Kristie Mortimer. Together, they explored contrasting themes with the kids in small group workshops — from heavy topics like war, fear, and nightmares to their love of the neighbourhood, summer, and friends.
Trond took the ideas and lyrics the children gathered during the workshops and developed them into a full song, built around the beats the class liked best. The children then recorded it with him at his studio, laying down two different versions of their work: a main collaboration and a spontaneous, kid-led freestyle track.
To bring movement to the music, dancer Kristie Mortimer introduced the class to hip-hop culture. The children listened to their tracks, drew the feelings and thoughts they evoked, and transformed those drawings into dance moves together with Kristie. Everything came together on stage at the school’s festival at the end of June, where the children performed the piece they had made from start to finish, alongside Trond.
LISTEN HERE
The group’s name, Lillebygjengen, and the titles of both songs were all decided by the children themselves.
Superstars for a day
The project generated a high level of engagement and participation, leaving children, families, and school incredibly proud of their work. Following a special preview night for families, the project drew wide attention across Norwegian media. The children saw their song published on YouTube and Spotify, featured in a local newspaper, played on regional radio, and broadcast on Norwegian national television.
This became a very meaningful process for all of us. The children truly felt like superstars — sharing their important message: Vi vil ha fred!
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