After several months of planning, writing, recording and preparing, Kaleidoscope Teens will release their album “Kaleidoscope” on Sunday, July 27. The album will be available on the Bandcamp music app and the Kaleidoscope Teens website.
To coincide with the album’s release, several current members of Kaleidoscope Teens will perform four original songs from the album as the opening act for PeopleFest! at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail.
In addition, Mae Doll, a Kaleidoscope Teen alumna, will perform four songs from her debut EP, “ME vs ME – The EP.”
Those who attend the performance at PeopleFest! can participate in a drawing for gift cards at local restaurants.
“It’s going to be a celebration of resilience, culture and teen voices that too often go unheard,” said Tammy Ryder-Harms, founder of Kaleidoscope Teens. “But this project is much more than music … it’s a lifeline.”
“Before working on this album, I didn’t want to live,” group member AJ shared. “This project gave me hope. It made me feel valued and helped me make better decisions. It literally saved my life.”
According to Ryder-Harms, “The Kaleidoscope album was created to raise awareness around teen mental health, an issue that touches nearly every family but is often shrouded in silence.”
“Their stories fuel our mission and inspire us to keep showing up – for the teens who are still here and still fighting,” said Ryder-Harms.
The album is dedicated to the memory of two of Ryder-Harms’ family members, Stephanie and Chris, who died by suicide as adults; Seanna, an alumna of the group who recently passed away but not by suicide; and Roger Bluhm, who died by suicide as an adult. He was the brother Alicia Bluhm, whose family helped to financially sponsor the album.
Kaleidoscope Teens is a nonprofit organization in Eden Prairie that supports adolescents in “developing coping and life skills, paired with a career and/or college pathway, that allows them to thrive in today’s world and successfully launch into their futures.”
EPLN featured the making of the album in a Jan. 20 story.
More to read: Eden Prairie’s PeopleFest celebration returns with a week of free events highlighting community, culture and connection.
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