The B.C. couple behind children’s YouTube sensation Pancake Manor is set to release their eighth studio album.
The 25-track collection, entitled Just a Minute, drops on Friday (Jan. 14) and is the culmination of a lot of hard work by Billy Reid and Reb Stevenson. The duo produce everything in their Saanich home studio, where they then turn the songs into YouTube videos blending live-action puppet work and animation.
To date, Pancake Manor videos have garnered 1.8 billion views and the channel has 2.6 million subscribers.
“When we first met, we gelled right away about music and it’s kind of funny that this has turned into a career for us as a couple,” Stevenson said.
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The two have always really loved children, she added, and tapping into an edgier market didn’t feel quite right to them when they were trying to decide which market to explore about 10 years ago.
“We really wanted to do something creative that was inoffensive. There’s a feel-good element and it’s nice to have a positive effect on children, no matter how small.”
The pair have a three-year-old daughter who Stevenson described as their inspiration and test subject, citing how interesting it is to learn what she gravitates toward the most.
“Another interesting part of our background is that we struggled to conceive a child, this whole time we’ve been doing Pancake Manor we wanted to start a family,” she said. “Our wish to have a child was expressed through these videos and allowed us to be a part of the parenting world before we were able to – then we had our miracle daughter through IVF.”
As voices in the parenting community, Stevenson and Reid have not shied away from discussing their personal family experience and they hope to convey to other couples there is no shame in struggling to conceive a child.
Just a Minute is being released on such digital music streaming platforms as Spotify and Apple Music, and through Pancake Manor’s music label, Moonbug Music, which also represents popular children’s shows such as Blippi and CoComelon.
Visit their YouTube channel or check out their website at pancakemanor.com to find more.
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