If children are around you regularly, you’ve probably heard of Ms. Rachel. Known offstage as Rachel Accurso, she is a prominent figure in children’s entertainment with her pink headband and lively voice. Her engaging songs and lessons attract millions of young children and families globally.
Rachel Accurso and her husband, Aron Accurso, began the YouTube channel “Songs for Littles” in 2019. Since then, they have drawn an impressive 17.2 billion views. Aron, a Broadway composer, shared that their journey began in a basement, using stacks of books for a tripod and a pop-up green screen for their early videos.
Driven by a lack of resources for their son’s speech delay, the channel’s humble beginnings evolved into a lucrative children’s education and entertainment venture. Ms. Rachel’s influence spans across books, Netflix, toy stores, and soon, music albums. Her debut album, titled I’m So Happy, releases on September 25. It offers 23 tracks combining original work, popular children’s tunes, and classic nursery rhymes, aiming to expand on their YouTube success. “Children deserve thoughtful, quality music,” said Ms. Rachel, emphasizing the use of real instruments to inspire young listeners.
Beyond entertainment, Ms. Rachel uses her platform for advocacy. She focuses on children impacted by war and humanitarian issues in regions like Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. She views this as a responsibility accompanying her wide reach. “Every child deserves a safe home with adequate food, and it’s our duty as adults to enforce this standard,” she expressed.
Her advocacy led to public scrutiny, notably when accusations of antisemitism, later proven baseless, emerged in 2025. These situations bring challenges, including security concerns for her family and business. Yet, Ms. Rachel remains resolute. “Every day I emphasize that taking care of kids comes first,” she asserted.
For more insights, listen to the interview by clicking the play button above. The article was crafted by Ashley Westerman with editing from Majd Al-Waheidi, and the radio version was produced by Ava Pukatch.