Kraft gives student 1-day recording contract for song about mac & cheese
May 24, 2022 – Louisville’s newest recording artist could be forgiven for writing a song that sounded, well, a little cheesy.
She is 9, after all. And the song was about her love for mac and cheese.
Stepping outside her home this morning, Lila was immediately greeted by family, fans, and the flash of cameras. Representatives of Kraft – of Kraft Mac and Cheese fame – surprised her with a denim jacket bedazzled with a rhinestone macaroni noodle, macaroni backpack, blue ukulele and a one-day recording contract.
“I thought it was just people coming to look at our plumbing,” Lila said of the scene. “I thought, is this actually real, or am I just dreaming?”
Lila’s road from unsigned talent to musical superstar came courtesy of a songwriting project by her music teacher, Jamie Albritton – ‘Mr. A’ to his students.
“I walked them through the process of writing songs, analyzing songs, to let them see it’s not as bad as they think it is,” he said. “I told them, ‘just write about something you love.’”
So Lila wrote about macaroni and cheese.
Albritton recorded her performance in class and posted it to social media, tagging Kraft. And a star was born.
After signing autographs and posing for photos, Lila made her way through the throng of paparazzi to a stretch limousine, which whisked her to a downtown recording studio to record the song. Kraft will share the single through social media and make it available via streaming services.
Kraft is also donating $5,000 to Norton to support the school’s musical program.
Lila’s penchant for songwriting may just be taking off – although her mom, Kori, said she’s always loved music and has notebooks full of lyrics she’s written – but her love for her favorite food is long standing.
“Her favorite thing really is mac and cheese,” her father, Adam, said. “She makes mac and cheese every day when she gets off the bus.”