Christina Perri Sings Lullabies with Daughters Each Night, but Says Her 6-Year-Old 'Loves Chappell Roan' (Exclusive)

Perri and husband Paul Costabile shares daughters Pixie Rose, 22 months, and Carmella, 6?

• Christina Perri has turned her hit song, "A Thousand Years," into a beautiful children's book that celebrates motherhood

• Perri tells PEOPLE about the hints of her own family seen throughout the book, whose cover she shares with PEOPLE

• The girl mom tells PEOPLE about singing to her daughters and the music they enjoy
  

Christina Perri's household is a musical one.

The girl mom and singer, 38, tells PEOPLE that lullabies are a part of her daily routine with daughters Pixie Rose, 22 months, and Carmella, 6?.

"Last night, I was laughing hysterically because my almost 2-year-old, Pixie, is so particular. I call her my spicy one. I asked her if I could sing to her when I was putting her to bed and she says yeah. So I start singing all the different songs and each time, she goes, 'No, no,' " she tells PEOPLE.

"I went through my whole lullaby album and I was like, 'Girlfriend, what do you want?' Finally, I said, 'Pixie Dust,' which is a song I wrote for her, and she said yes. She knew."

Perri has songs she's written for both of her daughters, as well as lullaby albums dedicated to each of her girls.

"Sometimes, though, I sing 'A Thousand Years,' she says of her hit song, which is now a children's book. "I'll just break out into whatever I'm feeling. Sometimes I sing 'You Are My Sunshine,' but it makes me so emotional when I sing it that I steer clear. I also have a song that I wrote for Carmella called, 'You Mean the Whole Wide World to Me,' that's on her lullaby record."

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Related: Christina Perri Shares Daughter Carmella's Sweet Comment 'Celebrating' Her Postpartum Body

During the day, they're exploring all kinds of music, led by Carmella's ear for pop.

"My 6-year-old is now obsessed with pop music and pop culture. She loves Chappell Roan. So it's a little bit different, her track list," she laughs. "But at bedtime, it's still the same. It's all about the sweet lullabies. It's such a beautiful way to sing and now, maybe my favorite. I don't want to diss the first decade of my career, which was all pop music and being a rock star, but I kind of love Mom CP, maybe a little bit more."

Perri's daughters have been excited to see their mom's song become a book for kids like them.

"They know the song, too. I sing it to them all the time. It's a pretty cool thing to show my girls and to be proud of all the work I've done," she shares.

"This feels like such a genuinely sweet part of my career right now, and I love including them in everything I can."

She adds, "Wherever it makes sense, I have the girls there, like how they're singing on my lullaby records. It just feels super cool for them to know that now, Mommy has a book."

Making music that centers on families has been "really natural" for Perri.

"All I do is live my real life, in the season of motherhood and singing to my girls. It's been my favorite part. It made so much sense. With each of these projects, we didn't overthink it or try something that was inauthentic. I didn't want to go backward and pretend that I didn't become a mom," the singer explains.

"I didn't want to pretend that I'd actually slept for six years. I'd rather everyone know where I'm at and that 100% made sense for me. Because the audience has grown up with me, people have followed along. Their lives are legit following the same timeline and are on the same trajectory as mine. It feels like such a sweet spot in music and creativity and I'm really grateful for it."

After a busy summer with her family, which also includes Perri's husband Paul Costabile, Perri says they're looking forward to slowing down the rest of the year.

"My daughter starts first grade soon! This summer, we've gone to the Jersey Shore, which we do every year. My girls and my husband, my mom and dad, my grandma, everybody goes down to Ocean City. That's probably my favorite week of the year because it's such a tradition, and being on the beach with the girls has been amazing," she says.

Related: Christina Perri Reveals the Cover of Her New Children's Book, A Thousand Years (Exclusive)

"We also did Legoland, Disneyland, and Universal. I'm definitely exhausted by the summer, it's been so full. The best part of this moment we're in is that Pixie is now old enough to join in on a lot of the fun," Perri continues.

"Before she was just more like a baby. Now she's talking and running and wants to do everything her big sister is doing. It's just honestly a great part of motherhood, where like all the work and all the time it took to like make these little humans pays off ... My heart just explodes on a daily basis of like how cute they are."

"Right now, I could just bottle it and live in it forever. They're just obsessed with each other. We're just enjoying all these sweet little family moments."

A Thousand Years is available for pre-order and will go on sale Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

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