From touching the world at the Royal Wedding in May, to now releasing their debut album, London-based vocal collective The Kingdom Choir have had one heck of a year. Nicole Vassell finds out how it’s all been
For one couple in particular, Saturday 19th May 2018 was one of, if not the most important days of their lives so far. Of course, this was the day Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – now collectively known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – got married in front of a global audience of millions, around 18million from Britain itself.
However, it was also a significant day for plenty of others who were invited along to the occasion – Bishop Michael Curry, who delivered the sermon, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, for example, had viewers searching furiously to know more as soon as they had their moments to shine. After all, it’s incredibly rare to see black people take up such prominent roles in royal affairs.
Yet it was the emotional performance of Ben E King classic ‘Stand By Me’ by London’s very own The Kingdom Choir that was, for many, the standout element of the service – widely hailed as the most moving moment, and a moment that has proven to be a game changer for the choir, forever more.
Needless to say, taking centre stage at a Royal Wedding isn’t an opportunity that many people will ever get the chance to have – and according to choir director Karen Gibson, not something she ever imagined in the group’s future when it officially formed in 1996. However, whether you expect it or not, when an opportunity like this knocks, you don’t take long deciding your answer.
‘I’d been thinking a few months before, “Wouldn’t it be lovely if they had a gospel choir at the wedding?”’ Karen tells me, remembering the day she got that fateful call. ‘So when you get a call like that, you don’t say, “Oh, let me think about this,” you say: “Yes, thank you very much, I would be honoured.”’
Karen Gibson, choir director
With the inclusion of a gospel choir believed to have been Prince Charles’ idea, royal aides contacted Karen with the proposition in February – and after she promptly snapped it up, she began putting the feelers out to the rest of the choir to keep the date free, without completely letting them know why.
Elaine Simpson, long-time Kingdom Choir member and close friend of director Karen, originally had plans for that date, but rescheduled without a second thought once she figured it out. ‘When Karen asked me, I said that my family’s going up to Nottingham to do some gigs as a family,’ she recalls. ‘I asked Karen why, and she said, “I can’t tell you, but Google the date.” I thought, “What does that mean?” But I put the date in, and up popped the Royal Wedding – so I sent her back that emoji with the eyes wide open, I was like, “Are you kidding me?”’
Not long after Karen, Elaine, and the rest of the choir were confirmed for their biggest gig yet. Then, it was time to figure out the logistics, including the all-important song choice – a decision ultimately made by the couple themselves, despite Karen’s initial reservations. ‘With ‘Stand By Me’, there’s hardly any beat, or rhythm, just padded out chords,’ she explained. ‘But that’s the way they wanted it, stripped back – and they absolutely hit the nail on the head!’
Over the next few months, the Choir rehearsed until it was time for their starring moment; and when it came, the collective feeling was definitely one of excitement, rather than fear.
‘We’d rehearsed it all, so now it was just a matter of doing what we came to do,’ explains Elaine. ‘Rather than being nervous, when we were getting to the last chorus, I was like, “No, it’s nearly finished! Just stay in the moment, because it’s never going to happen again.”’
Elaine Simpson, choir member
Immediately after their performance, The Kingdom Choir’s star was on the rise, with TV spots all around the country and beyond, lots of YouTube views and people across social media not only wanting to hear more from them, but enquiring to hire them for events – and even asking about the process of joining!
Following these six months of increased attention for the Choir, they’re doing their part to make gospel sounds accessible for the masses with the release of their debut album. With classics such as ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ and ‘Amazing Grace’, contemporary hits like a reworking of Stormzy’s ‘Blinded By Your Grace, Part 2’ and original track ‘Chases’, there’s something on their 15-track record that’ll make everyone’s ears happy.
And if royal invitations and album releases weren’t enough, success for The Kingdom Choir is spanning well into 2019 as well, they’ll soon be embarking on a nationwide tour, marking the anniversary of the Royal Wedding performance with a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. As a black choir, it’s especially exciting to see them going from strength to strength, and infiltrating spaces that previously seemed inaccessible.
‘I think it did something – not just for black people, I think it did something for people of colour in general, because the wedding as a whole was very inclusive,’ says Karen. ‘I think it helped to bring about some sort of healing; there’s a bit of a shift. Someone I met the other day said, “To see a black gospel choir [at the wedding] was amazing.” People of colour felt a sense of pride and a sense of representation, and a sense of inclusiveness… It brought people together. It’s humbling to have been able to be a part of that.’
The Kingdom Choir’s debut album, ‘Stand By Me’ is out now. Tickets for their 2019 tour are available at livenation.co.uk
