This year has seen The Kingdom Choir continue to take their joyous, life-affirming message of faith and motivation to new audiences across the world.
They’ve completed a huge North American headline tour, enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime performance at The Coronation Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, and headlined a major gospel festival in Liverpool.
Now they end 2023 on a high as they share the inspirational single ‘Be Alright’ ahead of a sold-out 30th anniversary concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on November 30th. This is the first wide release of 'Be Alright', which has previously only been available to Apple Music users. ‘Be Alright’ is taken from the ‘Apple Music Home Session’ EP which was released last year in celebration of Black History Month.
It is a particularly shining example of how The Kingdom Choir takes the stirring heart of the gospel tradition and with a rich array of modern soul touches, gives us music that’s both timeless and relevant to our era. Those strengths are especially true of the song’s lyrics, which are inspired by the example set by Martin Luther King, imploring society to stand up against oppression.
Between its rousing gospel harmonies and the determination of its message, ‘Be Alright’ pleads “Don’t you dare give up” and if any song can provoke such conviction, it’s this one. The Kingdom Choir’s founder and conductor Karen Gibson MBE says: “‘Be Alright’ is a comment on the impact of injustice on those suffering oppression – whether that be through bullying, racism or any type of phobic behaviour.
“The opening lines of the song hark back to the famous freedom song ‘We Shall Overcome’, pointing to a brighter day of redemption and rejoicing. ‘Be Alright’ is a song full of hope for a better future and recalls Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech where ‘all men are created equal.’ It is a reminder to the listener that through resilience and hope, joy comes in the morning and it will be alright.”
Karen Gibson MBE wrote ‘Be Alright’ with one of the choir’s regular collaborators, the acclaimed soul singer-songwriter Jake Isaac, plus Sharlene-Monique, one of its longest-serving members, broadcaster and author, as well as writer/producer Jonathan Owusu-Yianomah. Karen formed The Kingdom Choir back in 1993 and you may well ask, where did the years go?
But when you look back on everything they have experienced, you can see they have achieved so much in their 30 years together. Their biggest spotlight moment came with a show-stopping performance of ‘Stand By Me’ at the Royal Wedding in 2018. Having introduced themselves to a huge global audience of two billion people, they subsequently signed a major record deal with Sony Music UK.
Their debut album, also titled ‘Stand By Me’ followed later that year, and resulted in a Top 20 chart position on the UK’s Official Album Chart, while its title track rose to #1 on the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart. They’ve continued to release music ever since, with highlights including a Radio 2 A-list for ‘Real Love’, two Christmas EPs and this summer’s ‘Let It Rain’ single, a beaming call to remain determined even if life’s odds are stacked against you.
The Kingdom Choir have embarked upon countless high profile adventures, including sold-out tours of the UK, US and Australia that have included headline sets at the Royal Albert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, a huge Hyde Park show as guests to Barbara Streisand, an outdoor performance opening for The Piano Guys and festival sets at Latitude, Hay, Cornbury and the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music. They’ve also been invited to perform at special events as varied as the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games, the Dubai 2020 Expo and the opening of a Major League Baseball game.
But whether the event is huge or intimate, The Kingdom Choir are always eager to share the warmth and enthusiasm of their performances, their community spirit, and the essence of their various Christian traditions. Karen Gibson has earned worldwide respect for her work with The Kingdom Choir, leading to an MBE in 2020 in recognition of her services to music.
Hailed by the BBC and The Guardian as “Britain’s Godmother of Gospel”, her reputation as one of the best gospel music directors around has taken her across Europe, Japan, Rwanda, Nigeria, Guyana and the USA, earning awards including the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of The Year and later, BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of The Year.
In addition to their sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall show, The Kingdom Choir will also perform at Trevor Nelson’s Soul Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall on December 18th. The event features the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Troy Miller, as well as special guests Lemar and Chic’s Kimberly Davis.
