Post by drew on Nov 9, 2006 9:32:28 GMT
Mirror:
Thursday 9 November 2006 09:29am
7 November 2006
BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS
THIS YEAR'S CHRISTMAS NO.1 WILL HAVE A HEAVENLY SOUND..
By Nikhita Mahajan
FORGET R&B, rock, hip-hop and soul in the race to be the Christmas chart-topper - this year's hot sound is.. choir music.
Record giants Universal and EMI are backing their own choral groups in the battle to hit the festive number one spot.
And the little cherubs above, Angelis, are Simon Cowell's secret weapon.
"Since Charlotte Church hung up her operatic hat there has been a gap in the market," says Simon.
"I had a hunch this kind of music could become incredibly popular.
"Our world is so chaotic that when you listen to this, it just sounds so pure." Sam Adams Nye, 14, from Bristol, was one of the six singers picked for the group by talent scouts.
"Choir music has been around for thousands of years but it hasn't been cool to sing for a long time. We are giving it a new take," says Sam.
This week Angelis begin their first UK tour and will be switching on the Christmas lights in Leeds.
Their debut album was released on November 6 and features the Sarah McClachlan song Angel, Enya's May It Be and Eva Cassidy's Over The Rainbow plus contemporary versions of classical hymns including O Holy Night and Pie Jesu.
But with the choral competition hotting up, who will win the battle of the choirs?
n.mahajan@mirror.co.uk
LIBERA
THE South London group is made up of 14 boys aged seven to 16. They have a lucrative record deal with EMI and their songs appeared on the soundtracks of movies The Merchant of Venice, Hannibal and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. Their third album, Angel Voices, is out on November 6.
ANGELIS
SIMON Cowell sent a team of choral experts to churches across Britain to find the six best choristers in the country. Two years on and he's come up with with: Moray West, 11, Sam Adams Nye, 14, Natalie Grace Chua, 13, Joe Mar tin, 11, Camilla Seale, 12, and 11-year-old Amy Dow. Angelis's self-titled album is out on November 6.
ALL ANGELS
UNIVERSAL'S answer to the next classical girlband, All Angels are Melanie Nakhla, 17, Charlotte Ritchie, 17, Laura Wright, 16, and Daisy Chute, 17. Their album is a mix of classical and pop music, with a version of Schubert's Ave Maria and Robbie Williams's Angels. Their debut single, Songbird, is out November 6
THE FRON MALE VOICE CHOIR
DISCOVERED by boyband Blue's manager Daniel Glatman, this 60- strong male choir from Froncysyllte, North Wales, have landed a six-figure record deal with Universal records. The Fron Male Voice Choir's Voices of the Valley is out on November 20.
Keeping up with Jones..
WELSH warbler Aled Jones shot to fame in 1985 with the Snowman classic Walking in the Air. His greatest hits album, You Raise Me Up, is out November 27.
[a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/tm_headline=battle-of-the-choirs&method=full&objectid=18055370&siteid=94762-name_page.html"]http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/tm_headline=battle-of-the-choirs&method=full&objectid=18055370&siteid=94762-name_page.html[/a][/color]
Thread title amended, by Dave
Thursday 9 November 2006 09:29am
7 November 2006
BATTLE OF THE CHOIRS
THIS YEAR'S CHRISTMAS NO.1 WILL HAVE A HEAVENLY SOUND..
By Nikhita Mahajan
FORGET R&B, rock, hip-hop and soul in the race to be the Christmas chart-topper - this year's hot sound is.. choir music.
Record giants Universal and EMI are backing their own choral groups in the battle to hit the festive number one spot.
And the little cherubs above, Angelis, are Simon Cowell's secret weapon.
"Since Charlotte Church hung up her operatic hat there has been a gap in the market," says Simon.
"I had a hunch this kind of music could become incredibly popular.
"Our world is so chaotic that when you listen to this, it just sounds so pure." Sam Adams Nye, 14, from Bristol, was one of the six singers picked for the group by talent scouts.
"Choir music has been around for thousands of years but it hasn't been cool to sing for a long time. We are giving it a new take," says Sam.
This week Angelis begin their first UK tour and will be switching on the Christmas lights in Leeds.
Their debut album was released on November 6 and features the Sarah McClachlan song Angel, Enya's May It Be and Eva Cassidy's Over The Rainbow plus contemporary versions of classical hymns including O Holy Night and Pie Jesu.
But with the choral competition hotting up, who will win the battle of the choirs?
n.mahajan@mirror.co.uk
LIBERA
THE South London group is made up of 14 boys aged seven to 16. They have a lucrative record deal with EMI and their songs appeared on the soundtracks of movies The Merchant of Venice, Hannibal and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. Their third album, Angel Voices, is out on November 6.
ANGELIS
SIMON Cowell sent a team of choral experts to churches across Britain to find the six best choristers in the country. Two years on and he's come up with with: Moray West, 11, Sam Adams Nye, 14, Natalie Grace Chua, 13, Joe Mar tin, 11, Camilla Seale, 12, and 11-year-old Amy Dow. Angelis's self-titled album is out on November 6.
ALL ANGELS
UNIVERSAL'S answer to the next classical girlband, All Angels are Melanie Nakhla, 17, Charlotte Ritchie, 17, Laura Wright, 16, and Daisy Chute, 17. Their album is a mix of classical and pop music, with a version of Schubert's Ave Maria and Robbie Williams's Angels. Their debut single, Songbird, is out November 6
THE FRON MALE VOICE CHOIR
DISCOVERED by boyband Blue's manager Daniel Glatman, this 60- strong male choir from Froncysyllte, North Wales, have landed a six-figure record deal with Universal records. The Fron Male Voice Choir's Voices of the Valley is out on November 20.
Keeping up with Jones..
WELSH warbler Aled Jones shot to fame in 1985 with the Snowman classic Walking in the Air. His greatest hits album, You Raise Me Up, is out November 27.
[a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/tm_headline=battle-of-the-choirs&method=full&objectid=18055370&siteid=94762-name_page.html"]http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/tm_headline=battle-of-the-choirs&method=full&objectid=18055370&siteid=94762-name_page.html[/a][/color]
Thread title amended, by Dave