The incredible gospel choir that performed during the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, earlier this year are celebrating after landing a record deal.
Hand-picked by the royal couple, The Kingdom Choir entertained the congregation with a stunning rendition of hit song Stand By Me during the ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 19.
Now the choir, who hail from London, look set to cash in on that spectacular performance, which they described as an “honour”, as they have been signed up by major record label Sony.
“The responses, just the recognition down the road, people saying thank you and how proud they were. Just amazing,” Karen Gibson, who directs the choir, told the BBC.
“And then all these offers, Sony. I really don’t know how to say the honour was massive. There are no words. A record deal is one thing, but to bring a message of love, peace, joy and hope – that’s what we want to do. I think the world needs it.”
The Kingdom Choir were formed in 1994 by Gibson and their performance at the royal wedding, which was watched by almost 2 billion people around the world, also topped the US charts following the live television stream from Windsor.
Made up of 30 singers, the choir will head into the studio this month to record their debut album which has been scheduled for release on November 2. The record will include their arrangement of the Ben E King classic that they performed for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Sony Music boss Nicola Tuer told the BBC she had “jumped at the chance” to sign the group, and said: “The choir believe in love, music and power and we are excited to capture this on record for their fans across the globe.”
In a statement released ahead of the royal wedding, Kensington Palace said: “The Choir is made up of a group of British artists dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share, and has been performing both nationally and internationally for over 20 years.”