A Suffolk choir’s charity single for St Elizabeth Hospice is rocketing up the chart as it aims to be this week’s number one.
Pop Chorus’ song ‘Always’ went live on November 17 and at the time of writing was in the top 10 of Amazon’s singles chart.
Despite the high ambitions for the project, which is raising funds for the St Elizabeth Hospice, choir director Yula Andrews has been dazzled by the song’s success.
“It’s a huge surprise. It’s been in the top 10 since Friday,” she said.
Yula puts the single’s success down to the hard work of the choir and their efforts to share the single on social media and amongst their friends and family.
Yula started the choir in April 2012. At her first choir session eight singers turned up – the group now boasts five choirs with 250 members. A recent gig at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich sold out.
The choir has been working to raise money for the St Elizabeth Hospice for a number of years as a charity partner.
The charity single project began in earnest last year when Yula told the charity about her plans.
“We went to them with an idea to do a song. Someone at the Hospice went to school with Ian Curnow.”
Ian Curnow, was the former keyboard player for band Talk Talk and spent many years working on records for Stock Aitken and Waterman.
Ian was impressed with the charity’s ethos and decided to get involved with the project.
The lyrics for the song were put together by writer David Simon from people’s feelings about the hospice.
Yula arranged the track and the choirs set about learning the complicated piece at home. The piece was put together at the recording at Diss Cornhall.
It’s not just the hospice who have been helped by the work the group do.
“The choir helps people so much, people make friends in the group.”
The big push for the record will be up until Thursday at midnight, when data stops being collected for the Official Singles Chart.
In terms of chart success Yula is modest about the group’s expectations for the big chart reveal on Friday night; “If we can make a dent and make the top 100, I will be thrilled.”
More than chart success Yula hopes the song will change attitudes towards hospices.
“They are not scary, dark places. They are beautiful and welcoming places,” she added.
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