The Kingdom Choir Performing ‘Stand By Me’ Has Never Sounded Better

The Royal Wedding was one of the biggest events of the year and a host of musical performances helped make the big day a memorable one.The marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was a powerful moment in the British history. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor Castle and while the monarchy and its traditions have never been a place of progressiveness, Meghan and Harry's wedding included some surprising and powerful moments.Show more

One was the sermon from Michael Curry, the bishop of the Episcopal Church, who referenced Martin Luther King Jr. and slavery in his words to the British royalty, and the other was one unique group of men and women who had the honor of performing at their wedding. Who can forget their stunning rendition of "Stand By Me" at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding in May? They are called the Kingdom Choir and they are a Christian gospel group who mixes choral discipline with the raw Gospel spiritual sound.

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. At the Royal Wedding the choir performed the classic “Stand By Me”. The Kingdom Choir performed this evergreen song in front of an estimated global TV audience of 1.9 billion people at the royal wedding. There is no doubt the singers were truly honored to be invited to sing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. It must have been an exciting experience to be taking part in such a historic moment - a moment that it will be always treasured.

The gospel ensemble performed the classic track Stand By Me, which Harry and Meghan had requested. Then the royal couple gave their feedback, leading to at least 10 different versions before they arrived at the perfect arrangement which means that Harry does know his music. Getting that original feel was obviously very important to him. The Royal Wedding featured a black preacher and the esteemed Kingdom Choir. We are in awe of the black girl magic and Wakanda realness that went on at the wedding.

Their performance later topped the US gospel chart, while the YouTube video has been watched three million times. The London-based choir, which features 30 singers, was formed in 1994 by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson who is the founder of the choir. She is a gospel conductor herself and directs The kingdom Choir. Karen has previously provided backing vocals for acts such as Grace Kennedy and The Beautiful South. The choir’s debut recording is set to be released on 2 November and will include Stand By Me, the song that catapulted them to fame. Who would have expected a mega record deal with Sony… and they had thought that they would only have a lovely time at the wedding and maybe have a bit of a platform, but then the deal happened. They would never have thought it in a million years.