Billy Ocean and co sign up to help make it lovely day
To coincide with Children’s Mental Health Week to try to bring some positivity to these hard times, pop icon Billy Ocean has teamed up with the Young Voices Choir to release a new and uplifting recording of Bill Withers’ classic Lovely Day.
The awareness week runs from Monday February 1 to Sunday February 7.
Also featured on the track are award-winning broadcaster and musician YolanDa Brown’s saxophone and the Voice UK 2018 winner and former Young Voices singer Ruti Olajugbagbe.
Released this week by Magic Star – the home of children’s and family entertainment at Sony Music UK – all UK profits will go to children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
“We have all been affected in different ways over this difficult last year and many children have really struggled.
“I’m so happy to be able to join with Young Voices to help make a difference and to raise funds for children’s mental health with this wonderful and hopeful song,” said Billy Ocean
“I am delighted that the single ‘Lovely Day’ will be released this week with profits going to Place2Be – our charity partner – who, like Young Voices, have 25 years’ worth of experience, working with young people.
With school life currently disrupted, this highlights the need, more than ever, to support children’s mental health,” said Ben Lewis, chief executive Young Voices.
Singer Ruti said: “I can still remember performing at The O2 arena with Young Voices when I was eight years old. It’s incredible to think we’ll be singing this single alongside literally thousands of people across the country, maybe even the world.”
Place2Be launched the first ever
Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.
Place2Be’s school-based teams estimate that 85 per cent of the young people they support have been negatively affected by the pandemic, and have seen an increase in referrals around self-harm and suicidal thoughts in secondary schools.
One in six children and young people have a probable mental health condition.
“The past year has been incredibly challenging and with so many adjusting to home schooling again, many children and families will be feeling the extra pressure.
At this time, support for children’s mental health is more important than ever. We’re so grateful that Sony and Young Voices are supporting Place2Be this Children’s Mental Health Week.
The charity single will not only raise vital funds to support our work with schools around the country but will hopefully be an uplifting and positive anthem for the nation at a time when we all really need it,” said Catherine Roche, chief executive of Place2Be.
Young Voices is an all-inclusive educational program designed to use music to develop 21st-century skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, mindfulness, and innovation.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year Young Voices have staged the largest children’s choir concerts in the world.
In 2020, Young Voices headlined 24 arenas across the UK, including a record breaking 49th concert at Manchester Arena, the most by any group in the venue’s 25-year history, overtaking Take That’s previous record of 46 shows.
To date they have played 60 shows at The O2 arena – more than Adele, Ed Sheeran and Take That combined. Over 170,000 children took part in 24 arena concerts in 2020, totalling two million children over the course of Young Voices’ history.
Streamed live from The O2 arena, Billy Ocean (left), YolanDa Brown and Ruti and Young Voices will join children, their teachers and families throughout the UK to sing Lovely Day.
Young Voices will attempt to break their own Guinness World Record for Largest Simultaneous Sing-Along, currently 293,978.