npower, proud sponsors of Team England at the Commonwealth Games 2018
invited me down to Abbey Road Studios (I of course I took an obligatory
selfie on the Zebra crossing) to attend the recording of their revamp of
the official anthem of the Commonwealth Games 2018 – Jerusalem. npower and Syco
records partnered with Tokio Myers and Jazmin Sawyers to revamp the iconic
England anthem ‘Jerusalem’.
Jerusalem was chosen by the UK in 2010 as the track for CGE after it won
first place against ‘God Save The Queen’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ in a UK
based poll.
I will break it down a little bit just in case you’re not aware of the
Commonwealth Games, Tokio or Jazmin:
Commonwealth Games : Is a
multi-sport event which happens every four years and has athletes completing
from 70 commonwealth nations. The last Commonwealth Games was actually held in
Glasgow, Scotland in 2014 and this year it will be held from 4th -15th April
on the Gold Coast of Australia with more than 6,600 athletes. This year will be
the largest games in history with 18 sports and seven para-sports.
The newbies to watch are beach volleyball, Para Triathlon and Women’s
Rugby Sevens.
Tokio Myers: Won Britain’s Got Talent in 2017 for his epic pianist skills, if
you fancy a watch you can watch on YouTube here.
Jazmin Sawyers: An athlete who has competed in the long jump,
bobsled and heptathlon and won the silver medal for her 21ft 4.5in leap in the
long jump at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Jazmin will be competing
in the long jump this year to hopefully take home another medal. You may also
recognise Jazmin from the sixth series of The Voice UK - that is why you
can find her behind the mic on this track.
From talking to a few of the
Commonwealth athletes who attended the recording at Abbey Road Studios, many confessed
to not knowing the lyrics to Jerusalem or even knowing that it was the official
Team England Commonwealth anthem! They did however say that they felt
that the song has more relevance to sport and that it evokes more emotion that
will definitely help fans get behind Team England.
Although Jerusalem is a perfect
choice for the Commonwealth, it has yet to ignite the same passion as other
sporting anthems. According to a recent poll by npower “Over 80% of
fans surveyed are oblivious to the fact that Jerusalem is played when Team
England win gold at the Commonwealth Games. Despite its grounding in British
history many people are still confused when it comes to knowing Jerusalem’s
origins, lyrics and even its tune.” .
By teaming up with Tokio Myers and his unique music style, npower has
transformed the hymn into a modern, monumental piece of music that will
hopefully resonate with modern audiences. You can really feel the raw uplifting
emotion of the song, and with a 54 piece orchestra and a 10 person choir the
song is truly brought to life! Jazmin’s voice also reinforces the ‘Power of
Support’ message, trust me you will be blown away – have a listen below.
This year
we will see the largest ever group of English athletes compete and its
important England get behind them all as a country to show their support
for Team England and the revitalised anthem definitely will help
Down at Abbey Road Studios I got
to watch the entire process from the track being produced to the live recording
in the studio alongside Team England athletes and the families and friends who
inspire them. The athletes included; Jack Laugher, Max Whitlock, Ellie
Robinson and Lois Toulson who all attended the recording with their families –
their ultimate support network during the games.
From talking to the athletes its
was inspirational to hear how they wanted the nation to get behind them to
really get excited about sport they were all excited to compete with athletes
they have idolized over the years. One thing that was really important to them
was to feel the power of support with their family and UK fans behind them has
made they who they are today and they wouldn’t be completing without that. I
know I can’t wait to watch them on the TV.
The Official Anthem of the Commonwealth Games England 2018 will be
available to purchase today on itunes and Spotify and The Commonwealth Games will be televised live on the BBC April 5th.
