{{Short description|London-based choir}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}{{Infobox choir|name=House Gospel Choir|origin=London|founder=Natalie Maddix|genre=Fusion of house and gospel music|website={{url|housegospelchoir.com}}}}
'''House Gospel Choir''' (HGC) is a London-based vocal group which debuted in 2014 at Glastonbury Festival.<ref name="ra" /> Founded by creative director Natalie Maddix, the choir combines two distinct musical genres – house music and gospel.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ochoa |first=John |date=31 October 2020 |title=Meet House Gospel Choir: The London Vocal Group Bringing Faith To The Dance Floor |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/house-gospel-choir-rechoired-interview |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=Recording Academy – Grammy Awards}}</ref> HGC's debut album ''RE//CHOIRED'' (2020) includes reimagined house classics and dance anthems, as well as original tracks.<ref name=":1" />
The choir has featured on Ella Henderson and Just Kiddin's "Risk It All" and also performed with Kylie Minogue for her virtual concert Infinite Disco. More recently, the choir featured on multiple songs of Harry Styles's 2026 album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally
As of February 2020, HGC had 150 members of diverse religious backgrounds.<ref name="es">{{cite news |last=Langley |first=Edwina |date=10 February 2020 |title=House Gospel Choir founder Natalie Maddix talks inspiration and their upcoming show at Electric Brixton |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/house-gospel-choir-natalie-maddix-kamille-a4310151.html |accessdate=1 June 2023 |newspaper=Evening Standard}}</ref><ref name="ra" />
==Background== Based in London, House Gospel Choir was founded by vocalist Natalie Maddix, who had been working in music programming and management.<ref name="es" /> Maddix grew up singing gospel at her Pentecostal Church in Vauxhall and Latin hymns at her Catholic secondary school in Camberwell, and developed interest in garage when she was sixteen.<ref name="es" /> She was inspired to pursue house music while at Pretoria House 22 in Johannesburg, when she was in South Africa with producer Atjazz to promote "Selfish Skies".<ref name="es" /> She went on to be featured in "Eye Know" by Scratcha DVA from his 2012 album "Pretty Ugly".<ref>{{Cite web |title=How electronic dance music shapes and shifts our ideas of beauty |url=https://dmy.co/news/how-electronic-dance-music-shapes-and-shifts-our-ideas-of-beauty |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=dmy.co |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In 2014, Maddix published an Instagram post inviting people to join a house choir.<ref name="es" /> The first twelve members formed House Gospel Choir in a rehearsal space in Hackney.<ref name="es" />
Prior to their first rehearsal session, Maddix booked their first gig on the acoustic stage at Glastonbury.<ref name="ra">{{cite web |title=House Gospel Choir. The Original House Meets Gospel Experience - Church! |url=https://ra.co/dj/housegospelchoir/biography |accessdate=1 June 2023 |website=Resident Advisor}}</ref> She secured the opportunity while programming choirs for Olympic Park, when one of the directors she was working with mentioned that a booker was looking for a choir.<ref name="ra" /> By the time of the gig, the choir had thirty members, including DJs, keyboardists, and vocalists.<ref name="ra" />
== Performances == At Glastonbury Festival in 2014, House Gospel Choir performed a set with songs such as "Beautiful People" by Barbara Tucker and "Up Above My Head" by Kirk Franklin.<ref name="ra" />
House Gospel Choir and Adelphi Music Factory performed their "Salvation" at Homobloc Festival 2019 in Manchester.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Ekanyake |first=Manu |date=2020 |title=SWEET SALVATION: Started as a reaction to the cheesiness of Manchester's gay clubs, with the massive Homobloc, Homoelectric unleashed a 10,000 strong celebration of unity, queer culture and musical power |pages=23–28 |work=Mixmag |issue=344 |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=141141843&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2023-08-22 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> ''Mixmag'' called it an "utterly storming piano houser" that "really summed up the warmth of the whole Homobloc experience."<ref name=":0" /> In 2020, House Gospel Choir performed at the online-only Notting Hill Carnival.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 September 2020 |title=The Londoner: 'Time for museum of colonialism in East End |work=The Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/house-gospel-choir-natalie-maddix-kamille-a4310151.html |access-date=2023-08-22}}</ref>
In 2022, the House Gospel Choir featured in a live tour with entrepreneur Steven Bartlett in the stage adaptation of his podcast, ''The Diary of a CEO''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Swain |first=Marianka |date=23 February 2022 |title=The most bonkers night I have ever spent at the theatre |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/diary-ceo-live-london-palladium-review-bonkers-night-have-spent/ |access-date=2023-08-22}}</ref> The HGC accompanied Bartlett throughout the show, punctuating his autobiographical anecdotes with songs such as "Oh Happy Day" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy".<ref name=":4" /> Reviewer Marianka Swain of ''The Daily Telegraph'' described the show as "the most bonkers night I have ever spent at the theatre".<ref name=":4" />
Later that year, the choir performed with musician John Cale at the Wales Millennium Centre in commemoration of his 80th birthday,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wetherall |first=Greg |date=1 November 2022 |title=John Cale - still doing things his way |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=8Q2182889383&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2023-08-22 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> and on the BBC One New Year's Eve special.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 December 2022 |title=What to Watch |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=8Q2184348896&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2023-08-22 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> ==Releases==
=== Singles === In 2017, House Gospel Choir and MNEK featured on "Deeper" by Riton, and in 2018, they released a cover version of "Battle" by Wookie, produced by Wookie himself.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=House Gospel Choir Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/house-gospel-choir-mn0003536490/biography |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> In 2019, HGC released "Salvation" with Adelphi Music Factory,<ref name=":3" /> which stayed on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Chart for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 5.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=House Gospel Choir – Dance Club Songs |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/house-gospel-choir/chart-history/dan/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> On 24 April 2020, they released the Toddla T-produced "Blind Faith", which was written in 2018, and whose video consisted of a virtual choir.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-14 |title=Let House Gospel Choir uplift you with their new track Blind Faith |url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/house-gospel-choir-blind-faith |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Red Bull |language=en}}</ref>
On 7 November 2020,<ref name="nme">{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-kylie-minogue-perform-say-something-with-the-house-gospel-choir-in-infinite-disco-preview-2806736|title=Watch Kylie Minogue perform 'Say Something' with The House Gospel Choir in 'Infinite Disco' preview|date=2 November 2020 |publisher=NME|accessdate=1 June 2023}}</ref> HGC featured on Kylie Minogue's Infinite Disco livestream, on the songs "All the Lovers" and "Say Something".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arnone |first=Joey |title=Kylie Minogue Announces "Disco" Reissue, Shares Video for "A Second to Midnight" Feat. Years & Years |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/kylie_minogue_announces_disco_reissue_shares_video_for_a_second_to_midnight |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=www.undertheradarmag.com |language=en}}</ref> A review in ''Retropop Magazine'' praised "Say Something" for its "stellar guest vocals from the House Gospel Choir".<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2022 |title=Kylie Minogue – Infinite Disco |url=https://retropopmagazine.com/kylie-minogue-infinite-disco-album-review/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Retropop Magazine}}</ref>
In 2021, HGC featured on Blinkie's "Stronger",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Alexandra |date=2021-05-21 |title='I'm comfortable playing on my own again' |url=https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/im-comfortable-playing-on-my-own-again/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521181720/https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/im-comfortable-playing-on-my-own-again/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=21 May 2021 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=South London News |language=en-GB}}</ref> and later that year they and Just Kiddin featured on Ella Henderson's "Risk It All",<ref name="wm">{{cite web |date=20 August 2021 |title=Ella Henderson Teams Up With House Gospel Choir and Just Kiddin |url=https://warnermusic.com.au/news/ella-henderson-house-gospel-choir-just-kiddin-risk-it-all-single |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411212754/https://warnermusic.com.au/news/ella-henderson-house-gospel-choir-just-kiddin-risk-it-all-single |archive-date=11 April 2022 |access-date=11 April 2022 |publisher=Warner Music Australia}}</ref> which charted at No. 100 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="occ">{{cite web |title=HOUSE GOSPEL CHOIR |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/58862/house-gospel-choir |accessdate=15 July 2023 |publisher=The Official Charts Company}}</ref>
=== Album === On 23 October 2020, House Gospel Choir released their debut album, ''RE//CHOIRED''.<ref name=":1" /> ''Mixmag'' called the album "a spirited and feel-good celebration of house music and soundsystem culture...a testament to the power and healing potential of collectivity in music."<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Skala |first=Jemima |date=1 November 2020 |title=House Gospel Choir's Debut Album ''RE // CHOIRED'' Is Out Now |work=Mixmag |url=https://mixmag.net/read/house-gospel-choirs-debut-album-re-choired-release-news |access-date=2023-08-23}}</ref> Along with HGC, ''RE//CHOIRED'' features house DJs and musical artists such as Todd Terry, Alex Metric, DJ Spen, Todd Terry, Toddla T, and Wookie, gospel musician Nicky Brown, and multi-instrumantalist Troy Miller.<ref name=":2" />
''RE//CHOIRED'' charted at No. 69 on the UK Album Downloads Chart and No. 4 on the Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart.<ref name="occ" />
==References== {{reflist}} Category:English choirs