The choir of Oakwood Adventist Academy put on one hell of a show last year when they sang Andra Day’s gospel-pop hit “Rise Up” in their school hall. Aside from the rare sight of seeing American kids matched together in school uniforms, the young and mind-blowing singers have been stunning audiences across the internet; while hardly anyone fills the seats before the choir, over 2.1 million people have flocked to YouTube to watch the magical moment unfold.
A horde of choir singers spread out on stage, fronted by three lead vocalists – two female and one male. The first singer, who can’t be more than 12 years old, opens the track like a new Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston in the making, recovering from her lyrical stumble mid-chorus without a hint of fear and proving she’s an absolute vocal powerhouse.
The male soloist takes on the second verse, hitting some incredible high notes like a real choirboy. Given that the lead singers are all middle-school-aged or younger, their voices are amazing, bold, and confident as they carry Andra Day’s modern classic as if they were born to do so.
Then, the third lead lets her sweet and heart-melting voice cut through the silence, tackling a vast melody and coming out on top. All the while, choir kids in the background act out the lyrics to the song, placing their fingertips together to visualize the line “moving mountains” as the school conductor leads them.
From the sight of pipsqueak choir boys in suits and bowties to the adorably off-key yet mature lead singers, this viral clip is bound to move any Music Man reader with its fresh and wholesome energy.
Following a sensitive bridge, the choir comes in full force for the last chorus, clapping to the beat while a member of the sparse audience, presumably one of the kid’s dads, rises up from his front row seat to clap along as the gospel organ preaches pure, soul-stirring music.
“Rise Up” featured as the second single from the Washington R&B/soul singer Andra Day’s debut studio album, 2015’s “Cheers To The Fall.” Despite only peaking at #61 on the UK Singles Chart, the track hit #6 on the US Billboard Adult R&B Songs Chart and received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance the following year. The star was discovered by Stevie Wonder in 2010, signed her first record deal in 2011 and ten years later, landed her first major film role playing Billie Holiday in the biopic “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”