Northants Sings Out (NSO), the cross-genre community choir that caught the ear of The Queen of Pop Madonna, has been announced as a Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist.
Fans and supporters from across music and entertainment have pledged their support for the vocal group hoping to drive NSO to become the first-ever choir in BGT history to take the top prize.
Featuring 700 singers from all walks of life, including mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, senior local government workers, and primary school teachers, 60 members of the choir have already wowed millions of viewers and all four judges on Britain’s Got Talent.
Now NSO will take to the stage and screen on Thursday 30 May at 8 pm, ready to dazzle judges Simon Cowell, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden with their collective vocals and harmonies, along with performances from soloists.
Following their performance, the judges will give their feedback and viewers will be asked to back their favourite act of the programme, by voting at www.itv.com/vote/bgt.
To date, the choir has received support from a wide range of celebrities, including global pop star Madonna, national broadcasters Chris Evans (Virgin Radio) and Zoe Ball (BBC Radio 2), as well as social media endorsements from TV personality Chloe Madeley, vocalist Chaka Khan, and actor Maggie Wheeler (Janice from Friends).
A video by the Northampton-based vocal ensemble performing Madonna’s 2000 smash hit song ‘Music’ was shared to the world’s best-selling female artist’s Instagram story, giving the group a huge industry boost.
To date, the clip has garnered over 600,000 views online, and the Queen of Pop co-sign has led to 25,000 likes and thousands of new followers for NSO.
The choir delivered a rapturous performance of the traditional 1876 hymn ‘It Is Well’ seamlessly transitioning into a high-energy cover of ‘90s Robin S dance classic ‘Show Me Love’ in their BGT debut in April 2024.
The choir is led by founder-conductor Gareth Fuller, credited for directing the choir at Liam Gallagher’s sell-out Knebworth shows attended by over 160,000 fans, and key tour dates across the UK.
Fuller said: “It would be amazing for us to get through to the final, and would mean everything for us to win BGT this year. We’ve never seen a choir win the competition!
“We’ve been working so hard throughout this whole process and had such a great time. To be able to perform one more time and share in the love, joy, and excitement together will be a real privilege.”
NSO’s resounding stage show at BGT resulted in the Northants singers receiving a standing ovation from the audience – and four straight ‘Yes’ votes from judges.
The April BGT episode featuring NSO was watched live on ITV by five million viewers, with another 280,000 views on YouTube, and has led to NSO being inundated with performance and contract opportunities.
The winner of the 17th series of BGT will receive a cash prize of £250,000, and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in 2025.
Fuller added: “Performing in front of the Royal Family – it doesn’t get much better than that! I can just imagine it! We’d start with something they are used to and then flip the script – get them on their feet, moving around and having a great time!
“Every single member of NSO has helped us to get to this point, and now we’re within reach of winning I will be asking them to bring their ‘A game’ and show the world what they can do, individually and collectively.
“The power of song is extraordinary, and we are so thrilled to be sharing it with the nation once again!”
NSO has performed at Silverstone Festival, sold out shows across all Northamptonshire Theatres including the prestigious Royal & Derngate, and produced a full virtual show which drew in global viewers online.
Northants Sings Out (NSO) is made up of voices from across Northamptonshire. Over time, this has included work-based choirs from some of the UK’s most prominent companies including Unilever, Barclays, Carlsberg, and Volkswagen.
This year, the choir celebrate 10 years as Northants Sings Out.
The 25 to 65-year-old group of singers from Northamptonshire originate from a variety of backgrounds and are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performance.
Despite none of its singers coming from a professional vocal performance background, NSO proudly proves that community voices can do extraordinary things, one show-stopping performance at a time.
2024 will see NSO mark their 10th anniversary with a summer run of shows to be announced including A Perfect Day festival in Northamptonshire on Sunday 16 June, and a ‘Homecoming’ anniversary show in November.
NSO will perform before the Northampton Saints vs Saracens Premiership rugby playoff semi-final game at Franklin Park, Northampton, on Friday 31 May 2024.