Rugby-based choir The BIG Sing wow Britain’s Got Talent judges as act goes viral

A Rugby-based community choir hit all the right notes after its Britain’s Got Talent performance went viral on Saturday.

The BIG Sing, which has participants from across Warwickshire and the wider country, performed to millions on the popular ITV show, which began its 16th series on Saturday.

The act was introduced by The BIG Sing director Gemma Francis, from Rugby, whose husband Howard and children Evan, Evie and Eden joined her on stage. Musician and choir co-founder Howard got a shout out from judge Alesha Dixon whose band Mis-Teeq he supported and played the keyboard for some years back.

Some 350 choir members surprised both spectators and judges Alesha, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and new panellist Bruno Tonioli , as small groups of them ‘hid’ among the audience, popping up at certain points of the performance of Emeli Sandé’s ‘Brighter Days’. The act hit the jackpot with four resounding yeses. Amanda said the act reminded her of the scene in The Wizard of Oz when everything turns from black and white to colour, while notoriously hard-to-please Simon said he thought the choir didn’t seem ‘that big’. “And then you got me,” he admitted, referring to the choir members in the audience.

Gemma told the Advertiser: “It felt amazing. We were just ecstatic to get four yeses. We just wanted to represent the choir in the best way we could. The members worked so hard and did us so proud, all of them just absolutely pulled together on the day.”

The performance also received praise from singer Emeli Sandé herself. In a Facebook post, she wrote: “Wow […] Tears in my eyes watching this! 350 people singing Brighter Days spot on! Thanks you The BIG Sing for brightening up my day and spreading the joy of singing to the world. Absolutely beautiful.”

Gemma launched the choir along with Howard in 2011. The couple met through their love for music, during a tour of the London Community Gospel Choir, they were both involved in. And from there, romance, as described by Gemma, ‘just blossomed’.

The duo decided to combine their mutual passion into a project to help their surrounding community, giving rise to The BIG Sing.

She added: “We could both see something was needed in the community and we felt like it was our calling to use music to bring people together in the community and uplift people.”

In 2017, to further seal their commitment, the couple created a charity arm which aims to make music accessible to as many people as possible.

Ian Gregory, who was among the first to join the Rugby choir, said: “I’ve always loved singing and choir performs some fabulously inspiring music within the community.”

He added many choir members talk about the feel-good factor that comes from singing with a group of other people and how the choir has changed their lives - sometimes supporting them through difficult times.

The choir welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds, and no experience or skill is necessary.

The Rugby choir meets weekly on Thursdays at the Rugby Methodist Church.

Visit www.big-sing.com for more information.