Freya Ridings has revealed she is to perform a song about the environment at the Coronation concert as it is “a cause close to the King’s heart”.
The singer is part of an all-star line-up for the event on Sunday, May 7 that will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The BRIT School graduate, known for her hit singles Lost Without You and Ghost, said she was performing a cover of the yet-to-be-announced song along with a 74-piece orchestra. She teased that the track would highlight the environment, “which is a cause close to the King’s heart”.
The Londoner said she had performed at events where the Prince and Princess of Wales had attended — and so at first assumed they had “put a good word in” for her when she was approached for the BBC Studios event.
“They approached me and asked. I had done a couple of charity benefits with Prince William and Princess Catherine in the past and I thought that might be why — I thought they put in a good word for me but it turns out not. It turns out they wanted me to sing this song.”
She said it feels “surreal” to be part of the line-up that also includes Lionel Richie, Take That and Katy Perry, and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.
There will also be performances from the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Art. The night will be hosted by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, with new Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and Olivier award nominee Mei Mac also involved.
A crowd of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests will watch the show live, which takes place a day after the formal Coronation at Westminster Abbey, and will be broadcast across BBC television and radio stations.
Ridings said she was particularly looking forward to meeting Perry on the night, adding: “She was one of my heroes growing up. She really inspired me. To even be in the same chat, I am the happiest person on earth.”
Ridings releases her second album, Blood Orange, tomorrow. She said she “found the second album scarier [to create] than the first. No-one is expecting anything from the first. But this one, there is more pressure on it.”
