Song celebrating Darwen and featuring 500 local voices set for release

A song celebrating Darwen is now available to pre-order in advance of its release with hopes high it will feature on the streaming charts.

The single ‘Begin2Sing’, written and recorded by Darwen School of Music co-founder Paul Stuart Davies, is available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music.

The song has come about through his community project Begin2Sing, which gave free vocal tuition to dozens of Darreners with little or no previous singing experience.

Over the last six months, Paul has recorded the voices of around 500 people from Darwen to feature on the original pop-soul anthem.

He recorded the voices of pupils from St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Ashleigh Primary School on the gospel-style choral refrain, along with his students at Darwen School of Music, and Begin2Sing workshop participants.

A number of soloists also perform on the single, including mother and son Andrea and Dylan Kirkham.

Paul’s 10-year-old daughter Charly sings the opening line of the song: ‘I’m finding my voice; drowning out the noise.’

Following a mastering session at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios last month, the single Begin2Sing is now available to pre-order.

Mr Davies wrote the song as an ode to his adopted hometown.

He said: “I moved to Darwen at 19, when I first moved out of home.  I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else!

“The sense of community in Darwen is second to none, and the amount of people I have met over the years that have told me that they moved to Darwen and found their peace here really resonated with me.

“While the song is available on all major streaming platforms, just one download on Apple’s iTunes app is worth the equivalent of 150 streams on other platforms – and it’s these downloads that will best contribute to a chart position for Darwen!”

Begin2Sing will be performed live for the first time at the town’s Christmas lights switch-on event on Saturday when Mr Davies will be joined on stage by its soloists and people who have taken part in the Begin2Sing vocal workshops since August.

Soul singer/songwriter Gloria Jones will also be in Darwen for the song’s exclusive first performance as Begin2Sing’s celebrity ambassador.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood said: “Darreners always turn out in force for the town’s Christmas lights switch-on.

“Having the exclusive first live performance of the Begin2Sing single can only add to the festivities.

“Congratulations to Paul for achieving his goal of recording a song with 500 Darwen voices.

“Now let’s all help Begin2Sing top the streaming charts by downloading it.”

The Begin2Sing project is funded by Blackburn with Darwen Council, through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.