19 May 2012 The War Cry
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Lissa and her mum Jane
says Lissa. ‘I loved posing in front of the cameras. The photographer wrapped me up in a flag.’ Jane reveals: ‘Lissa loves singing, but I was a bit worried about how she would cope with the media attention. In the end she coped brilliantly. When she is in front of the cameras, she gets this energy from somewhere and pulls a big smiley face.’ Speaking together and finishing each other’s sentences, Lissa and Jane explain how the charity single came about. ‘Back in February, I took part in a Charles Dickens bicentenary celebration in London,’ says Lissa. ‘The Queen was there. The organisers wanted me – along with a group from Chickenshed – to sing at Guildhall. I sang the first verse of “God Save the Queen” as a solo, then everyone else sang the second verse with me. Afterwards, we were presented to the Queen and she shook my hand.’
Sony Music
‘God Save the Queen’ is released by Sony digitally on 27 May and as a physical single on 28 May
performance. Jane remembers: ‘One of the trustees who works in the music business suddenly piped up: “Why don’t we release the National Anthem as a single?” He said that Lissa could sing it, the single could raise money for Chickenshed and it could be ready for the Diamond Jubilee. Then someone from Chickenshed rang Lissa and asked
ater that day, a small group of people taking part in the celebration – including Lissa – went back to Buckingham Palace for a reception. Not long after the event, the trustees at Chickenshed – an inclusive theatre company – held a meeting. Some of them mentioned how touched the Queen had been after seeing Lissa’s
LOUISE HOLLINGSBEE/PA
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Lissa meets Diana, Princess of Wales
her if she would like to do it. That’s when we prayed.’ ‘I made a demo in March,’ says Lissa, ‘then I did the photo shoot for the CD cover. In April, I recorded the song for real. I was accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra, who were recorded in Prague. The whole process happened very quickly.’ Lissa enjoyed making the single – but, she says, her dream is to perform it live. ‘I would love to sing the National Anthem at a concert, accompanied by an orchestra.’ While Lissa has been busy promoting her single in the press, some journalists have reported that the Sex Pistols are planning a Diamond Jubilee rerelease of their 1977 single of ‘God Save the Queen’. Is there a bit of competition between the two acts? ‘I don’t think so,’ says Lissa. ‘Johnny Rotten hasn’t been in touch.’ Although Lissa is excited by the upcoming release, it is not the first time that she has recorded a royal-related single. After Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997, Chickenshed released ‘I Am in Love with the World’ as a tribute to her memory. Lissa was the soloist on the track. ‘I recorded that song in a studio in Notting Hill,’ says Lissa. ‘I sang with a full backing choir. I was 15 at the time. ‘I remember meeting Princess Diana when I was a little girl. She saw me perform with Chickenshed. At the end of my performance, she said how impressed she was with my voice. She was very gentle with me and made me feel special. I think she was a good person, and I liked her very much.’ Singing has always been an important part of Lissa’s life. Her
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