Choir (song) explained

Choir
Cover:	Choir by Guy Sebastian.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Guy Sebastian
Album:	T.R.U.T.H.
Length:	2:51
Label:	Sony Music Australia
Producer:	M-Phazes
Prev Title:	Before I Go
Prev Year:	2018
Next Title:	Let Me Drink
Next Year:	2019

"Choir" is a song by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. It was released on 31 May 2019 as the second single from Sebastian's ninth studio album T.R.U.T.H..^[1] An official remix by Norwegian music producer Alan Walker was released on 27 September 2019.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, the song was nominated for four awards; Best Male Artist, Best Pop Release, Video of the Year and Song of the Year,^[2] and won the latter two.

At the APRA Music Awards of 2020, "Choir" was nominated for Song of the Year, Most Performed Australian Work of the Year and Most Performed Pop Work of the Year.^{[3] [4]}

Background

The song is dedicated to his great friend and musical collaborator Luke Liang, who died following a battle with mental health. Sebastian said "[His death] was very unexpected. In fact, I'd actually done a gig with Luke, who passed away, just before I left for LA. And I could sense that something wasn't quite right... It was very hard to process and it still is." The song was originally a ballad, but Sebastian changed it into "an upbeat, poignant song about the choir of voices Liang has joined in death, and the choir of voices "keeping his light alive" on earth."^[5]

Sebastian performed an acoustic version of the song on 60 Minutes.^[6]

Music video

The music video for "Choir" was directed by James Chappell and released on YouTube on 17 June 2019. It has over 7.8 million views as of November 2022. The remix video was also released on 27 September 2019 through Alan Walker's YouTube channel.^[7] It was filmed in a church in Newtown, a bus depot in Marrickville and Sea Cliff Bridge, Wollongong.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^{[8] [9]}

Original version

• M-Phazes – production

Remix version

• M-Phazes – production
• Downtown Trevor Brown – production
• Guy Sebastian – production, composition, lyrics
• Zaire Koalo – production, composition, lyrics
• Miles Walker – mix engineering
• Alan Walker – remixer

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[11]	36
Chart (2020)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[12]	99

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label	Reference
Various	31 May 2019		Original	Sony Music Australia	886447708453	^[13]
	27 September 2019		Remix		Unknown

Notes and References

1. Web site: Guy Sebastian readies 'Before I Go'. auspOp. 5 October 2018. 11 November 2018.
2. Web site: ARIA Awards: 2019 ARIA Awards Nominated Artists Revealed . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) . 10 October 2019 . 10 October 2019 .
3. Web site: Tones and I Leads Nominations for 2020 Virtual APRA Awards. Noise11. 7 April 2020. 11 April 2020.
4. Web site: 2020 Awards. APRA. 7 April 2020. 11 April 2020. 9 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200409145024/https://apraamcos.com.au/awards/2020-awards/apra-music-awards/. dead.
5. Web site: "We're keeping his light alive." Guy Sebastian on the loss that inspired his new song.. Mamamia. 10 June 2019. 18 June 2019.
6. Web site: Exclusive performance of Guy Sebastian's new single 'Choir'. 9now. 18 June 2019.
7. Web site: Guy Sebastian – Choir (Alan Walker Remix). YouTube. 27 September 2019.
8. Web site: Choir / Guy Sebastian – TIDAL. Tidal. 27 September 2019.
9. Web site: Choir (Remix) / Guy Sebastian & Alan Walker – TIDAL. Tidal. 27 September 2019.
10. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 10 June 2019. 6 October 2019.
11. Web site: ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2019. Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 January 2021.
12. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2020. Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 January 2021.
13. Web site: Choir by Guy Sebastian. iTunes Australia. 18 May 2019.