Sunday Service Choir
The Sunday Service Choir is an American gospel group led by rapper and producer Kanye West and conducted by choir director Jason White. Beginning in January 2019, the group has performed every Sunday, as well as Friday, September 27, when West's album Jesus Is King was announced for release. Their debut album, Jesus Is Born, was released three months later on Christmas Day, 2019.
Sunday Service Choir | |
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![]() Logo used for Sunday Service's 2019 Easter Coachella performance | |
Background information | |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2019 | –present
Website | sundayservice |
Members |
Background
In September 2018, West announced that his ninth studio album Yandhi would be releasing later in the month. West later postponed the date to November 2018 in order to record in Uganda. The album was postponed a second time in November with no set release date.
On the first Sunday of 2019, West began the first "Sunday Service" rehearsal, where he performed gospel iterations of his discography and other songs with choir group The Samples[1] and frequent collaborators such as Tony Williams, Francis and the Lights, and Ant Clemons.[2] During Sunday Service, several songs from Yandhi have been performed.[3]
On January 12, 2019, it was reported that West was replaced by Ariana Grande as a headliner for Coachella. West pulled out since a giant dome could not be constructed for him.[4]
On March 31, 2019, West announced a Sunday Service performance for Easter would take place at Coachella.[5] The first public Sunday Service performance occurred at Coachella for Easter on April 21, 2019.[6]
On October 5, 2019, West brought Sunday Service to The Gateway in Salt Lake City, UT.[7] His performance occurred on an already busier than usual weekend with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holding their semi-annual General Conference that weekend as well.
West collaborated with pastor Joel Osteen, who hosted West at Lakewood Church located in Houston, Texas on November 17, 2019. Although the tickets were free for this event as well, those who were lucky to obtain tickets began to sell them online for up to $500 USD.[8]
On November 21, 2019, Sunday Service announced that they will be a part of the youth Strength to Stand Conference, which will be held at LeConte Center, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee[9].The event will be held from January 18 - 20, 2020, and groups of four are able to make reservations to attend, with kids who are under 12 years old.[10] West's performance was added, after comedian John Crist, was suspected of sexual misconduct, and Crist's performance was cancelled.[11]
Members
List of members adapted from GQ Italia and The Fader.[12][13]
- Kanye West
- The Samples – choir
- Jason White – choir director
- Jonathan Coleman - choir coordinator
- Ray Romolus – music supervisor
- Ant Clemons – vocalist
- Phemza The Kween - vocalist
- Tony Williams – vocalist
- Philip Cornish – music director
- Nicholas Clark - bass guitarist
- Tony Nichols - percussionist
- Kyla Moscovich - trumpet
- Nikki Grier – songwriter, vocal arranger
- Steve Epting – vocal arranger
- Anthony McEastland - vocal arranger
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US [14] |
US Gospel [15] | ||
Jesus Is Born |
|
73 | 2 |
Charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [17] |
US Gospel [18] |
AUS [19] |
CAN [20] |
FRA [21] |
UK R&B [22] | ||||||||
"Every Hour" (Kanye West featuring Sunday Service Choir) |
2019 | 45 | 8 | 33 | 57 | 131 | 21 | Jesus Is King | |||||
"Father Stretch" | 2020 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | Jesus Is Born | |||||
"Ultralight Beam" | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Rain" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Count Your Blessings" | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Revelations 19:1" | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Excellent" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Follow Me / Faith" | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Lift Up Your Voices" | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"More Than Anything" | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Notes | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Every Hour" | 2019 | Kanye West | Featured vocals | Jesus Is King |
"Selah" | Kanye West, Ant Clemons, Bongo ByTheWay | Additional vocals | ||
"Everything We Need" | Kanye West, Ant Clemons, Ty Dolla Sign | |||
"Water" | Kanye West, Ant Clemons | |||
"Wash Us in the Blood" | 2020 | Kanye West, Travis Scott | Uncredited vocals | God's Country |
"No Luck" | KayCyy Pluto | Featured vocals | From the Basement | |
"Up from the Ashes"[23] | TBD | Kanye West | Additional vocals | Jesus Is King Part II |
References
- Aliya Faust (April 2, 2019). "Kanye West's "Sunday Service" Choir Director Jason White & His Wife Geneen Give Insight On The Series". Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- Lake Schatz (January 7, 2019). "Kanye West leads Sunday Service featuring gospel versions of his songs: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- Kyle Eustice (January 19, 2019). "Kanye West Debuts New Music During 2nd "Sunday Service"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- "Kanye West Pulled Out of Coachella Because the Festival Wouldn't Build Him a Giant Dome: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- "Kanye West Bringing "Sunday Service" To Coachella 2019". March 31, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- Lisa Repers France (April 19, 2019). "Kanye's Sunday Service is coming to Coachella, but what is it?". CNN. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- "Kanye West brings song, sermon, prayer — and a crowd of thousands — to Salt Lake City's Gateway for 'Sunday Service'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- "Fans resell Kanye West' Sunday Service tickets for up to $500". ABC13 Houston. November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- Wilkie, Ella. "Kanye West bringing Sunday Service Experience to Pigeon Forge". FOX Carolina. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- "Kanye West bringing Sunday Service to Pigeon Forge in January at Strength to Stand conference". wbir.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Jones, Maggie. "How Kanye West became a headliner at Pigeon Forge's Strength to Stand youth conference". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- TeamKanyeDaily (May 8, 2019). "TeamKanyeDaily on Twitter: "GQ ITALIA – SUNDAY SERVICE"". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/24/a-history-of-sunday-service-kanye-west
- "Sunday Service Choir Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "Sunday Service Choir Chart History (Top Gospel Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2019/10/24/kanye-west-apparently-plans-to-release-a-new-album-jesus-is-born-on-christmas/
- "Sunday Service Choir Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Sunday Service Choir Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Discography Sunday Service Choir". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Sunday Service Choir Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "Discographie Sunday Service Choir" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40: 1 November 2019 – 7 November 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Remy Gelenidze (January 16, 2019). "New Snippet: Kanye West – "Up From The Ashes" (Prod by Dr. Dre)". Southpawer. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/891/2019-11-24/kanye-west-nebuchadnezzar-an-opera
- https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1202747255452602368