Beverley Knight is using her voice to say ‘thank you’ to NHS workers by joining more than 100 musicians and singers, to record the soul classic Lean On Me by the last Bill Withers, who passed away recently.
The Queen of UK Soul answered the call to take part in the charity song, which is helping to support the mental health of frontline NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proceeds from the release of the song will go toward raising funds for NHS Charities Together and the ‘You Okay, Doc?’ campaign. Observing the social distancing directive, the singers and musicians collaborated remotely to record their voices and the video.
Image credit: Express & Star Newspaper
Having previously shared that at least a third of her entire family work for the NHS, in an interview with ITV News, Beverley talked about how the coronavirus has directly affected her family. Her mother Delores, a nurse for more than 30 years, and her brother Adrian were taken to hospital recently with symptoms of the COVID-19 disease but are now thankfully recovering at home.
Her sister, who also features in the video, along with other members of her family, also works for the NHS. Beverley said the pandemic has been particularly hard on her mother, who has been watching events from her sick bed. “She knew what her former colleagues, and her own daughter, would be going through under such circumstances.”
On why she is taking part in the charity song, Beverley said: “I’m using my voice to do something worthwhile. It’s my small way of saying ‘Thank you’, you were there for us, literally as a family.”
She continues: “I think it’s much more than a nice thing to do. I feel it is my absolute duty to get involved.”
Watch the video below:
If you would like to support, you can donate to the campaign here.
