Bars and Melody will release the single Hopeful on 27 July via Syco Music/ Sony Music Entertainment. The single will also feature a brand new track – Shining Star – that was co-written by the boys themselves.
Charlie Lenehan and Leondre Devries, the teenage duo whose powerful anti-bullying rap has turned them into international sensations, were Simon Cowell’s ‘golden buzzer act’ and finished third on the 2014 show.
Simon Cowell said: “These guys have something very special. They have a message to put out there and they can connect with any audience.”
Since appearing on Britain’s Got Talent with their emotive take on the Faith Evans and Twista song, Hopeful, they have received 33 million views on You Tube; appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in America and won an army of fans including One Direction’s Liam Payne, Little Mix and the US rap star Twista himself.
The Bars and Melody story is one of friendship, courage and the power of music to overcome major struggles and inspire a whole new generation. Bristol-born Charlie (15) and Port Talbot-born Leondre (13), met on a social media site just a year ago through a shared interest in song-writing and performing.
Leondre says: “I saw a video Charlie had posted where he was singing and I thought he had the most incredible voice. He was getting loads of hits but I posted him a message and sent him a link to some of the raps I’d been writing. He got in touch and it went from there.”
Charlie, whose musical influences include Bruno Mars and Eminem, has effortlessly angelic vocals that perfectly contrast and complement Leondre’s hard-hitting raps. Their single ‘Hopeful’ sees Leondre replacing the original verses with protests about bullying.
Leondre wrote the lyrics to ‘Hopeful’ after being relentlessly bullied – physically, mentally and verbally – by a group of boys in his class at school. Since meeting Charlie, leaving his old school and getting through to the finals of BGT, Leondre’s whole world has changed, he says “For me, this whole experience has been about connecting with other kids who are going through what I went through. I’ve talked to so many people and it’s given me an amazing confidence and strength and it just makes me amazingly happy to be able to be in this position to do so much more.”
“We are both really enjoying the experience,” says Charlie, “But both of us have our feet on the ground because at the end of the day we are still at school and we are both told by our parents to tidy our rooms, clear the dishwasher and set the table!”
‘Hopeful’ by Bars and Melody is released on 27July
