Only Boys Aloud is a

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

-based boys' choir founded by choral director

Tim Rhys-Evans Timothy Rhys-Evans MBE FRWCMD (born c. 1972) is a Welsh conductor and best known as the founder and musical director of the choir Only Men Aloud! and Only Boys Aloud. He also formed the children's choir Only Kids Aloud in 2012. Rhys-Evans, fr ...

. Only Boys Aloud finished third in the ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

'' competition in May 2012 and released their debut album in November 2012.

History

Only Boys Aloud was founded in May 2010 by Tim Rhys-Evans. Rhys-Evans, who founded

Only Men Aloud Only Men Aloud is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the '' Last Choir Standing'' competition run by BBC television during 2008. Overview The choir was formed by Tim Rhys-Evans, a classi ...

in 2000, brought 144 boys onstage to sing with Only Men Aloud at the opening of the National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale in 2010. According to Rhys-Evans, he intended to use this one-time event to gauge the level of interest in a Welsh boys' choir. The event led to the formation of an organization, the Aloud Charity, which funds Only Boys Aloud. Rhys-Evans "'noticed choirs were getting older and older, which went hand in hand with a breakdown in the traditional sense of community in South Wales'", and he desired to "'inject some new blood into the Welsh tradition of choir singing'". According to Rhys-Evans, he also wanted to help boys in economically depressed areas of Wales: "'Choral singing is a stronghold of the Valleys and I wanted to use it as a way of getting teenage boys doing something positive'". In December 2011, Only Boys Aloud joined forces with its father company,

, to perform on the final night of Only Men Aloud's arena tour at the

Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was ope ...

and also featured on their Christmas CD. They have been the subject of two TV documentaries and appeared on BBC's '' Songs of Praise''. Only Boys Aloud have appeared at many events, including at the Millennium Stadium,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

with Dame Shirley Bassey and

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

in the "Ryder Cup Welcome to Wales" concert. The choir gained publicity when they auditioned for the ITV talent show ''

''. They performed "''

Calon Lân "" () is a Welsh hymn, the words of which were written in the 1890s by Daniel James (Gwyrosydd) and sung to a tune by John Hughes. The song was originally written as a hymn, but has become firmly established as a rugby anthem, associated with ...

''" in their audition, which was aired on the first audition episode on 24 March 2012. With support of all judges, they progressed to the semi-finals. In the semi-final, they performed "''

Gwahoddiad "Gwahoddiad" is a Welsh hymn of American origin. , also known as and by its first line , was originally the English-language gospel song "I Am Coming, Lord", the first line of which is ''I hear thy welcome voice''. The English words and the tune ...

''". After a split decision of the judges, the public vote sent them to the finals. In the final, on 12 May, they again performed "''Calon Lân''" and finished third in the competition. According to Wales Online, Only Boys Aloud "won over the nation when they took third place on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent". In August 2012, it was announced that Only Boys Aloud had signed a record deal with

Relentless Records Relentless Records is a British boutique and independent record label currently headed by co-founder Shabs Jobanputra. Originally known for UK garage singles such as Artful Dodger's " Re-Rewind" and B-15 Project's " Girls Like Us", Relentle ...

–

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

. The news was announced at the opening concert of the National Eisteddfod in the Vale of Glamorgan. The choir's self-titled debut album was released in November 2012. "''Calon Lân''" went into the number one position on the iTunes classical singles chart and the choir developed a list of TV and radio credits, including '' This Morning'', '' Songs of Praise'', ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: Christmas Special'', ''All Star Christmas Presents'', and ''

Stepping Out with Katherine Jenkins Stepping may refer to: * Walking, one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals Computing * Stepping level, an aspect of microprocessor version designation * Stepping (debugging), a method of debugging Dance * Chicago stepping ...

''. In 2018, Only Boys Aloud released an album entitled ''A New Generation''. As of September 2019, the Aloud Charity sponsored 14 choirs throughout Wales. Only Boys Aloud choirs do not require auditions and do not charge fees to members.

References

External links

Official website

Britain's Got Talent 2012 semifinal - Only Boys Aloud
{{Authority control Britain's Got Talent contestants Boys' and men's choirs Welsh choirs Musical groups established in 2010 Relentless Records artists 2010 establishments in Wales