The Sunday Service Choir, (commonly known as Sunday Service) is an American gospel group led by artist and producer
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
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
''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. Wes ...
'' was announced for release. Their debut album, ''
Jesus Is Born
''Jesus Is Born'' is the debut studio album by American gospel group Sunday Service Choir, with American rapper Kanye West acting as executive producer. It was released on December 25, 2019, through INC. The album was released to coincide with Ch ...
'', was released three months later on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
, 2019.
Background
In September 2018, West announced that his ninth studio album ''
Yandhi
''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. Wes ...
'' would be released later in the month. West later postponed the date to November 2018 in order to record in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
. 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 and frequent collaborators such as
Tony Williams,
Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen.
Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...
, and
Ant Clemons
Anthony Clemons Jr. (born September 26, 1991) is an American singer. He rose to prominence as a guest artist on Kanye West's 2018 single " All Mine". Clemons has since worked with a multitude of artists, including West, Ty Dolla Sign, Beyoncé, ...
. During Sunday Service, several songs from ''Yandhi'' have been performed.
On January 12, 2019, it was reported that West was replaced by
Ariana Grande as a headliner for Coachella. West pulled out because a giant dome could not be constructed for him.
On March 31, 2019, West announced a Sunday Service performance for
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
would take place at Coachella. The
first public Sunday Service performance occurred at
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
for
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
on April 21, 2019.
On October 5, 2019, West brought Sunday Service to
The Gateway in Salt Lake City, UT. His performance occurred on an already busier than usual weekend with
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
holding their semi-annual
General Conference that weekend as well.
West collaborated with pastor
Joel Osteen
Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963) is an American lay preacher, televangelist, businessman and author based in Houston, Texas. Known for his weekly televised services and several best-selling books, Osteen is one of the more prominent figu ...
, who hosted West at
Lakewood Church
Lakewood Church is a non-denominational evangelical Christian megachurch located in Houston, Texas. It is one of the largest congregations in the United States, averaging about 45,000 attendees per week. The 16,800-seat Lakewood Church building ...
located in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
on November 17, 2019. Although the tickets were free for this event as well, those who obtained tickets began to sell them online for up to $500
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
.
On November 21, 2019, Sunday Service announced that they would be a part of the youth
Strength to Stand Conference
Scott Dawson (born September 14, 1967) is an American author and preacher, and the founder of the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association (SDEA), and of the Strength to Stand Conference movement.
Biography
Dawson was born on September 14, 1967. ...
, which would be held at LeConte Center, located in
Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Pa ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
from January 18–20, 2020. West's performance was added after comedian
John Crist was suspected of sexual misconduct, and Crist's performance was cancelled.
On December 25, 2019, Sunday Service released ''Jesus is Born'' as West promised. A year later, on December 25, 2020, Sunday Service released the ''Emmanuel'' EP, featuring 5 new tracks composed and produced entirely by West in
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...
.
Members
List of members adapted from ''
GQ Italia'' and ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
''.
*
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
*Jason White – choir director
*Jonathan Coleman - choir manager
* Adam Michael Wilson - choir
* Adriana N. Washington - choir
* Akua Willis - choir
* Alana Linsey - choir
* Alayna Rodgers - choir
* Alexander Jacke - choir
* Alexandria A. Arowora - choir
* Alexandria Simone Griffin - choir
*
Alex Isley
Alexandra Isley is an American singer-songwriter and producer. She released her debut EP ''The Love/Art Memoirs'' in 2012. Isley has worked with artists including Scarface, Terrace Martin, Masego, 9th Wonder, Tank and the Bangas, and Lucky Daye ...
- choir
* Alexis James - choir
* Alexis Jones - choir
* Alisha Roney - choir
* Amanda Adams - choir
* Amber M. Grant - choir
* Ameera Perkins - choir
* Andre M. Washington - choir
* Angela C. Williams - choir
* Angelle King - choir
* Ashley Tamar Davis - choir
* Ashley Echols - choir
* Ashley Nichol - choir
* Ashley Washington - choir
* Ashly Williams - choir
* Bobby Musique Cooks - choir
* Bradley Morice Jones - choir
* Brandi JaNise Majors - choir
* Brandon Rodgers - choir
* Breenen Johnson - choir
* Brittany Jerita Wallace - choir
* Brooke Brewer - choir
* Caleb Minter - choir
* Carisa Dalton Moore - choir
* Carmel A. Echols - choir
* Cassandra Renee Grigsby Chism - choir
* Cedric Jackson II - choir
* Cedrit B. Leonard Jr. - choir
* Chadric R Johnson - choir
* Chara Hammonds - choir
* Chaz Mason - choir
* Chelsea B Miller - choir
* Chelsea "Peaches" West - choir
* Chimera Wilson - choir
* Claudia A. Cunningham - choir
* Corinthian Buffington - choir
* Crystal Butler McQueen - choir
* Curnita Turner - choir
* Daniel Dávila - choir
* Daniel Ozan - choir
* Danielle E Deimler - choir
* Danielle John-Palmer - choir
* Darius Coleman - choir
* DeAndrea Foster - choir
* Deanna Dixon - choir
* Dejah Gomez-Woods - choir
* Deonis Cook - choir
* Derek Butler - choir
* Derrick Evans - choir
* Desiree Washington - choir
* Destine Nelson - choir
* Devon Baker - choir
* Don Sykes - choir
*
Donald "Dep" Paige - choir
* Dwanna Orange - choir
* Ebony Johnson - choir
* Emi Seacrest - choir
* Eric L. Copeland II - choir
* Erik Brooks - choir
* Estherlancia Mercado - choir
* Fallynn Rian Oliver - choir
* Fannie Belle Johnson - choir
* Felice LaZae Martin - choir
* Gabrielle Carreiro - choir
* Gemaine Edwards- choir
* George Hamilton - choir
* Herman Bryant III - choir
* India Moret - choir
* Isaiah Johnson - choir
* Isaiah Steven Jones - choir
* Jacquelyn M. Jones - choir
* Jaden Blakley Gray - choir
* Jamal Moore - choir
* Jasmine L Morrow - choir
* Jasmin Khadia Handon - choir
* JaVonte Pollard - choir
* Jazmine Yvette Bailey - choir
* Jenelle Rose Dunkley - choir
* Jerel Duren - choir
* Jerome Wayne - choir
* JeRonelle McGhee - choir
* Jherimi Leigh Henry - choir
* Joel Echols - choir
* Johnny Lee Paddio JR - choir
* Jordan Rogers - choir
* Joy A. Love - choir
* Justin Hart - choir
* Kadeem S. Nichols - choir
* Kamili Mitchell - choir
* Kaylyn K. Lowery - choir
* Kene Alexander - choir
* Kiandra Richardson - choir
* KieAndria Ellis - choir
* Kimberly A Jefferson - choir
* Kyrese Victoria Montgomery - choir
* LaKeisha Renee Lewis - Choir
* LaMarcus Eldridge - choir
* Landon J. Thomas, IV - choir
* Lanita Smith - choir
* Laurhan Beato - choir
* Maurice Smith - choir
* Mariah Meshae Maxwell - choir
* Marcus James Henderson - choir
* Mark Justin-Paul Hood - choir
* Marqueta Pippens - choir
* Maya Betrece Smith - choir
* Megan Parker - choir
* Melanie S. Tryggestad - choir
* Melissa Miracle McKinney - choir
* Michael Gadlin - choir
* Michael Shorts - choir
* Michelle Harvey - choir
* Naarai Jacobs - choir
* Nava Morris - choir
* Nelson Beato - choir
* Nicole Sheldon - choir
* Olivia Walker - choir
* Orlando Dotson - choir
* Porcha Clay - choir
* Princess Foster - choir
* Reesha Archibald - choir
* Rondez O. Rolle - choir
* Samantha N. Nelson - choir
* Sha’leah Stubblefield - choir
* Shana Andrews - choir
* Shanice Lorraine Knox - choir
* Sharon Marie Norwood - choir
* Shatisha Lawson - choir
* Synai Davis - choir
* Tayler Green - choir
* Taelor Nevin Murphy - choir
* Taneka Lemle - choir
* Tickwanya Jones - choir
* Tiffanie Cross - choir
* Tiffany Stevenson - choir
* Vernon Burris Jr - choir
* William Harper - choir
* Zachary C. Moore - choir
*
Ray Romulus – music supervisor
*
Ant Clemons
Anthony Clemons Jr. (born September 26, 1991) is an American singer. He rose to prominence as a guest artist on Kanye West's 2018 single " All Mine". Clemons has since worked with a multitude of artists, including West, Ty Dolla Sign, Beyoncé, ...
– vocalist
*
Tony Williams – vocalist
*Philip Cornish – music director
*Nicholas Clark - bass guitarist
*Tony Nichols - percussionist
*Kyla Moscovich - trumpet
*Cameron Johnson - trumpet
*Lemar Guillary - trombone
*Nikki Grier – songwriter, vocal arranger
*Steve Epting Jr. – vocal arranger
*Anthony Jawan McEastland - vocal arranger
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Charted songs
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Opera performances
*''Nebuchadnezzar'' (2019)
*''Mary'' (2019)
[https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1202747255452602368 ]
References
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 2019
African-American musical groups
2019 establishments in the United States
Kanye West