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Pope Francis' new pop-rock album will be a marriage of his refreshing vision with uplifting music

Kunal Majumder | Updated on: 14 February 2017, 7:21 IST

Pope Francis's debut pop-rock album "Wake Up!" was released for for pre-order on 25 September. Produced in collaboration with artist distribution company Believe Digital, the album will feature 11 tracks with the voice of Pope Francis mixed with uplifting music ranging from Christian rock, latin, to pop.

This is not the first time that a pope is releasing an album; Pope Benedict XVI sang a few chords on the Vatican Christmas album in 2010, while Pope John Paul II had two devotional albums to his credit. But Pope Francis' album has created a buzz no pope has enjoyed before.

Since assuming papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has emerged as a universally loved figure, connecting the Vatican back to the changing world outside. His followers extend well beyond the religious line, admiring him for a positive outlook on same-sex marriage and his views on climate consciousness and oneness.

This album will see the Pope's earnest message set to stirring tunes produced by artistic director Don Giulio Neroni. Recordings in English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese will address issues ranging from peace, dignity, environment and helping the disadvantaged.

"I tried to be strongly faithful to the pastoral and personality of Pope Francis: the Pope of dialogue, open doors, hospitality. For this reason, the voice of Pope Francis in Wake Up! dialogues music. And contemporary music dialogues with the Christian tradition of sacred hymns," producer Don Giulio Neroni told the Rolling Stones magazine.

But it is not only the Pope's image that has helped the album standout. The pre-released tittle track from the album,"Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!", is a piece with moving music and words. "Wake up, Wake up," sings Pope Francis amidst atmospheric electric guitars, trumpets and synths . "The Lord speaks of a responsibility that the Lord gives you."

Scheduled to release on 27 November, the album also features the Pope's Vatican address during the visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas last year.

Part of the proceeds from the album will go to funds for refugees.

First published: 14 February 2017, 7:21 IST
 
Kunal Majumder @kunalmajumder

Editor for Speed News aka Catch Live and Operations at Catch, Kunal enjoys measuring his life in numbers. Of his 30 years of life, 12 have been spent working, 9 of them in journalism. The remaining 3 were spent in 2 call centres, talking to British and Australians about insurance and cellphones. In his journalistic capacity, Kunal has worked at 3 publications and headed 2 online teams. The '3' includes Images Multimedia, Tehelka and DNA. The '2' includes Tehelka and DNA. Catch is Kunal's 6th workplace, where he will head his 3rd team as speed news editor. As a reporter, he won 2 awards - Statesman Award for Rural Reporting and UNFPA-Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity. That's his story in Prime Numbers (a section on this site from which he's taken inspiration).