Who knew that Pope Francis was an incognito rock star?
On November 27, 2015, Pope Francis will release an album titled Wake Up! featuring music set to speeches from His Holiness. Above, you can listen to the first single, "Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!"
The track starts out in rock fashion before Pope Francis comes in addressing a South Korean audience on August 14, 2014. Obviously, English isn't his first language, but he speaks clearly enough to be understood, and his words carry heavy weight. It's interesting to note that this event was one of the first times he spoke in English instead of delivering his speech in his accustomed Italian language.
Artistic director Don Giulio Neroni spoke with Rolling Stone about his involvement with the album:
For many years, I've been the producer and the artistic director of albums by the Pope. I had the honor to work with John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Pope Francis. As in the past, for this album too, 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 (rock, pop, Latin etc.) dialogues with the Christian tradition of sacred hymns.
Wake Up! will feature the Pontiff singing hymns and delivering parts of speeches with music accompaniment ranging from pop rock to Gregorian chant.
Source: Believe Digital IT SoundCloud
