Citizens of the World Choir is marking Nigerian Independence Day and Black History Month with the release of Àṣẹ, a joyful new song celebrating community, culture and the power of coming together.
There is something particularly powerful about a choir made up of people who have arrived in London from very different places singing with one voice.
For Citizens of the World Choir, that sense of togetherness has been at the heart of the project since it was established in 2017. Bringing together refugees and allies from across South East London, the choir uses music not simply as performance, but as a way for its members to share their cultures, build connections and find a sense of belonging.
Its latest release, Àṣẹ, puts that philosophy firmly centre stage.
Released to coincide with Nigerian Independence Day and the beginning of Black History Month, Àṣẹ was composed by British-Nigerian musician Àánú Sodipe and is sung in Yorùbá, a language spoken by an estimated 50 million people.
It is an uplifting track built around themes of hope, love, togetherness and new beginnings, accompanied by the distinctive sound of the Nigerian talking drum.
The word Àṣẹ carries several meanings, including command, authority and power, but within the song it becomes something closer to an affirmation. A declaration of hope and peaceful unity.
For Maria, a Nigerian refugee and member of the choir, that feeling is at the heart of the song.
“I love this song because it brings joy and unity,” she says.
The choir performed Àṣẹ at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall over the summer, an experience Maria remembers for the reaction it created both on stage and among the audience.
“I love that Àṣẹ is about togetherness and love. Everybody was happy when we sang Àṣẹ.”
That moment captures much of what Citizens of the World Choir has spent almost a decade trying to create.
The organisation describes itself as both a professional choir and a musical family, with an equal mix of displaced members and allies. Across the group there are now 25 nationalities represented and songs are performed in nine different languages.
Rather than asking members to leave their heritage at the rehearsal-room door, the choir actively encourages them to bring it onto the stage.
CEO and co-founder Becky Dell FRSA sees the release of Àṣẹ as a natural extension of that approach.
“Being able to release a song which celebrates the language and instruments of Nigeria, composed by a Londoner, feels like the perfect way to celebrate the diversity of our members and recognise the vast contribution of black music to the UK.”
The story of the song itself began a year earlier, when the choir commissioned Àánú Sodipe to create something that reflected that diversity.
Sodipe is a graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and a member of the choir’s music team. Her own work blends Western classical music with traditional Yorùbá culture and jazz, and she has performed with artists including Stormzy and Asake as well as the BBC Concert Orchestra and Chineke! Orchestra.
She was commissioned to write Àṣẹ in 2025 before spending the following months developing it alongside choir members through workshops and rehearsals.
The recording finally took place at World Heartbeat Studios in London in June.
“I was delighted to be commissioned to write a Yorùbá song to share with the COTW Choir,” says Sodipe.
“The real joy was seeing it come to life in their eyes, their voices, their movements, and their expressions that radiated heartfelt happiness.”
For Sodipe, there was something fitting about watching a piece rooted in her own musical heritage become something shared across such a diverse group of people.
“They say when a choir sings together their hearts beat as one, and it means so much to have been given the opportunity to provide the rhythm to that one heartbeat.”
It is an idea that runs through Citizens of the World Choir’s wider work.
Music might provide the reason to gather, but the organisation has developed a pastoral care team alongside its musical programme, helping members feel supported and represented while giving them opportunities to perform on some of the country’s biggest stages.
Recent appearances have included the opening ceremony at Glastonbury Festival in 2025, the choir’s second performance on the Pyramid Stage, Refugee Week events at the Southbank Centre and appearances on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off and BBC’s Songs of Praise.
Its previous release, We Will Sing, was written by Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton and was later selected for Desert Island Discs by the choir’s patron, actor Emily Watson OBE.
Yet despite increasingly high-profile stages, the sense of community remains central.
Choir member Josh perhaps sums it up most simply.
“The song is an important reminder that we are always stronger together,” he says. “Community is what we are all about at COTW and it’s a powerful song to sing together.”
Then comes the slightly less solemn assessment.
“And it’s got a phenomenal groove. I can’t help but bounce.”
With Citizens of the World Choir approaching its tenth anniversary in 2027, Àṣẹ feels both like a celebration of how far the organisation has come and a reminder of why it began.
Different languages, different histories and very different journeys have all found their way into the same room.
And, at least for the duration of a song, into the same heartbeat.
Àṣẹ by Citizens of the World Choir and Àánú Sodipe is available to stream now.
