London band chosen to sing official anthem at WYD Rio 2013

Ooberfuse

London pop band Ooberfuse have been chosen to sing and record in English the official anthem of World Youth Day 2013. Over 3 million people are expected at the largest gathering of youth from around world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, later this year. Hope of the Dawn was launched today at the World Youth Day's official website: www.rio2013.com/pt/multimidia/videos/1727/WYD-Rio2013-English-Anthem

Hope of the Dawn is the official English version of the World Youth Day anthem for 2013, Esperanca do Amanhecer. The organisers of World Youth Day asked Ooberfuse to translate the song from Portuguese to English and also give their own interpretation of the anthem.

Cherrie, front-woman of the band says : "It's a great privilege to sing the official World Youth Day English anthem. Translating the song from Portuguese to English was a daunting task as we are not fluent in Portuguese. In the first verse, the imagery of Christ, arms outstretched, embracing the world and filling it with his love from the hill-top of Rio's high-point Corcovado, is breathtaking. Living in London where most people are reticent to loudly proclaim their Christian faith and landmarks testify to worldly achievements it is reassuring to know that in other countries like Brazil they are not shy to express their Christian convictions. I can't wait to stand in the shadow cast by the enormous figure of Christ on the top of Corcovado!"

Hal, the band's keyboardist, says : "we have been reflecting on Matthew 28 since the Holy Father announced at the close of the Madrid World Youth Day in 2011 that the theme of RioWYD13 would be 'Go make disciples of all nations.' According to Matthew these are the very last words that Jesus spoke to his followers and disciples. Their utterance is prefigured by cosmic events : following his crucifixion the earth quaked as Jesus, in his post-resurrection glorified body, reappears to announce his commission...we must awaken from our slumbers to go out into the world to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to set captives free, to give sight to the blind. In short to realise the anthropological dream implanted in the hearts of all of us so that, through our combined efforts, we become who we were created to be. It is one thing to allow our faith to infiltrate our songs; it is altogether a different proposition to take Jesus' final words and to reflect in musical melody the weightiness of their meaning."

Nico, guitarist for the band adds : "It's as much a tribute to a trans-Atlantic spirit of collaboration as it is to the power of the internet and modern media : after multiple Twitter and e-mail messages recommending improvements and refinements, and numerous large music-data file downloads and uploads in Rio and London, Hope of the Dawn eventually was born. We hope that listeners will like it, especially all the English speaking pilgrims!"

Phil Ross, the London-based national coordinator for the UK World Youth Day pilgrims, say: "Ooberfuse worked closely with the World Youth Day organisers to produce the English anthem - whilst it remains loyal to the Portuguese original it still reflects the style and ambience of the Group."

Father Leandro Lenin, Executive Director of World Youth Day Rio 2013, and International Relations Officer Thiago Lopes say 'Congratulations on the great job... We think it's awesome. You're really praising the Lord with your voices and efforts!' You can watch the video here: http://youtu.be/p6HzhQIkXQ8