Meet the world’s biggest boyband that you will probably never have heard of

Big successful Japan - Brit choirsters Libera (Image: Libera)

They tin laic assertion to being the world’s biggest boyband with millions of ardent fans dispersed astir the globe, yet contempt selling retired immense venues overseas stay virtually chartless successful Britain.

But present arsenic 1 of the nation’s champion kept philharmonic secrets merchandise their 25^th day album, the angelic voices of Libera are hoping to yet go household names to rival the likes of Take That, Boyzone and One Direction this Christmas.

The southbound London-based choral choir are megastars successful Japan and person a lengthy way grounds of performing sell-out tours successful the USA, Philippines and South Korea whilst amassing implicit 323 cardinal views connected YouTube alone. They person played for Popes and Presidents, boast Beach Boys fable Brian Wilson arsenic a superfan and adjacent sang astatine Aled Jones’ wedding.

And with a existent line-up comprising 50 members aged betwixt 7 and 16 they are unafraid successful their assertion to beryllium “the world’s biggest alternate lad band”.

Originally founded successful 1999 by Robert Prizeman, the radical person consistently pushed the boundaries of Choral singing with their trademark arrangements comprising ecstatic multi-part harmonies that has won plaudits from Beach Boy's fable Brian Wilson.

Libera being mobbed by fans successful Tokyo (Image: Libera)

Boyband rivals Take That (Image: Getty)

And implicit the past quarter-century, they person grown from a tiny choir practicing successful St Philip’s Church successful Norbury to a renowned sanction crossed the worldwide euphony manufacture with 250 past members person sung with them passim the years.

Current euphony manager Sam Coates besides sang connected the band’s archetypal signaling successful 1999 and became philharmonic manager pursuing the decease of Prizeman successful 2021.

He present says it is 1 of the proudest moments of his beingness to beryllium taking the radical into their 25th day celebrations.

He said: “Unlike each different lad I was the 1 who ne'er left. As a young lad I had a vague involvement successful singing but each section choir fundamentally comprised 3 80-year-old-women and evidently joining that wasn’t precise appealing for a young child.”

But Sam recovered his dependable – and lifelong passionateness – aft his parents took him to a Libera rehearsal.

He said: “I was instantly captivated and stay so. I conscionable wanted to support being involved.”

The different lad set - One Direction with the precocious Liam Payne (Image: Getty)

Beach Boys fable Brian Wilson (Image: Getty)

The existent radical has boys from a scope of wide of backgrounds and has a 30 beardown halfway whose UK circuit of cathedrals concludes connected 1st December with a peculiar Christmas amusement astatine Sinfonia Smiths Square successful Westminster.

Sam, 36, added: “It’s a large mode to picture america arsenic the eventual alternate lad band. Choral euphony is thing precise antithetic and tons of boys person ne'er explored singing astatine the precocious extremity of their scope earlier joining us. But they are ever bowled implicit erstwhile they perceive what tin beryllium produced.

“And the fanbase is phenomenal, peculiarly erstwhile we spell retired to Japan. There are queues of hundreds of radical waiting for autographs and you tin spot the infinitesimal the boys realise conscionable what an interaction their euphony has. That is wherefore the Daily Express’ Strike A Chord run raising consciousness of the request for amended euphony acquisition is truthful important. We person truthful galore erstwhile members who person gone connected to enactment successful jobs successful the arts, media and euphony owed to their minds being opened up to the opportunities simply done being successful a choir.”

Libera’s caller medium Dream featuring a stunning mentation of John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ is released connected Friday November 22nd.