Clarkson's Hawkstone Farmers Choir releases debut single

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 16:14 · Archive

Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone Farmers Choir has released Absolution, the first single from its debut album This Is Home, which is due to be released on 20 November. The choir released the track on Friday 9 October as it prepares for a nationwide UK tour in the spring.

The 38-member choir was founded in 2025 by Clarkson as part of a campaign for his Hawkstone beer and cider brand. It won ITV's Britain's Got Talent earlier this year, becoming the first choir to win the competition and the first musical act to win with an original song. The choir received a £250,000 cash prize and the chance to perform at the annual Royal Variety Performance.

Absolution was written and produced by Simon Gwilliam and co-written with Hazell Tratt. It was recorded at Real World Studios. According to the choir, the song celebrates 'release, connection and the importance of letting go', exploring the benefits of stepping away from everyday pressures and reconnecting with others.

Choir member James Florey, a fourth-generation farmer from Oxfordshire, described hearing the song on BBC Radio Oxford for the first time as 'very, very surreal'. He said the single was 'a recognition of the daily grind that we all go through, working in long hours in isolation, within the rural and farming industry'. He described the song as 'about letting that weight of daily life fall away for a while, stepping away from it, and finding your space away from the pressures of everyday life'.

Florey said that the past 12 months since auditioning for Britain's Got Talent had been 'such a whirlwind'. He noted that organising rehearsals was 'a real challenge' because choir members were 'spread around the whole country', and that juggling 'the day job and everything that has come with the choir is becoming a challenge', though the group was 'relishing and really getting stuck into' the experience.

Clarkson's Hawkstone Farmers Choir releases debut single — Image: Oxford Mail

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How it is being reported

Jeremy Clarkson-backed Hawkstone choir release new single ahead of UK tourThe Hawkstone Farmers Choir, founded by Jeremy Clarkson, have release a new single, Absolution, ahead of their debut album, This Is Home, and UK tourOxford Mail · 9 Oct, 16:00
Jeremy Clarkson-backed Hawkstone choir release new single ahead of UK tourThe Hawkstone Farmers Choir, founded by Jeremy Clarkson, have release a new single, Absolution, ahead of their debut album, This Is Home, and UK tourOxfordshire Guardian · 9 Oct, 16:00
Clarkson's Hawkstone Choir releases first singleAbsolution is the first song from the farmers' choir's debut album and was released on Friday.BBC Oxford · 9 Oct, 13:24

In this story: Jeremy Clarkson · Hawkstone Farmers Choir · James Florey · Britain's Got Talent · Oxfordshire · Simon Gwilliam · Hazell Tratt · Real World Studios

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