Tiwa Savage, Lionel Richie To Perform At King Charles III’s Coronation Concert

The BBC is holding a coronation concert for King Charles on the grounds of Windsor Castle at 8 o’clock tonight. It will be reminiscent of the Party at The Palace which was held at Buckingham Palace to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. 

Activities to mark King Charles III’s coronation continue today with lunches and street parties all over the United Kingdom. American First Lady, Jill Biden, attended a lunch that was held on Downing Street outside the residence of the British Prime Minister. Members of the Royal Family are attending similar lunches all over the country. 

The celebrations will climax with the concert tonight at which Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage will join a galaxy of stars to perform at Windsor Castle.

Coronation concert line-up: Who will be performing?

All the stars who will be appearing at the event

With just days to go until King Charles ascends to the throne, many want to know what the Coronation Concert line-up will look like.

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will celebrate their ascension to the throne with the Coronation Concert on 7 May, which promises to bring both global music icons and contemporary stars together. While February saw the public eager to know how to get Coronation Concert tickets(opens in new tab) and the Royal roles at King Charles’ coronation revealed(opens in new tab), now attention has turned to the line-up for the event.

The late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee(opens in new tab) saw a star-studded array of artists perform at the royal celebration – including Diana Ross, Sam Ryder, Elton John and Craig David – suggesting the upcoming Coronation Concert will be an equally unmissable affair.

Coronation Concert line-up

Take That, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench were all confirmed as the first performers for the Coronation Concert. Since then, Paloma Faith, Nicole Scherzinger and Olly Murshave also all been announced.

Appearing alongside them will be singer-songwriters Tiwa Savage and Steve Winwood, Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor, internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang, DJ Pete Tong, singer Vula, and emerging artist JERUB.

A number of famous faces will also be making an appearance in a number of pre-recorded segments revealing little-known facts about King Charles, and these include Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Tom Jones, Bear Grylls OBE, Oti Mabuse and Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.

Alongside the star-studded line-up, Buckingham Palace has said that the Coronation Concert will see an exclusive appearance from The Coronation Choir – made up community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK – as well as The Virtual Choir, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth.

Take That

Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen have performed at many Royal Variety Performances over the years and supported The Prince’s Trust charity. 

The band have said ahead of the concert: “This will be our first live show since the Odyssey Tour, four years ago in 2019, and what a stage to come back on! A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can’t wait.”

The coronation performance isn’t the only exciting thing for fans, as the new Take That movie Greatest Days(opens in new tab) is also coming out in June.

Lionel Richie

International superstar Lionel Richie was appointed as The Prince’s Trust’s first Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group in 2019. 

He said: “To share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration.”

Katie Perry

Perry was appointed an ambassador of The British Asian Trust, a charity founded by The King when Prince of Wales, in 2020. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and her own Firework Foundation, which empowers children through the arts. 

Katy Perry has said ahead of the concert: “I am excited to be performing at the Coronation Concert, and helping to shine a further light on the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund, whose work includes on-ground initiatives to fundraising, with the aim to find solutions to child trafficking.”

Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel

Maestro Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel will perform a duet for the concert. 

Bocelli – who sponsors an annual scholarship programme at The Royal College of Music through the Andrea Bocelli Foundation – has said of the Coronation Concert: “I have had the great honour of singing for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on several occasions. It is now another great honour to be asked to perform at the Coronation Concert of King Charles III. My joy and excitement is multiplied as I have the chance to duet with my dear friend and superb baritone, Sir Bryn Terfel, performing an iconic song of love and collective solidarity.”

Meanwhile, Sir Bryn Terfel – who was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Opera in 2003 and received a knighthood for his services to music in 2017 – said of the occasion: “Having sung at numerous events that were connected to the patronages King Charles held as the Prince of Wales, it is an incredible honour to be singing now at the Coronation of His Majesty The King, Charles III. I am also delighted to be performing at the celebratory concert in Windsor, another opportunity for me to sing with my great friend and colleague, the wonderful Italian tenor, Maestro Andrea Bocelli.”

Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench

Singer songwriter Freya Ridings will perform a duet with classical composer, producer and pianist Alexis Ffrench.

Ffrench is a passionate advocate for music education and he serves as a Governor and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Music. He said of the Coronation Concert: “To have been invited to perform in the Coronation Concert held in celebration of His Majesty King Charles III is an honour of the utmost magnitude. Such moments are unequivocally iconic and exceedingly rare, and I am delighted to share the stage with the wonderfully talented Freya Ridings on this momentous occasion.”

Frey Riding added, “I feel truly overwhelmed and in awe of the opportunity to sing at the Coronation of His Majesty Charles III – it feels like a “pinch me” once in a life time moment in history and I’m feeling very honoured to have been asked. Excited to be playing with a wonderful orchestra and alongside the incredible Alexis Ffrench on piano!”

Paloma Faith

Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor and TV personality Paloma Faith has released five critically acclaimed platinum-selling albums and collected dozens of awards, as well as appearing as a judge on The Voice UK and The Voice Kids.

Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage is a Nigeria-born singer-songwriter whose blend of Afrobeats, R&B, pop and hip-hop earned her an MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act, making her the first woman to win in the category.

Speaking ahead of the coronation concert, she said: “It’s truly an honour to be representing Africa and the Commonwealth at such an historic event. I look forward to joining the celebrations and bringing Afrobeats to Windsor Castle for the first time!”

Steve Winwood

Singer-songwriter Steve Winwood has sold over 50 million records in the course of his five-decade career as a rock ‘n’ roll star. At the coronation concert, he will sing alongside the Commonwealth virtual choir.

Winwood has said: “I was alive and just about remember the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and I, together with millions and millions of other people all around the globe, am a lifelong monarchist. So to be included in the Coronation celebrations of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla is for me a lifetime achievement for which I’m extremely humbled and honoured.”

photos below: Windsor Castle

King Charles III and Camilla celebrate their Coronation with a special concert at Windsor Castle.
Back when Queen Elizabeth II had her Coronation in June 1953, the world of pop music was a very different place.
Not only were The Beatles were nearly a decade away from their debut single, even Elvis Presley was yet to make his nod with ‘That’s All Right’.

By the time of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, it’s fair to say that pop wasn’t just part of mainstream culture, it was pretty much part of the establishment.
So everyone from Phil Collins, Cliff Richard and Shirley Bassey to Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and (of course) Queen performed at the celebratory Party at the Palace to mark the occasion.
Similar events were held for Her Majesty’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilee, so it’s no surprise that the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla will be marked with a special concert, too.

But when and where is it taking place, who is going to perform, and how can you get tickets or watch it on the telly? Read on for answers to all these questions and more in our article that we’ll keep updated as the event gets closer.
When will the Coronation Concert take place?
King Charles III acceded to the British throne instantly on the death of his mother Elizabeth II, on September 2022.
After a period of mourning, the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla officially takes place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey.
The Coronation Concert takes place the following day, on Sunday, May 7, 2023, the same day as the Coronation Big Lunch – an opportunity for the public to mark the occasion with street parties.

What time will the Coronation Concert start and finish?
The Coronation Concert will air on BBC One at 8pm to 10pm.
Where is the Coronation Concert happening?

The first Party at the Palace in 2002 took place at Buckingham Palace Garden, while both the Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012 and Platinum Party at the Palace in 2022 took place just outside the Palace on The Mall.

King Charles is doing things a little differently, with The Coronation Concert to take place at Windsor Castle’s East Lawn.
Who will perform and appear at the Coronation Concert?

Before we start listing the major popstars booked for the occasion, it’s worth looking at some of the other artists who’ll be performing at Windsor Castle.

Coached by Amanda Holden and Motsi Mabuse, The Coronation Choir will be a diverse group created for the occasion from community choirs and amateur singers from across the United Kingdom, such as refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs.

You’ll be able to see the choir come together in a specially-made documentary. The Community Choir will collaborate during the concert with The Virtual Choir, built from groups across the nation.

As for the big popstar performers Katy Perry, Take That (at least, the current lineup of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen) and Lionel Richie have already been booked.
Opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and Freya Ridings will also perform at the show.

Steve Winwood, Nicole Scherzinger, Paloma Faith, Lang Lang and Olly Murs are also among the performers.
Tom Cruise and Dame Joan Collins will also feature in the concert, as part of a video message.

Sir Tom Jones, Bear Grylls and former Strictly professional Oti Mabuse will also appear in a series of pre-recorded sketches revealing “little-known facts” about the newly-crowned King.

Winnie the Pooh will also make an appearance, following his fellow beloved bear Paddington’s show-stealing performance at the Platinum Jubilee.
Hugh Bonneville will be hosting the concert.