In honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrating her 70 years on the English throne, coloratura soprano Christina Johnston and composers Andrew Rayner and Wendy Rayner will be releasing a new single “Queen of Our Hearts.” The piece is a tribute to the Queen for her reign and has been heard and approved by her.
The track is now available to pre-order on all major digital platforms and will be released on 6th May. Learn more about this special single from Christina in her own words.
“It’s such an honor to present this song of dedication to the Queen. I have a tremendous love and respect for her Majesty, she has dedicated her life to her people and is a true reflection of grace and service. This year we all have the chance to reflect on how much the Queen has given to us all. I wanted a song that reigned true with words that describe our thanks to her.”
The Song Meaning
Myself and Andrew Rayner in 2021 wanted to write a new album of Classical Crossover music – I came up with an idea to write a song for Her Majesty. We finished it in October 2021 and are really proud of the anthem we created!
Creating “Queen of Our Hearts”
We first came up with the idea and melody in the summer of 2021 – I then wrote the lyrics alongside Andrew and Wendy Rayner. It was a fantastic process but one that took a while to get the words how we wanted them – not a worshipful song but a song of dedication and thanks.
All the elements we came up with together so it is wonderful to create such a beautiful song and one I can say I co-wrote. I’m most excited about the sentiment to Her Majesty and was so proud that she has heard it and wrote a beautiful letter back to us to say how much she enjoyed it and was grateful for our sentiment towards her.
I think the most challenging moment for us creating this was creating the right verses and chorus. The words were really important and took a while to get right. I think we achieved it in the end though and I hope anyone who listens can hear the lyrics and dedication of love towards the Queen that we have tried to relay.
The Production
We began production of the song in Autumn 2021. We had finished the writing of the song by August and then found some amazing musicians to come and record all the different parts. We did a few recording sessions and wanted to get the balance and levels right. After this was done I came in to spend the day recording the vocals. I really enjoyed it and wanted to envelope my love for the Queen and thanks for her amazing service to us.
We then recorded the music video with a wonderful team in a beautiful country church late at night to get an atmospheric video with beautiful lighting. I hope all who watch and listen to the song fall in love with it and the meaning and dedication behind the song. This is my love letter to the Queen.
Queen of our hearts – Available May 6th on Apple Music, Spotify, and all major streaming platforms.
www.christinajohnstonofficial.com
Purchase a physical copy of Vol 29 now!
