Classical crossover duo Belle Voci will release a special cover of the Cranberries “Zombie” on Friday the 13th. Emily and Sophie who Jennifer Hudson called “perfection” on the UK series of The Voice, shared a little bit about the song with us.

CCM: Why did you choose this piece – what does it mean to you?

Belle Voci: We found this song when listening to music with friends and they did their best mock opera voice and said, “Hey you guys should cover Zombie!” It is always quite a challenge to find pop songs that lend themselves well to our genre so when this came up, we sang it through and it worked!

CCM: When did you first hear this track?

Belle Voci: We have known and loved the song for years, we just hadn’t thought of it with our opera hats on until a couple of years ago. The process from finding a song, to arranging it for Belle Voci classically, to recording it and then releasing it has taken about 2 years so we are thrilled that the time is finally here and we are releasing it.

CCM: What are some of the elements from the original that were important for you to keep and what were some of the new ideas you are most excited about?

Belle Voci: We loved the long lyrical lines in this song, that’s what attracted us to it in the first place. In opera it always sounds best when the phrases are long and drawn out, not short and snappy, so we wanted to keep that essence of it. What we were most excited about was how to transform it into a classical version so the addition of a stunning, haunting solo cello at the beginning is what we love most about the track now. We would like to thank Tom Bufton of buftonemusic.com for taking our vision and arranging the cello and orchestra with us.

CCM: Were there any challenging moments in the piece?

Belle Voci: As always when we take a modern song and do a classical cover, the challenge comes when trying to keep as true to the original as possible whilst also balancing that with making it our own. It was a fun creative journey and we are so excited to share the finished product with everyone

CCM: Tell us a little bit about the production of the track?

Belle Voci: We recorded it with the fabulous George Murphy at www.eastcotestudios.com Even though he usually works with the likes of Ellie Goulding and Mumford & Sons, he always gets what we are trying to achieve and is a total genius!

Download and Stream Zombie on all major platforms

www.bellevoci.co.uk

Natasha Barbieri, Editor

Editor

Creator of Classical Crossover Magazine. For Natasha music has always been closely tied to her faith. At age 18, Natasha made her opera debut playing the part of the mother in Menotti’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ with the Eastern Festival Opera. At 20, she was a winner of the 2011 Young Artist Competition at Andrews University. Natasha graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Music. Natasha has released a series of Holiday singles “A Place Called Home” (2020), “One Little Boy,” and “The Perfect Year” (2021). In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Future Classic Women Awards’ show on Men’s & Women’s Radio Station. Natasha is the creator and editor of ‘Classical Crossover Magazine’ a venture that has allowed her to interview many of the top stars in the genre including Sarah Brightman, Celtic Woman, Mirusia, Paul Potts, and more. During the covid-19 pandemic, she created an online concert series for the magazine that has seen her perform in the same line-up as Alex Sharpe, Lucy Kay, Barbara Padilla, Classical Reflection, and more on the virtual stage. In 2022, Natasha was included on the charity album “Stars of Classical Crossover: Christmas” in benefit of the Wallace & Gromit Children’s Charity.