The only recent sung version of the British anthem God Save The King available on streaming platforms currently was recorded in 2017 by French singer and opera teacher Arnaud Kientz.
This 51-year-old baritone, who had already sung The Marseillaise in 2016, was recording God Save The Queen a year later at the request of the Musigram label, when he had the idea of singing his alternative version.
“There has also already been a King (…), and then we sometimes hear it in the movies. So we thought we were going to record God Save the King too”explains the artist to AFP.
Listened to a total of 500,000 times “for the moment” on the various online listening platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music …), its two versions, sung or instrumental, of the new British anthem are also a hit on the social video network TikTok. In a few days, they were picked up more than 1000 times by users.
A sudden enthusiasm, boosted by press articles including one from the British newspaper The Guardian, which Arnaud Kientz did not expect: “It’s kinda fun”he says, delighted to have reached a younger audience.
“It makes me happy. It allows them to hear a voice they are not used to listening to”and “the lyrical genre needs young people”he adds with a smile.
The baritone had only recorded the first verse of the anthem, “the best known, as for the Marseillaise”he says.
For the moment, only the French version and a 1932 recording by Maurice Winnick are available for commercial use by God Save the King.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, some music labels have additionally begun to rename instrumental versions of the anthem.
The BBC invited Scottish mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins to record the anthem with the correct lyrics, but this version was not released.