FATHER RAY KELLY has taken the internet by storm, and now he’s about to tackle the music industry, with offers on the table from both Universal and Sony.
Just four weeks ago, the talented priest wowed the world when he went viral with his wedding rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah.
The video reached 34 million views at last reading, with Kelly becoming known as the ‘Hallelujah Priest’ worldwide.
The priest spoke to Ray D’Arcy this morning about his whirlwind month, saying
It changed my life, whether I like it or not. 34 million is on my CV for the rest of my life. I’ve been inundated with requests for weddings and beautiful emails from all over the world.
The priest also claimed that there was somewhat of a record deal battle surrounding him.
There’s two companies at the moment chasing for my signature, Universal and Sony. It’s early stages yet.
So could this be the reason the original viral video was recently taken down from YouTube under a copyright claim?
Never a harsher act has been committed.
When it was put to him that it could simply be a strategy to create an appetite, Kelly said “quite possibly”.
I don’t know the internal wranglings of these things at all, it’s something to do with legalities over Sony. Possibly whoever put it up as well. The horse has bolted now anyway.
So while no pen has been put to paper, the next thing in the pipweline for the meantime is a Communion ceremony in his Moylagh parish on Saturday, with a German TV company coming to film it. But he’ll be singing the Our Father with the boys and girls and Westlife’s version of I have A Dream in place of Hallelujah, to be on the safe side.
