Stormzy is to close out BBC One’s Christmas Day coverage with a Bible reading. The rapper will recite a passage from the gospel of Luke, telling the story of how angels appeared to shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus. The reading will be followed by a performance of the Basque carol Sing Lullaby by south London boys’ choir Libera.
Hugh Faupel, exective producer at BBC Studios, said his team “look for people to bring the Christmas story alive”, and that he was “delighted” that Stormzy was to deliver the reading. It will air at 11.50pm on Christmas Day.
Stormzy attends the Word of Grace Ministries church in Kennington, south London, and has often referred to his Christian faith in his music. A two-part song on his 2017 debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, Blinded By Your Grace, was addressed to God, with lyrics including: “Lord, I’ve been broken / Although I’m not worthy / You fixed me … You came and saved me”. In a GQ interview that year, he said of the album’s No 1: “I give it to God.”
In an interview with the Observer, he said his church’s pastor had had a vision where Stormzy’s headline Glastonbury performance last summer was heralded as a disaster: “The pastor saw reviews that said: ‘The worst performance of all time’ and then a hand coming down holding a stamp, and stamping on the review, DENIED.” He added that the pastor and his family subsequently prayed to God during the performance to ensure its success.
A lyric from his new single Audacity also refers to God and his Glastonbury performance, for which he wore a Banksy-designed vest: “When Banksy put the vest on me / Felt like God was testing me.”
Stormzy’s single with Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy, Own It, is in the running for Christmas No 1, currently sitting at No 2 in the midweeks. They face competition from LadBaby’s charity single I Love Sausage Rolls, as well as Wham!’s seasonal perennial Last Christmas.
The rapper’s new album Heavy is the Head was released last Friday, and is competing with Harry Styles and Rod Stewart to top the Christmas album chart.
