And as for all the money they'll make from the sale of the new album, the trio will only take home only a small percentage of the overall profits. It certainly helps that The Priests' classically trained vocal stylings appeal to both religious and secular audiences. They also quietly hope that the devout might be more likely to pay for the music rather than to rip it off the Internet. In the age of illegal downloading and music piracy, Sony is hoping that The Priests will turn into a financial godsend to appeal to the world's 1.1 billion Catholics. Their first album will include Catholic favorites like "Ave Maria," "O Holy Night" and "Panis Angelicus." Members from two Vatican choirs have recorded the accompaniment in St. At this stage in his life he wanted to capture some of those experiences though this beautiful spiritual music." "He attended a Jesuit school in Zambia years ago and he remembers so much about it. "Since Mike's at the stage where he can choose his projects, he actually chose to work with us," says Father O'Hagan. It's a striking contrast to the three parish priests from Northern Ireland. On their debut album The Priests also worked with the legendary Mike Hedges, who has produced albums for bands like U2 and The Cure. "I think it has been an enriching experience both ways," says Father O'Hagan. At his photo shoot he asked the three priests what three grown men like themselves were doing still believing in God. Many who have met us accidentally may now see another side to the church."īailey is a good example of the kind of man who wouldn't ordinarily encounter men like Father O'Hagan and his singing group mates. We've met some wonderful people, many of whom have never had occasion to meet a priest before, so it's been enriching for us. Says Father O'Hagan, "It's been quite a steep learning curve and this has been an amazing journey thus far. And since they first signed on the priests themselves have started to actually enjoy the work. In fact he was cautious about the idea of making the album at all.īut he was reassured when Sony indicated a large degree of flexibility about their commitments. They really look like priests.Īnd from the beginning Father O'Hagan insisted that his focus as a priest would not change. Their new manager Sam Wright can count Eminem, Marilyn Manson and Jon Bon Jovi among her former clients.īehind all the glamour they're still priests, of course. Now Radiohead's string arranger is on board, as is famed photographer David Bailey, who has taken the cover photos. Sony BMG affiliates in 32 countries including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Brazil and the Philippines have already agreed to release their debut album without hearing the first note. One thing is for certain - they're going to become huge international stars. You don't leave your parish, your collogues and a bishop behind.
"It must be said that Sony have very accommodating when it comes to us prioritizing our responsibilities as priests, so we work around that. We didn't just walk away from our parishes and make an album," says Father O'Hagan, laughing. "We're all middle aged now, so we're not a boy band obviously.