The lockdown ballad for homeless young people

Rosie O'Sullivan and Yoshika Colwell on why they have written a song to raise money for young people with nowhere to live during the pandemic

COVID-19 has brought a devastating impact on the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable young people. Amongst the clamour of coronavirus news, they are fighting for their voices to be heard, and creativity is proving essential in cutting through the noise.

We are both creatives and have collaborated for several years. As two friends spending isolation in a caravan in Kent, we wanted to use our creative experience and our newfound free time to give young people a voice. We felt a certain responsibility to do our bit; and we knew we needed to do something a little different.

We decided to form Sofa Revolution in support of End Youth Homelessness (EYH), a charity doing vital work supporting homeless young people get back on their feet. With the aim of raising £10,000 for EYH’s urgent COVID-19 appeal, we created an isolation-inspired ballad, in the hope that it would inject some light-hearted relatability during lockdown.

Our somewhat silly song aims to inspire five minutes of joy, in return for a donation to the charity. We wanted our song to tap into the pressures of lockdown life and offer a sense of “we’re all in this together”, while reminding people that we are lucky to be safe at home when so many young people have nowhere to go.

Our lyrics poke fun at the boredom and the ways in which we fill them; “I spend four hours on House Party… I get glammed up, to watch Come Dine with Me”…and we rap about the newfound pressure of using lockdown time to do something great and awe-inspiring; “you don’t have to write the next King Lear, you can trim the lawn or have a beer.”

The song-making process brought together friends from across the globe, who lent their talents remotely. We roped in friends to play piano, alto sax, double bass and electric guitar; all recorded from their homes in various parts of the world. It was amazing to see so many of our friends coming together to get behind the cause.

COVID-19 has presented us with this huge, unprecedented challenge, which has affected us all deeply. We have all developed different ways of coping with lockdown life, but there are too many people out there for whom boredom at home would be a luxury. These people need our support right now.

We hope our song goes a little way to helping change lives, or at least puts a smile on people’s faces.

Visit sofarevolution.co.uk to hear the song, and to join us in raising vital funds for End Youth Homelessness. Together we can ensure that vulnerable young people are safe and supported during COVID-19.

Rosie O'Sullivan is an innovation consultant and writer, whose work has been staged at theatres across the UK. Yoshika Colwell is vocalist and songwriter, whose previous work has been played widely across BBC stations.

EYH is a national movement of youth homelessness charities, working together to give vulnerable young people a future. Find out more and donate here

Song credits: Produced by Russell Pay at Bloomsburys Studios; Emile Ryjoch on Saxophone; Luke Marzec on Piano; Max Barton on Double Bass/Electric Guitar