The video that’ll break your heart
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Trying to save their lives … Il Divo member Sebastien Izambard pictured with Isla and Jude Donnell. Picture: Mitch Cameron
Source: News Corp Australia
NATALIE Bassingthwaighte has broken her musical silence to join an Australian charity single helping two children with a fatal disease.
Artists including Luke Steele, Flea, Darren Hayes, Diesel, Casey Donovan, David Campbell, Marlisa, Damien Leith, Ella Hooper and Pete Murray have recorded a version of the Kate Bush classic This Woman’s Work under the name Hope for Isla and Jude.
Isla and Jude Donnell are two Sydney siblings suffering from the rare and fatal disease Sanfilippo Syndrome.
The cruel disease, which affects one in 70,000 newborns, sees children have a life expectancy of between 12 and 20 years and has no cure.
The condition stops the body from expelling its own waste and leads to fatal brain damage.
X Factor judge Bassingthwaighte, who has two children of her own, instantly said yes to what is her first musical release in three years.
“I’ve always loved This Woman’s Work and as soon as I heard the story behind the single I just said ‘Tell me where to be and I’ll do it’,” she said.
“I couldn’t imagine in a million years what that family is going through. I watched the video they’ve made for the song and I was a total mess. It definitely made me grab my babies a bit tighter.”
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is helping to raise funds for them. Picture: Brendan Francis
Source: News Corp Australia
Isla and Jude Donnell, who suffer from a rare fatal disease. Picture: Mitch Cameron
Source: News Corp Australia
Listen to the song here.
The song is the brainchild of Il Divo member Sebastien Izambard. He and his Australian wife Renee met the Donnell family and tried to find a way to raise the $ 1 million dollars required to help fund research trials in Ohio. Only 15 children worldwide are being accepted into the trials.
“It’s so unlikely two kids in one family could have this disease, I was devasted for them,” Izambard said. “I knew I had to do something. There’s 60 kids in Australia with the disease.”
Isla’s ailing health created a deadline which saw Izambard work all night while touring overseas with Il Divo to record Australian artists via Skype.
X Factor winner Marlisa Punzalan is also involved in the song. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
Source: News Corp Australia
Singer David Campbell also put his voice to the new version of the song for charity.
Source: News Limited
He flew to Australia late last month to finish the record at Sony Studios in Sydney.
The single, which took three weeks to piece together, is released today.
Izambard has lent his voice to the song to help raise the track’s profile internationally, with Melbourne-born Red Hot Chili Pepper member Flea playing bass on the cover.
Simon Cowell, who signed Il Divo, has also thrown his support behind the song.
Darren Hayes, now delving into acting, has also made a return to singing on This Woman’s Work.
Source: Supplied
“I didn’t want it to be about me or Il Divo, I wanted it to be about the Australian community coming together, it’s an Australian family we’re making money for,” Izambard said.
“At some stage I hope to get an Australian passport when we move here, Australia’s always been very dear to my heart, I’ve got three half-Australian kids. And there’s so much amazing talent in Australia as this song shows.”
Izambard said the Kate Bush original “a treasure” with lyrics that resonated with the cause, including the opening line “pray God you can hope.”
Bassingthwaighte, who previously covered Kate Bush on a charity reworking of Don’t Give Up with Shannon Noll, had to listen hard to the finished product to recognise her own voice.
“I could spot Marlisa and Nathaniel but even I was like “I think that’s me” — I’m the second female voice and the big bit in the middle,” she said. “No one’s heard me sing like that for a long time, but it was a privilege to be a part of it.”
Donate at hopeforislaandjude.com
