Astrid Jorgensen: Australian vocalist and conductor on pub choir, NZ tour

Pub Choir – it's the new phenomenon taking the internet by storm. 

It was created by Astrid Jorgensen, a vocalist and conductor who brought her skills to America’s Got Talent, getting hundreds of audience members to perform a rendition of Africa by Toto. 

She tours the world, turning audiences of thousands of amateur singers into incredible choirs, breaking down the melodies into accessible bites.  

Jorgensen told Ryan Bridge she's tried a lot of songs, and while some work out better than others, that’s not the important part.  

“The point of the show for me is that we can make art together in real time.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever heard of a pub choir? It's this
new thing taking the internet by storm. Astra Jorgensen, who
was actually born in New Zealand, thirty four year old
former schoolteacher, goes on America's Got Talent, massive audience and
puts this video online. It gets huge views and clicks.
People are absolutely loving it. She gets hundreds of audience

(00:20):
members to sing together. They don't know what's going on
until they arrive and this happens. It's pretty cool. That's

(00:48):
a choir that didn't know it was going to be
a choir before they arrived there. Astra Jorgensen is the
Australian vocalist and conductor and joins me this morning, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Good morning. So nice to chat with you. O, nice.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
To have you here. That it's going viral, it's all
over the world. What was it like doing it?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
I mean, it's sort of crazy because it happened a
long time ago. For me. I did it all the
way back in March in America, and then I had
to hold onto this secret for like six months and
I couldn't tell a single person, and so I had
this strange experience that I went through and then suddenly
it popped up on TV and then it exploded online.

(01:27):
Over a hundred million people have watched me at work,
I guess, which is wild. I sort of can't really
fathom it, If I'm being honest, I don't really think
about it that much because it's just too big to know.
You know that a hundred million people or something crazy
like that have seen me do my thing.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Ashould Africa's obviously an iconic song people know, are there's
some songs that work, some that don't. Have you had
any flops?

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Well, I mean I've done probably I do a different
song at every show or every tour, so I mean
I would've done about four hundred shows, So I've tried
a lot of songs. I mean, obviously some some are
better than others. But it's more that I arrange the
song for each audience. And so it's not just that

(02:14):
the song is important for the show, but it's more
that the way that I decide to split up the
notes and write some new harmonies, and depending on how
the audience feels like every show is entirely unique. So
for sure, some shows are better than others, but it
depends on so many things, how people feel, how I've
done the arrangement, you know. But what's exciting for me

(02:36):
is it's unfolding in front of us all. Like the
point of the show for me is that we can
make art together in real time. And so even if
it even if it's not everyone's favorite song, or if
I give some weird instructions sometimes because I'm figuring out
on stage, it's exciting to me that it's always unique,
and I really want people to feel excited about that too,

(02:58):
that we can make something that exists just for us
tonight and it will feel new and good and we
were the creators.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Music's an energy thing, isn't it. It's transferring energy from
one to another. And to have so many people involved
in doing it, I mean you look at the people's
faces and they almost get it. They get a mess
of buzz out of the fact that it is them
doing it.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, I mean it looks like a great show. I'd
love to attend myself. I'm always doing it. But I mean,
like you are for sure right that it is something
really deeply human, Like you can't be in acchoir by yourself.
You have to sing with other people, you have to
work together. And I think it's this really joyful, equalizing experience.
Like we've all sung in groups before, it really hits different,

(03:44):
you know, when there's a thousand voices carrying something together.
It's this strange mix between I am contributing and also
I am not that important. And I think it's like
a really nice line to walk as a person who
sings in the choir, to realize that you are making
the choir sound different because your voice is unique and

(04:06):
you are contributing, but just as much as everybody else.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
And so that's and safety in numbers, Safety in numbers too.
That Well, I've always been curious America's Got Talent? Did
you apply to go on that show? Or how does
it work? Do they go and ask people to appear?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to even say,
but I'll tell you what they did ask me to
apply because I'd never even seen the show. I don't
know how to watch America's Got Talent because I live
in Australia. I was I was born in New Zealand,
but I live in Australia. I don't even think we
show their show. But they did get in touch online.
I think they'd seen some videos because pub Qua has

(04:44):
been going for eight and a half years. I've been
doing every single show the whole time, and I think
they must have seen some of my clips online and thought,
oh that looks fun. Yeah, and I mean I'll say
yes to anything once. You know.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Ester, lovely to talk to you. Thanks so much for
being on the show.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
I've had the loveliest time singing across New Zealand, so
thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
Ah, yes, are we any good at singing?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
You're so good at singing. There's an incredible singing culture
across New Zealand. I mean, you know, I do live
in Australia and they're okay, but New Zealand is really,
I don't know, seem to tap into something together and
to share that moment really nicely and you laugh a lot,
and I just have the best time with New Zealand audiences.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Nice flattery. Estra Jorgensen, who's with us Australian vocalist and conduct.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Him for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Listen live to news Talks.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
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