Låpsley & Declan McKenna taking part in the #CoversForCarers challenge to raise money for RCN Foundation to support frontline healthcare workers

Låpsley & Declan McKenna taking part in the #CoversForCarers challenge to raise money for RCN Foundation to support frontline healthcare workers

Låpsley is one of the most exciting names in alt-pop and in just a few years, has released two critically acclaimed albums on XL Recordings and is one of Billie Eilish’s biggest influences. Declan McKenna initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2015 and has since signed to Columbia Records, released a first album acclaimed by Adele and played the biggest festivals in the world including Coachella and Lollapalooza. Now they are both taking part in a new challenge to raise money for front-line healthcare workers. 

Covers for Others is a music project where musicians cover a song to raise money for causes they care about. Frank Turner and Lauran Hibberd took the challenge this week and raised £10,929 in 4 days! On 11th May, it’s musicians Låpsley and Declan McKenna’s turn – fans can pay £1 to vote for the cover they want to hear, and all the money raised will be going to front-line healthcare workers via the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) Foundation’s COVID-19 Support Fund, which helps staff who are experiencing economic or psychological difficulties.

Covers For Others is a new, fun and innovative way for artists to interact with their fans while raising money for a cause they care about. Låpsley and Declan McKenna have chosen a list of songs for their fans to challenge them to cover. For 4 days, their fans will be able to vote for the song they want to hear by making a donation to the campaign, with each vote for a song costing £1. At the end of the campaign, Låpsley and Declan will learn and perform their respective song with the most votes and live stream their cover versions on Saturday 16th May at 7pm for Låpsley on Instagram and at 8pm for Declan McKenna on Instagram. 

The campaign, voting and performances are hosted on the Covers for Others website at https://coversforothers.co.uk/, where updates will appear throughout the week under the hashtag #CoversForCarers. 

“I am so grateful for our amazing NHS staff and nurses who have been fantastic in their response to COVID-19. I hope that my participation in the #CoversForCarers challenge will help raise money for the RCN Foundation while bringing a bit of fun to everybody during the lockdown.” 

Låpsley, singer-songwriter

“Excited to be a part of the #CoversForCarers challenge, it’s a fantastic initiative at a time where it’s so important to support our front-line healthcare workers in whatever way we can. I’m looking forward to seeing what tune gets chosen, and of course how much money we can raise for the RCN Foundation!”

Declan McKenna, singer-songwriter

“Donations to the RCN Foundation COVID-19 Support Fund through the Covers for Others music project will make a real difference to the many front line health and social care workers who are making an invaluable contribution at the very forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are very grateful for the support of the Fund, which will not only help those individuals who may be experiencing personal hardship as a result of COVID-19 but will also help to address some of the psychological implications associated with working on the frontline at this difficult time.“ 

Deepa Korea, RCN Foundation Director, RCN Foundation

“We were thrilled to see the amazing response to the first #CoversForCarers’ campaign this week with Frank Turner and Lauran Hibberd raising over £9,000 in just 3 days for the RCN Foundation to support our front-line health and social care workers. We’re delighted that the fantastic Låpsley and Declan McKenna are taking part this week and hope that the challenge will bring a bit of fun in people’s week whilst supporting an important cause”