War Child head of music Rich Clarke has reflected on the recent Mercury Prize nomination for the charity's Help(2) album in a new interview with Music Week.
Inspired by the original 1995 release of Help – which raised £1.2 million – and produced by James Ford, the 23-track Help(2) album was released in March by War Child Records. Music Week told the epic story of the record in a special piece featuring Clarke alongside Strat winner and Wildlife CEO Ian McAndrew, producer James Ford and more.
The LP, which was recorded largely during a week-long session at Abbey Road Studios in November last year, featured acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest, The Last Dinner Party, Depeche Mode, Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng, Arlo Parks, Fontaines D.C., Young Fathers, Pulp, Sampha, Wet Leg and Olivia Rodrigo.
Meanwhile, the 10th edition of Secret 7", the charity's vinyl and art initiative, is aiming to break the £1 million fundraising mark for the first time.
More than anything, being shortlisted this year is a testament to the generosity of the artists and the wider music industry
Rich Clarke, War Child
Here, Clarke details the impact of the projects, the industry’s ongoing support and War Child’s fundraising ambitions...
How does it feel to get the Mercury Prize nomination for Help(2) three decades after being nominated for the original Help album? And how do you reflect on the impact of Help(2) and the huge number of artists who got involved?
"It's an incredible feeling. The original Help album was such an important moment in both British music and War Child's history, so to see Help(2) recognised by the Mercury Prize three decades later is something we're immensely proud of. In 1995, Blur very generously donated the winnings from their Mercury win to War Child, so this really feels like a full circle moment for us.
"More than anything, being shortlisted this year is a testament to the generosity of the artists and the wider music industry, who came together because they believe children shouldn't have to live through the atrocities of war.
"The impact of Help(2) has been extraordinary. We had artists, producers, engineers, studios, managers and labels all giving their time and talent to make it happen, and that collective effort has already raised vital funds for and awareness of War Child's work, providing children with specialist mental health support, immediate aid, protection, education, and ultimately hope for a brighter future.
"One in five children around the world are affected by conflict. That figure is awful and hard for many to comprehend, especially amidst fatigue from so many tragic stories in the world at the moment. But music is how many of us escape. With this album, people can do just that while they listen knowing that every CD or vinyl sold and every stream helps us to support children living through the unimaginable, in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
"What's been especially moving is seeing so many artists from different generations and genres unite behind the same cause. It shows that music has an incredible ability to bring people together and inspire action. Recognition like this from the Mercury Prize is fantastic for everyone involved, but importantly it gives us another opportunity to shine a light on children whose lives have been devastated by conflict and remind us all that they still need our support."
We hope to break the £1m barrier in this tenth edition which is a fantastic legacy for the project, and comes at a time when the money raised couldn't be more needed
Rich Clarke, War Child
How has the UK music industry also helped to support this Secret 7” initiative?
"We see amazing support for Secret 7” across the industry every year we run it. From our music partners, Universal Music Recordings who help us pull together the recordings, to Vinyl Factory who press all the records pro bono, and of course all the amazing artists and teams who give us the music that inspires the visual artists to create sleeves. It’s a great, creative project for musicians to get involved with, all while helping us raise vital funds for children whose lives have been torn apart by war."
Rich Clarke
Are artists keen to support the project? How did you come up with this year’s line-up of acts and how did they decide on which songs?
"Absolutely, I think doing something that’s at the intersection of music and art is particularly appealing to music artists. We work with UMR to build a list of artists to reach out to and thankfully most of them say yes! This year is another brilliant line up with something for everyone, from Gabrielle's iconic Out Of Reach to Out The Blue by John Lennon.
"We’re really excited to be working with Bastille, who are ambassadors for us. Hope For The Future is a really special track for Dan and the band, and this gives them a chance to shine a light on it to War Child's supporters. We've also had Let’s Do It Again donated by The Last Dinner Party, which they recorded for our Help(2) album so it’s fantastic to put that out on 7” and continue that journey with the band. All the artists involved have given us something special for the project, and we couldn't be more grateful."
Catalogue from John Lennon features this time – why was it important to go beyond frontline current releases?
"The music is vital to this project and one of the main drivers is inspiring our visual artists, both established and upcoming, to create the amazing sleeves that form the exhibition. Artists don’t often get more inspirational than John Lennon, and we’re very blessed to have worked with the estate many times over the years. In fact, I think Yoko once said ‘if John were alive, War Child is the cause he would support’. The universal message of peace and love John championed is more important now than ever and his huge fanbase has come together to create some beautiful sleeves for Out The Blue.
"This year’s sleeve designers include well known names connected with bands, along with established artists, how does that help to generate interest in the auction?
"We love it when musicians get involved with the project beyond the music, and we’ve seen that this year with Orlando and No Kind Words. He’s contributed a wonderful sleeve design, which we're sure fans will have fun trying to identify at the exhibition at 180 Studios this year. Secret 7” is celebrating its tenth edition, so we have a collective of brilliant artists and designers who contribute sleeves most years. Music and art are inextricably linked and Secret 7” celebrates that beautifully. This year, we’re delighted Andy Vela, who has done all the iconic artwork for The Cure, Ben Kelly who designed the interiors for The Hacienda as well as Justine Frischmann, among others are all taking part."
What are the ambitions for fundraising, are you confident the cumulative total will pass £1m?
"Absolutely, we hope to break the £1m barrier in this tenth edition which is a fantastic legacy for the project, and comes at a time when the money raised couldn't be more needed. In 2026, over 520 million children are affected by war. That equates to 1 in 5 children globally. The need for the life saving work War Child and our partners do; getting children safe and supporting them to process and rebuild after the trauma war inflicts is more vital than ever. Projects like Secret 7” raise money that allows us to get children and caregivers the support they desperately need, so every bid on a sleeve music and art fans love makes a huge difference and we're so thankful for everyone's support."
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