‘Unwritten’ Pride – Local singer appears in British airways video
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A Tallaght singer appeared in a video for British Airways last month performing a cover of Natasha Beddingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ to mark Pride Month.
Joey McAleer-Barrix, 34, from Aylesbury, lives in Texas with his husband Troy Barrix, where he works as a sales hub manager in North America for British Airways.
Joey and his husband Troy
However, Joey’s passion is singing. He was formerly a member of the Jubilee Folk Choir, based in St Martin de Porres’ Church in Aylesbury, and he has been in the Dublin Gospel Choir since 2007.
When he was a student in Old Bawn Community School, Joey regularly performed in the school’s annual talent show and his enjoyment of singing has never waned.
Ahead of Pride Month, which was held in June, Joey decided to blend his passion with his work when he got the green light from British Airways to record a cover of ‘Unwritten’ to mark the month-long event.
He worked remotely alongside colleagues from British Airways’ Dublin office, Alexander Keech and Ayelen Ruiz-Garcia, to organise Pride events for the company, including the cover video.
Joey enlisted members of the Dublin Gospel Choir for the video, with the help of choir director Orla Gargan.
The performance was recently showcased at the start of one of British Airways’ commercial calls.
Explaining why he chose to cover ‘Unwritten’, Joey told The Echo: “‘Unwritten’ is one of my favourite songs.
“Part of the song has a gospel choir feel, and the lyrics are all about being an individual and being your own person. I thought it really fit the whole theme of Pride.”
The cover, which was recorded remotely, went down well with British Airways employees, as did a number of events Joey and his colleagues held over Microsoft Teams, such as an LGBTQ+ trivia quiz and a Pride anthems quiz, for the airline’s staff.
“Pride means so much to me,” explained Joey. “It’s about being proud of who you are and being unapologetic about it – who is anyone else to question who you love?”
Joey added that he is proud to work for British Airways, which he described as a diverse and inclusive company, and he enjoyed being actively involved in organising their Pride Month celebrations.
While Joey said he is heartened to see progress for LGBTQ+ rights, including the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland, adoption rights for same-sex couples and increased awareness around gender identities and pronouns, he feels that more work needs to be done to ensure equality for all.
“Even though Pride is only for one month, it should be something that people do every month of the year, so that we continue to educate ourselves and not make people more marginalised,” he said.
“There are people in the LGBTQ+ community in other countries who don’t have a voice, and it’s up to the western world to speak up for them and put pressure on those governments to change.”
To watch Joey and the Dublin Gospel Choir’s performance of ‘Unwritten’ for Pride Month 2021, visit www.tinyurl.com/BAPride1
