Former Head Chorister Henry Dukes has released the first track from his solo EP – with all proceeds going towards the Mental Health Charity.

As well as producing ‘Slow Down’, Henry has also recently completed a half-marathon in support of the Mental Health Foundation, raising almost £900.

‘Slow Down’ began life in the lockdown at the end of the Summer before growing into the first track of Henry’s first EP. ‘Slow Down’ was picked up by BBC Introducing, and Dukes recently appeared in an interview on BBC Wiltshire to promote the track. He will take part in a more extensive interview on 27th March as part of the BBC Introducing campaign.

Henry has since decided to release the track independently of his EP to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation. Before running his half-marathon, Henry said “We all know last year wasn’t great for most people and I think that, now more than ever, we should really be looking after each other and our mental health. Keep Fighting!”

Not only is he a 17-year-old singer songwriter and producer he’s also a keen footballer and all round sportsman. His half-marathon took in 1 hour 41 mins, in spite of choosing to run in the recent snowstorm.

Dukes is currently a Music Scholar at Marlborough College.

Henry plans to release the rest of the EP over the Summer. The songs are all written on the themes of Isolation and Mental Health. “I got into the habit of writing over lockdown as a way to express myself. If my music can help other people, that would make me so happy”. Dukes hopes to raise awareness of the work of the Mental Health Foundation, which was founded in 1949, and has been the UK’s leading charity for everyone’s mental health. They aim to find and address the sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.    

You can listen to Slow Down here