Only Boys Aloud was started by Only Men Aloud, to encourage singing among young men across South Wales.

Founded by Only Men Aloud in May 2010, Only Boys Aloud is a choir made up of approximately 175 young men aged 14 – 19 who rehearse weekly in local Only Boys Aloud Choirs stretching from Cross Hands to Cwmbran and Treorchy to Caerphilly coming together to rehearse and perform as a mega-choir at regular intervals. The boys are mentored and trained by nine Team Captains who are members of Only Men Aloud and also supported by volunteer Community Leaders.

Established to re-invigorate the Welsh male choral tradition, OBA also embraces choral singing as a means for these young men to broaden their horizons and grow in ability and self–confidence in a supportive environment whilst also challenging long-held misconceptions about teenage males from South Wales.

OBA aims to offer the boys extraordinary experiences underlining the fact that as an engaged member of a choir, a wealth of opportunities can open up for them. The boys’ inaugural appearance took place at the National Eisteddfod at Ebbw Vale in 2010. Since then they have appeared at many high-profile events including at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff with Dame Shirley Bassey and Catherine Zeta Jones in the Ryder Cup Welcome to Wales concert and at London’s South Bank Centre. In December 2011 they joined forces with their father company, Only Men Aloud, to perform on the final night of OMA’s arena tour at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena and also featured on OMA’s Christmas CD. They have been the subject of two TV documentaries and appeared on BBC’s Songs of Praise. Equally important for the group are the community-based performances in which the boys perform which, combined with the larger events, give them a breadth of experience.

Only Boys Aloud is an open-access project – any boy aged 14-19 who commits to the weekly rehearsals is warmly welcomed to their local group and is not required to audition.

OBA is made possible by the very generous support of its sponsors, who include Principality Building Society, Arts & Business Cymru, Welsh Government and Redrow Homes with in-kind support from John Lewis and Cranes Music Shop.