War Child Records

War Child Records is an independent record label and music project associated with the charity War Child, which delivers aid, education, mental health support and protection to children affected by conflict. The label is best known for benefit albums that bring together major artists to raise funds and awareness, most notably the 1995 compilation 'HELP' and its 2025 successor HELP(2). The original 'HELP' album was recorded in a single day and raised over £1.2 million for children caught in the Bosnian conflict; critics called it 'the best charity album ever made'. HELP(2) was recorded predominantly across one week in November 2025 in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, with James Ford as Executive Producer and creative direction from filmmaker Jonathan Glazer and Academy Films. Its contributor list spans Anna Calvi, Arctic Monkeys, Arlo Parks, Arooj Aftab, Bat For Lashes, beabadoobee, Beck, Beth Gibbons, Big Thief, Black Country, New Road, Cameron Winter, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell, English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Foals, Fontaines D.C., Graham Coxon, Greentea Peng, Grian Chatten, Kae Tempest, King Krule, Nilüfer Yanya, Olivia Rodrigo, Pulp, Sampha, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg and Young Fathers, among other musicians, engineers, mixers and producers. The label's releases are positioned as charity records: proceeds support War Child's work, and the project speaks to the urgency faced by the roughly one in five children globally living through war. War Child Records operates as a not-for-profit-style music imprint rather than a conventional commercial label, using the album format to convert listeners into donors and advocates.

War Child Records is the music label and album project of War Child, a charity that provides immediate aid, education, specialist mental health support and protection to children affected by conflict around the world. The label's history is closely tied to the charity's use of music as a fundraising and awareness tool. The landmark moment came in 1995 with the release of the compilation album 'HELP'. Recorded in a single day, the album raised over £1.2 million, enabling the charity to provide vital support to thousands of children caught in the Bosnian conflict. Critics hailed it as 'the best charity album ever made', and it established the template of enlisting major artists to contribute tracks for a time-limited, high-impact benefit record. Decades later, War Child Records returned to that template with HELP(2), a brand new collaborative album inspired by the 1995 release. HELP(2) was brought to life through a close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios and was recorded predominantly across one extraordinary week in November 2025. Acclaimed producer James Ford served as Executive Producer, and the album features a wide line-up of contributors including Anna Calvi, Arctic Monkeys, Arlo Parks, Arooj Aftab, Bat For Lashes, beabadoobee, Beck, Beth Gibbons, Big Thief, Black Country, New Road, Cameron Winter, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell, English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Foals, Fontaines D.C., Graham Coxon, Greentea Peng, Grian Chatten, Kae Tempest, King Krule, Nilüfer Yanya, Olivia Rodrigo, Pulp, Sampha, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg and Young Fathers, among other musicians, engineers, mixers and producers. Renowned filmmaker Jonathan Glazer and his team at Academy Films provided creative direction, overseeing filming and art direction. Like the original, HELP(2) speaks to the urgency of the situation for the roughly one in five children globally living through war today. All proceeds from the album support War Child's work. The label operates as an independent imprint, with its releases distributed digitally and physically and promoted through a dedicated website where supporters can buy, stream, donate and sign up.

• 2025

  HELP(2) recorded predominantly across one week in November 2025 in collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, with James Ford as Executive Producer.

• 1995

  Original 'HELP' compilation released; recorded in a single day and raised over £1.2 million for children in the Bosnian conflict.

Charity music label using collaborative benefit albums to fund War Child's humanitarian work for children affected by conflict.

• HELP (1995)

  Landmark charity compilation recorded in a single day; raised over £1.2 million for children caught in the Bosnian conflict.

• HELP(2) (2025)

  Collaborative charity album inspired by the 1995 release, recorded with Abbey Road Studios and executive produced by James Ford.

• HELP(2) campaign

1. 1Warchild Records | Support Music, Make a Difference - Act Nowwarchildrecords.com
2. 2About — Warchild Recordswarchildrecords.com
3. 3War Child Recordswikidata.org