Father Ray Kelly shot to Internet stardom when a video of him singing a personalized version of Leonard Cohen's 'Halleluljah' at a wedding went viral. 34 million views later, he may be on his way to pop stardom too, as he's been approached by two major music labels for a record deal.
The Irish Times reported that Kelly has been offered two separate record deals with Sony and Universal, and is currently negotiating with both labels.
“It looks like it is going to happen (the record deal). Ninety per cent of people don’t get a break and now, at this stage of my life, it is happening for me. Dreams do come true," he said, according to the Times.
Though the video was of Chris and Leah O'Kane's wedding ceremony, Kelly turned out to be the breakout star of their special day. Unfortunately, the clip was pulled from YouTube after Sony filed a copyright claim on the use of Leonard Cohen's music.
"I knew I could sing – and that I had a voice – but I never thought I'd be in this league. As a young lad I always dreamed about hitting the big time. But not many people get there," he told the Irish Independent.
Will Kelly's quick rise to fame leave his parishioners in the lurch?
"I'd like to launch an international career – but I still want to be a priest,'' he said to the Independent.