JOHN Lewis has released its highly anticipated annual Christmas advert but there is only one question on everyone's lips - who is Lola Young?

The singer Lola Young has become the star of the retailer's latest Christmas advert that dropped at 8am this morning.

In recent years, John Lewis has become famous for its Christmas ads pulling on the heartstrings of the nation over the years - and it looks like this year is no exception. 

The 2021 advert follows the friendship between a young boy and an alien.

 

Titled “Unexpected Guest”, the two-minute advert shows 14-year-old Nathan introducing this out-of-worlder to the delights of Christmas from mince pies to Christmas jumpers.

The advert has been released around a fortnight earlier than usual since the retailer revealed that Christmas-related searches on its website were up 50% compared to this time last year.

Who is the John Lewis singer Lola Young?

 

The soundtrack to this year's advert has been provided by 20-year-old London singer and songwriter Lola Young.

In the advert, she performs a beautiful cover of Together In Electric Dreams.

The song was originally released by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder in 1984.

Young started writing songs when she was just 11 and has been tipped as the UK's next rising star after she won a national open-mic competition in 2016.

She attended the same Croydon school that has produced stars like Adele and Amy Winehouse.

Island Records now represent her - the same company that has produced music for Bob Marley, U2 and Grace Jones.

This is just the beginning for the young artist too as she is currently working on a set of new songs and has been seen working with Grammy, Oscar and BRIT Award-winning producer Paul Epworth.

You may already recognise some of her work already - one of her songs Blind Love already has two million streams on Spotify.

Sharing the John Lewis advert on Twitter this morning, Young wrote: So im singing on the@JohnLewisRetail christmas advert…yuppp, u heard me lolll whattt?

"Im covering Together In Electric Dreams, an all time classic i grew up watching these and it never even crossed my mind i could be a part of one.

"Thank u to everyone involved."

Lola Young tour dates

If you liked what you heard in the John Lewis advert today, you can also catch Lola Young on tour. There are her full tour dates below.

  • November 8 - The Sound House - Dublin
  • November 10 - Lafayette - London
  • November 11 - The Sunflower Lounge - Birmingham
  • November 13 - Poetry Club - Glasgow
  • November 15 - Arts Club - Liverpool
  • November 16 - The Deaf Institute - Manchester
  • November 25 - Melkweg - Amsterdam

Watch the new John Lewis advert here

John Lewis customer director Claire Pointon said: “There is nothing more magical than discovering the joy of Christmas for the first time and enjoying your favourite festive moments with loved ones.

“After the last 18 months, we wanted our advert to really celebrate this as we look forward to a brighter future.

“We know our customers are excited for this festive season more than ever, as they reconnect with family and friends. Through the story of Skye and Nathan we celebrate friendship and are reminded of the joy of experiencing Christmas for the first time.”

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