John Lewis Christmas advert: Sussex singers who have recorded songs for ad

The festive ad is renowned for featuring adorable tales and captivating music – with Sussex musicians often at the heart of the project.

This year’s advert is a two-minute story of a young alien experiencing their first Christmas on Earth.

• READ MORE: Professor Kathleen Stock breaks silence after quitting uni amid transphobia row

Singer-songwriter Lola Young is the latest star to lend their voice to the annual advert.

The 20-year-old has recorded a cover of Together In Electric Dreams, originally released by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder in 1984, to accompany the advert entitled Unexpected Guest.

Here is a look back at some of the best John Lewis Christmas adverts from years gone by:

2020 – Celeste

Celeste

In a step away from tradition, John Lewis commissioned Celeste to produce a new track, titled A Little Love.

The musician, who was raised in Saltdean, recorded the song which focused on acts of kindness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2020 advert was part of a campaign which raised £4 million for food charities.

2017 – Elbow

In 2017, Elbow covered Golden Slumbers by The Beatles in an advert that told the story of a friendship between a seven-year-old boy called Joe and the imaginary monster under his bed, Moz.

Moz eventually realises that their late nights must end when he sees the toll they are taking on Joe. Joe wakes on Christmas morning to find a clumsily wrapped present of a night light under the tree.

2015 – Aurora

The Norwegian singer was chosen to cover Oasis’s 1994 track Half The World Away.

The advert, titled The Man On The Moon, depicted a young girl who spots a lonely old man on the Moon and decides to send him a telescope to give him a connection to Earth.

The partnership with Age UK had the tagline: “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas.”

2014 – Tom Odell

Tom Odell

The Chichester-born singer delivered a cover of Real Love by The Beatles in 2014.

Fresh from topping the charts with his debut album Long Way Down, the version of the song peaked at number seven in the UK singles chart.

The Sussex singer's vocals accompanied the tale of Monty, the imaginary friend created by a boy whose favourite toy is a stuffed penguin.

2013 – Lily Allen

In 2013, Lily Allen covered Somewhere Only We Know by Keane.

The hit went straight to number one upon release - the second John Lewis advert song to have done so.

The advert featured an array of woodland animals in a classical Disney-style setting.

2010 – Ellie Goulding

The English singers covered of Your Song by Sir Elton John.

Eight years later, in 2018, Sir Elton himself appeared in the retailer’s Christmas advert called The Boy And The Piano, which offered up a festive-themed retrospective of the musician’s career.