The race for a new addition to the canon of Christmas radio hits seems to start earlier every year, with the likes of Dolly Parton; Kelly Clarkson; Ava Max and One Directioner Liam Payne having already thrown their latest festive offerings into the mix for 2020. Not to be outdone, British soul star Beverley Knight has unleashed her catchy new Christmas single A Christmas Wish.
Lyrically, the track wholeheartedly embraces the spirit of cheesy yuletide wordplay (“Santa please grant my wish/ There’s only one thing on my Christmas list/ Can you hear the sound of Sleigh bells ringing/ The sound of laughter and children singing”). Musically, it’s a melodic homage to the the golden era of Motown and 60s’ pop – complete with a typically rousing Beverley Knight vocal performance.
The song soundtracks the upcoming British Christmas flick The Loss Adjuster, which features an eclectic cast including Dame Joan Collins; Hear’Say and Coronation Street alumna Kym Marsh; Spandau Ballet and ex-Eastenders star Martin Kemp (aka Steve Owen); and fellow Albert Square graduate Lorna Fitzgerald (Abi Branning). The dark comedy is due for digital release on November 27th.
A Christmas Wish is Beverley Knight’s first bona fide Christmas single, though the Wolverhampton warbler had formed part of the star-studded Band Aid ensemble on the 2004 version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? The multiple MOBO award winner and former Mercury Prize nominee told Broadway World that she had never anticipated releasing a Christmas single of her own before hearing the new song.
She said “It’s great to be part of a Christmas project this year, especially in light of everything going on in the world. I had never written or recorded a Christmas song as part of my solo career, I was never really moved to do it. That is until I heard ‘A Christmas Wish’…quite simply, it bangs, and you don’t turn down bangers, no matter what the time of year! It is wonderful to release an uplifting song, spread some holiday cheer and put a smile on people’s faces.”
Thanks for such an amazing response to ‘A Christmas Wish, the theme to the loss adjuster’. I’m so glad you’re all enjoying it and I hope your friends and family love it to! The track is available to buy, download and stream now: https://t.co/BFPJsPX1Y4@LossMovie #AChristmasWish pic.twitter.com/2YUIfZoaID
— Beverley Knight (@Beverleyknight) November 14, 2020
The video for A Christmas Wish, filmed at an empty Noel Coward Theatre in London, references the singer’s ongoing support for the pandemic-blighted UK theatre sector. Knight – an Olivier Award nominee for her starring performance on stage in Memphis The Musical – has been an outspoken critic of the level of support given to the industry by the UK Government, and was among a group of performers who took part in a West End protest drawing attention to the plight of the sector in September.
Speaking to fans on her Instagram account on the day of the protest, Knight said “This is not about big names. You get tired of people wilfully pretending everyone in theatre/live entertainment is wedged up. This is about being the face and voice of many, many smaller names who will lose their careers unless big names go to bat for them. People who are overwhelmingly freelance and had no help from the government. Who don’t understand why the public has been actively encouraged to hit the pubs and restaurants, get children back in school and folk back in offices while they are not allowed get back to work.”
The Black Country songstress, who this year collaborated with veteran R&B vocalist Andrew Roachford on his album Twice In A Lifetime, recently spoke to Digital Journal about her sense of optimism about entering a new phase of her 26-year career. Describing the next chapter of her musical life as the ‘Return of the Jedi‘, Knight said “I’ve been here for a while and now the push to take on the whole world begins. I’m loving what I do, polishing it, and trying to perfect it.“
