00s pop star ‘resents’ her Christmas hit and was ‘threatened’ into performing it-Laura Harman-Entertainment – Metro

Lily Allen has revealed that she was pressured into creating her hit Christmas cover of Somewhere Only We Know – and made nothing from the hit.

Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver discussed Christmas number ones on their podcast Miss Me?

In their latest episode titled Netflix and Kill, Lily revealed that she didn’t want to make her Christmas hit which was used in the John Lewis advert of 2014.

She explained that she made no money on the hit song and felt that it didn’t fit with the rest of her repertoire.

‘I had a Christmas song, it was number one for four weeks but then I think Mariah Carey or someone else came along and did her thing.

‘It would be irritating if I gave an iota of a s**t, but I don’t so,’ the Smile singer said.

The artist has been running a podcast since March 2024 (Picture: BBC Sounds)

The Christmas song was released in 2014 (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Explaining her frustration with the song she explained that she felt that it defined her for some listeners. She commented: ‘I sort of feel like I’ve been defined by that song and it’s not my song and I didn’t write it so it irritates me.’

‘It’s nice that it brings people joy and that people connect to it and it makes them feel good. I like to have an effect like that.’

She then added that while she loves John Lewis, singing for the advert was’never on [her] bucket list of things to do.’

Lily explained that ‘really didn’t want to do it’ but the offer came just as her album Sheezus was about to come out.

‘They pitched it right so my management company came to me and said, they have got a bunch of people to pitch and it’s unlikely that you’ll get it but can you do it?’

She then added that her management told her: ‘If you don’t do it morale will be low in the marketing department when it comes to your album.’

‘I was very pressured into it,’ she admitted.

Lily has released four studio albums over the years (Picture: John Nacion/WWD via Getty Images)

The Not Fair singer explained that John Lewis had selected the song, and she was one of around 20 artists to submit covers that went with their ‘Bear and the Hare video.’

She said she spent 45 minutes recording the song and just ‘chucked it out’, adding that she made nothing on the release as it was a cover of Keane’s song.

Lily added that Keane ‘made a killing’ but added that she didn’t ‘begrudge’ them.

The John Lewis advert has featured several covers which have become huge hits during the festive period.

In 2015 the advert featured Aurora’s cover of the Oasis song Half the World Away. In2016 Randy Crawford’s One Day I’ll Fly Away was performed by English electronica band Vaults.

In 2012, Gabrielle Aplin was featured in the advert, singing a cover of The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

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