LadBaby and Martin Lewis recreate Band Aid song for Christmas number one attempt

The new single featuring the Money Saving Expert will be released later this week
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Chart-topping social media starsLadBaby have teamed with Martin Lewis to recreate Band Aid’s Christmas hit Do They Know It’s Christmas.

LadBaby, also known as Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, joined forces with the Money Saving Expert to record the new song, titled ‘Food Aid’, in a bid to claim their fifth consecutive Christmas number one.

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The social media duo are the first act to be allowed to rework the Band Aid song after getting permission from Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust. The single, which will be released on Friday 16 December, aims to raise money to fight against food hunger and poverty, with 100% of the profits being donated to charity.

Half of the funds will go to food bank charity the Trussell Trust, which works to end the need for food banks in the UK, and the other half will be donated to the Band Aid Trust.

LadBaby’s track will also feature several other musical collaborators alongside Mr Lewis who are yet to be announced. To rework the track, the married couple joined forces with Grammy winner Amy Wadge, who has previously worked with Ed Sheeran and Sam Ryder, to rewrite the festive song with a touch of the tongue-in- cheek humour that LadBaby are renowned for.

LadBaby have teamed with Martin Lewis to recreate Band Aid’s Christmas hit (Photo: PA)LadBaby have teamed with Martin Lewis to recreate Band Aid’s Christmas hit (Photo: PA)
LadBaby have teamed with Martin Lewis to recreate Band Aid’s Christmas hit (Photo: PA)

The Hoyles have already raised more than £1.2 million for the Trussell Trust through their chart-topping endeavours and branded partnerships, but said they are committed to doing even more as the cost of living crisis deepens.

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Last year, they made chart history by securing the Christmas number one for a fourth consecutive year, becoming the first musicians to do so in the 70 years of the Official Christmas Chart. They scored the top chart spot with novelty track Sausage Rolls For Everyone featuring Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John.

Speaking about this year’s attempt, they said: “We never intended to release a fifth Christmas single but as ambassadors of the Trussell Trust we were not prepared to sit back and do nothing in a year when people are struggling more than ever.

“The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,300 food bank centres, has told us that the cost-of-living emergency has created a tsunami of need, as people struggle to survive amidst the soaring costs of living.

“Working households, families and disabled people are all really struggling. So, a few months ago we approached Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust to ask permission to rework the most iconic Christmas track of all time, Do They Know It’s Christmas? And we were truly honoured when they said yes.”

LadBaby’s track will also feature several other musical collaborators alongside Martin Lewis (Photo: PA)LadBaby’s track will also feature several other musical collaborators alongside Martin Lewis (Photo: PA)
LadBaby’s track will also feature several other musical collaborators alongside Martin Lewis (Photo: PA)

‘A tough year for many’

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LadBaby said they knew they needed to enlist “an icon” to launch this year’s campaign and opted for Mr Lewis, who they branded “the people’s champion”.

Speaking about the collaboration, Mr Lewis said: “When Mark and Roxanne contacted me out of the blue to ask if I’d join them in Food Aid I thought they’d confused me with someone else.

“The nearest I’ve ever got to thinking about a Christmas number one is going to the loo on Boxing Day after too much orange juice the day before. Yet once I knew they were serious, and it was for the Trussell Trust, a hugely important charity I’ve a history with, I decided to give it a go, and do it with gusto.”

Mr Lewis said 2022 has been a “tough year for many” as families battle the rising cost of living, so the need to help people across the UK is “profound”. He added: “Prices have rocketed. Advice charities and food banks are swamped. Deficit budgeting is becoming more common – meaning even after everything has been cut to the bone – people still have less income than expenditure.

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“It’s going to be a tough winter, and things aren’t likely to ease much in 2023. So the need to help and support people struggling across the UK is profound. Hopefully this Ladbaby song and their lyrics will raise some cash and awareness.”

The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,300 food bank centres, told LadBaby that the cost of living emergency has created a ‘tsunami of need’, as people struggle to survive amid soaring living costs, and for the first time, the need for emergency food is outstripping donations.

Food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network distributed 1.3 million food parcels to people facing hardship – an increase of 52% compared to the same period in 2019 - and half a million of these were distributed to children.

Over the last six months, more than 320,000 people have been forced to turn to food banks in the Trussell Trust network for the first time and one in five people referred to food banks in the charity’s network are in working households.

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Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust, said: “Soaring food and fuel costs are affecting us all, but for families on the very lowest incomes this crisis means so much more and more people are likely to need a food bank’s help.

“Food bank teams are working tirelessly to ensure help continues to be available. But ultimately, no one in the UK should need a food bank – all of us should have enough money for the essentials like food, clothing and heating.”

The new LadBaby Food Aid track is now available to pre-order online and will be officially released on 16 December.

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