The YouTube stars, Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, are currently tied with none other than The Beatles for having four Christmas Number 1 singles. And they now hope to go one better this year by covering Band Aid’s 1984 hit ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’.
Amid the backdrop of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the pair have recruited finance expert Martin Lewis to help them record, as well as “icons from the music industry” who are yet to be revealed.
LadBaby have already worked with some notable stars before. Last year, the pair achieved their fourth consecutive Christmas Number 1 with their track ‘Sausage Rolls For Everyone’, a collaboration with Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John.
That feat was record-breaking in itself. Whilst The Beatles have four Christmas Number 1 singles to their name, only three of them were achieved consecutively.
“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,” Mark and Roxanne, aka LadBaby, said in a statement.
“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!”
Lewis inevitably had words of his own on the news, saying: “I thought they’d confused me with someone else… 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.”
My full quote about joining the LadBaby Food Aid song this Christmas… pic.twitter.com/dNInju2Jeg
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) December 11, 2022
“This has been a tough year for many, prices have rocketed,” he added, of his motives for taking part in the single. “Advice charities and food banks are swamped. Deficit budgeting is becoming more common – meaning after everything has been cut to the bone – people still have less income than expenditure.
“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.”
Yet whilst his intentions are no doubt noble, not everyone has been so enamored with the decision to raise money and awareness via a Christmas single.
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, responded to Lewis, saying: “Any music industry expert could have helped you with this; a charity single is an incredibly inefficient way to raise money.”
Writer and journalist Leigh Jones, meanwhile, argued like many that not all of the money will likely reach the Trussell Trust, adding: “There are so many middle men in music. Platforms, distributors, publishers, labels etc.”
“Any money raised for charity through charity singles gets cannibalised. If it’s a cover half the royalties go to the composer. Better off to donate the price of a single directly.”
In response, Lewis has said: “To those saying “I don’t want to buy the song, why can’t people just donate to the Trussell Trust instead.” Sounds great, pls do [sic].”
“Food banks are sadly, terribly, needed. It’s good to see funds and awareness is being raised any which way.”
The single is being released on 16 December and is available for pre-order. If you want to make a direct donation to the Trussell Trust, you can do so here.
