Who is Lola Young, the singer behind 2021 John Lewis Christmas advert song?

The singer from south London covers 1984 hit 'Together In Electric Dreams', originally by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder, in an emotional campaign

Singer Lola Young is behind the song in the 2021 John Lewis advert. Getty Images

Rising star Lola Young has been chosen to provide the soundtrack to this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert.

The singer-songwriter, 20, from south London, joins previous music superstars including Ellie Goulding, Lily Allen and Tom Odell in contributing to the retailer’s annual festive campaign.

Her cover of Together In Electric Dreams, originally released by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder in 1984, accompanies Unexpected Guest – a two-minute tale of a young alien experiencing their first Christmas on Earth, complete with mince pies and novelty jumpers.

Young started writing songs aged 11 and by 13 had competed in and won a national open mic competition, and cites Joni Mitchell and Prince as early influences.

She enrolled at the arts-focused Brit School in Croydon, south London, which counts Adele, Amy Winehouse, Raye and Loyle Carner among its alumni.

After gigging around London, she secured a record deal with Island Records, owned by Universal Music Group and the home to Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.

Her catalogue so far includes the single Woman, her debut seven-track release titled Intro and the Renaissance EP.

Young has received support from radio DJs and taste-makers such as Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Jo Wiley, MistaJam and DJ Target and featured in a number of glossy magazines and news publications.

Since mid-2020 she has been in the studio writing with super-producer Paul Epworth, who has worked with artists include Adele, Florence + the Machine and Rihanna, ahead of the release of a new collection of tracks scheduled for this year.

She has a run of live dates scheduled for November and December, taking her from Dublin, London, Liverpool and Manchester to Amsterdam and Berlin.

Last year, Celeste became the first musician chosen to write and record an original song for the John Lewis Christmas advert.

In a step away from tradition, the retail giant commissioned the singer to produce a new track, titled A Little Love.