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Dance star Alison Limerick has been announced as the latest artist to feature in the eagerly anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert for 2025. The London-born singer began her career in the 1980s as a backing vocalist – featuring on Grand Union Orchestra’s 1986 world jazz album The Song of Many Tongues, and This Mortal Coil albums Filigree And Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991). She went on to score a club anthem with her 1990 solo debut single Where Love Lives (Come On In), which will feature in the advert and peaked at number nine on the UK singles chart, before eventually appearing on her 1992 debut solo album And Still I Rise. The version of the song featuring in the department store’s latest commercial, which will focus on a teenage son who uses music as a medium to express feelings for his dad, has been reimagined by artist and producer Labrinth. Speaking about her song being used in the advert, Limerick said: “I squealed when I heard that Where Loves Lives would be in the advert – literally squealed like an excited child. “Music has always had the power to bring all kinds of peeps together, but I hope this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert will give those who see it a new, emotional connection with the song – especially with what Labrinth has created. “His gentle version is just so beautiful; it’s sure to fill the heart with love.” Labrinth is best known for UK number one single Beneath Your Beautiful, which features Emeli Sande, and number two single Earthquake, featuring Tinie Tempah. He added: “To think a boy like me from east London, Hackney, who grew up watching this iconic advert would one day reimagine a classic and compose a piece of music for John Lewis’s forward thinking direction is a big deal for me. “This advert is embedded in British Christmas culture and I miss home, so I’m honoured to be a part of it.” The new version of the song will be available on a seven-inch single at John Lewis, priced at £14.99, with Limerick’s original version taking side A and Labrinth’s new version the B side. All profits will go to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme, which helps people who have grown up in care. Following the release of Where Love Lives, Limerick went on to have three further UK top 40 singles in Make It On My Own, Time Of Our Lives and Love Come Down.
