Behind John Lewis and Richard Ashcroft's reveal of 'The Gifting Hour' cover star

John Lewis and legendary singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft have announced Mel Raeburn as the winner of their nationwide singing competition, a key part of this year’s Christmas campaign, created by Saatchi&Saatchi.

The competition invited aspiring musicians to perform their renditions of the advert’s original track, ‘Sonnet,’ written by Ashcroft. Over 1,000 entries poured in via TikTok, showcasing a variety of covers, including performances by NHS colleagues, a ukulele band, pets from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and soulful solo artists. The campaign also featured support from the John Lewis choir, Britain’s Got Talent’s Ace Clvrk and Will Young.

Raeburn captivated the judging panel, including Ashcroft, with a subtle arrangement and harmonies that embodied the emotional depth of the festive campaign. The singer recorded her version of ‘Sonnet’ at Angel Studios with acclaimed producer Tim Bran, known for his work with London Grammar and Birdy. The track will be digitally released on December 19 via BMG, with proceeds supporting the Building Happier Futures charity, and will feature in a special Christmas Day airing of the advert.

John Lewis’ brand director, Rosie Hanley, said: “This year, we took the chance to feature an original song in the Christmas advert to run the cover star music competition and give the nation the opportunity to be part of something really special.

“This year’s Christmas campaign centred around connection, digging a little deeper into your heart and exploring deep connections - finding our cover star has been a fantastic way to extend that message. Mel Raeburn truly embodies the spirit of our campaign, and we’re so excited to share their incredible talent on our ad airing on Christmas day.”

The ad marks the third chapter in John Lewis’s Golden Quarter campaign. Raeburn's cover can be pre-ordered here.

Satachi&Saatchi CPO, Jess Ringshall discusses the journey behind the music and competition.

In the development process of this year's JL campaign, when was the decision made on which song to run with? 

We knew the track worked pre-shoot, but we always had to see how it worked on the edit. And it was clear that it was perfect. 

Why was Sonnett chosen as the right one to accompany the film? 

It's classic British pop, and we felt it was the track the girls would have listened to together as teenagers. It's nostalgic and sentimental while also driving the film.

How involved has Richard Ashcroft been in the whole process? 

Richard became very involved creatively in the main ad as he loved the film and even gave feedback on sound design. We also worked closely with his musical producer from the Hymns album.

Richard's musical team worked with us and John Lewis to determine a shortlist for the competition element, which Richard reviewed. He took the competition very seriously and was impressed with the entry standard. 

Why launch a talent search through TikTok as part of the campaign? 

The music in the John Lewis Christmas ad has always captured the nation's heart. Traditionally, John Lewis has reimagined a classic nostalgic song. However, this year, it was important narratively for the track to include an original song the sisters would have listened to together. But we didn’t want people to miss out on the much-loved cover treatment, so we set out to make the most covered non-cover ever. TikTok was the perfect platform for this. 

What was the biggest challenge around this element of the campaign and making it such a success? 

Time - making sure we could get the entries in and collated in time post-film launch. We also had to set up a recording session to lay down the winning track without knowing what type of entry the winner would be.  

How surprising was the response to that search in terms of volume and the varied cover versions you heard/watched? 

We had NHS nurses, mothers holding babies, and Opera singers—the variety was massive! The response has been incredible, with well over 1,000 people submitting.  

Where will winner Mel Raeburn's version be heard/found? 

Mel signed a single deal with BMG, and the single will be released on December 19. 

When/where will the special Christmas edit be aired?

Christmas Day.