John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 song: Meet Vaults, the band covering 'One Day I’ll Fly Away'
The band following in the footsteps of Aurora, Gabrielle Aplin, and Tom Odell
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As has become a yearly tradition, retailer John Lewis has chosen an up-and-coming artist to perform a slowed-down cover version for their Christmas advert.
This year, according to The Sun, London-based band Vaults has landed the prestigious gig, following in the footsteps of Aurora, Gabrielle Aplin, and Tom Odell.
Their cover will be of Randy Crawford’s “One Day I’ll Fly Away”, a song famously covered by Nicole Kidman for the film Moulin Rouge (her version peaking at number two on the UK charts).
So, who are the relatively unknown/soon-to-be-very-well-known Vaults? Well, the band consists of three members, Barney Freeman, Ben Vella and singer Blythe Pepino.
The band rose to fame in 2013 after posting their song “Cry No More” on Soundcloud: soon after, they released debut single “Premonitions" through the independent label National Anthem.
Following their debut EP, titled Vultures, the three-piece signed to EMI, playing several major festivals in 2014.
Their following increased sizeably in numbers after their song "One Last Night” was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, alongside The Weeknd, The Rolling Stones, and Beyoncé.
However, the release of their debut album was delayed due to Vella being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year, something he has since been given the all-clear from.
In an interview, the musician said: “I had to take a few months off. But I’m all good now and mended up. It was a tough time — it was about four months I took off in the end.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
“Blythe’s boyfriend stepped in for me for a few gigs— we were right in the middle of supporting Paolo Nutini so it wasn’t very good timing.”
Earlier this year, singer Pepino gave a revealing interview with The Independent in which she detailed her polyamorous relationship.
"I kept having relationships where there was not enough trust or communication," she said of her relationship status. "So it kind of was born out of a need to start having relationships that were totally fearless or aware of one's fears.” Read the full interview here.
Meanwhile, the full John Lewis Christmas Advert is expected to be released later this week, presumably on Thursday or Friday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments