Artists old and new are joining forces to launch the latest edition of Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?.
A new ‘Ultimate Megamix’ version of the track is being released for 2024 and it will be played on the radio on November 25 – the 40th anniversary of the recording of the original song.
The song will then be released on the Band Aid Compilation album on November 29, on CD and vinyl.
The charity hit – the brainchild of Bob Geldof – was initially released in 1984 to raise money for the 1983 to 1985 famine in Ethiopia.
The song went straight to the top of the charts that year and, at the time, held the record as the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, with a million copies sold in the first week alone.
It remained at number one for five weeks and led to the famous Live Aid concerts around the world the following year. There has even been a West End stage show about the event.
The new hit will feature artists who sang on that track, including the voice of the late George Michael, as well as Sting and Boy George, and stars who appeared on the more recent versions of the song in 2004 and 2014, including Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin, and the Sugababes.
The new version will also feature the vocals of a young Bono, who recorded the song's famous line, “Well, tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you", singing alongside his now older self.
Other voices featuring on the 2024 version include those of Sam Smith, Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, and Bananarama.
All proceeds are going to the Band Aid Trust and the singers will be backed by the Band Aid house band featuring Paul McCartney, Sting, Phil Collins, Queen's Roger Taylor, Supergrass's Danny Goffey, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Midge Ure, Gary Kemp, and Justin Hawkins.
