Aled Jones and Russell Watson, reunite for Christmas 2022 with a brand-new album
Two of the world’s greatest classical voices, Aled Jones and Russell Watson, reunite for Christmas 2022 with a brand-new album. Performing together again following a three-year hiatus, the powerhouse duo will also embark on a colossal UK tour this November and December.
Available to pre-order today and out on 4th November via BMG, Christmas With Aled and Russell features new recordings of universally beloved Christmas songs, including traditional carols such as O Holy Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem and In The Bleak Midwinter, alongside festive favourites including White Christmas, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, and Mistletoe and Wine.
Fans who pre-order a signed CD album via the Aled and Russell store will have access to an exclusive ticket pre-sale on 18th May at 10am, before general tickets go on sale on 20th May at 10am via axs.com.
The duo will record the album later this year and will be produced by long term collaborator Ian Tilley. The album is also set to feature a very special rendition of Walking In The Air – released by then boy soprano Aled in 1985 – the duo will record this iconic track together especially for the album.
Aled Jones comments, “After a crazy couple of years for us all, I can’t wait to be reunited with my mate Russell again for our third album together! I’ll always be associated with Christmas, so it’s an honour to be working with him. We always have a blast on tour, so getting to sing our favourite Christmas songs together in so many stunning venues later this year will be a real treat! You never know, Traffic Cone might even make an appearance…and hopefully Chicago has given Russ the chance to brush up on his dancing skills!”
Russell Watson adds, “Aled and I had a great time recording our first two albums, so I’m immensely excited to be back in the studio together working on our third. We had a really tough time choosing from so many magnificent Christmas songs, but we’ve whittled it down to a fabulous selection of tracks which truly mean something to us both. And to get to share a stage again during our UK tour later this year will be such a special experience after three years apart. I hope Christmas With Aled and Russell is on all of your Christmas lists, and I can’t wait to see you all on tour throughout November and December!”
Aled and Russell will perform tracks from the album throughout their UK tour later this year. Beginning in Manchester on 13th November, the tour will see the pair sing in 21 of the country’s most stunning theatres and concert halls, before ending at Croydon’s Fairfield’s Hall on 12th December.
Christmas With Aled and Russell succeeds their first two albums, 2018’s In Harmony and 2019’s Back In Harmony, both of which shot straight to #1 on the UK Classical Album Chart and the top 10 of the UK Official Album Charts upon release.
Two of the nations most treasured artists, Aled and Russell have achieved tremendous successes between them, from prestigious awards to record-breaking chart sales.
Aled Jones is the original classical crossover star, having been at the top of his game for over 40 years. Becoming one of the world’s most successful boy sopranos at the age of 12, he has since released over 40 albums and has more than 40 silver, gold and platinum discs.
Most recently he released Blessings, a multi-faith album featuring songs from a range of different religions and starred on ITV’s hit show The Masked Singer as “Traffic Cone”. He has also forged an extensive career as a TV & Radio presenter, currently hosting his own weekly show on Classic FM and the BBC’s Songs of Praise.
A favourite with the royal family since he was a child, Aled has performed for all members of the royal family throughout his life, his most memorable being a private performance for the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace. Aled was thrilled to be told by Her Majesty The Queen that her husbands favourite radio programme was his show on Classic FM.
Described by the New York Times as a performer ‘who sings like Pavarotti and entertains the audience like Frank Sinatra’, Russell Watson’s debut album The Voice saw him hold the top spot in the UK charts for an unprecedented 52 weeks in 2001, while also topping the charts in the USA, making him the first British male artiste to attain a simultaneous transatlantic #1.
Throughout his incredible career he has performed for some of the world’s leading figures, including Her Majesty The Queen, the late Pope John Paul II, and former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama.
In 2020, Russell released his latest album 20, a compilation album marking 20 years since the release of his phenomenally successful debut album, and this year has been performing the role of Billy Flynn in the popular musical Chicago.
TOUR DATES
13th Nov Manchester Opera House
15th Nov Reading Hexagon
16th Nov Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
17th Nov Southend Cliffs Pavilion
19th Nov Venue Cymru, Llandudno
20th Nov Northampton Derngate
22nd Nov Leicester De Montfort Hall
23rd Nov Brighton Dome
25th Nov Cardiff St David’s Hall
26th Nov Swansea Brangwyn Hall
27th Nov Bexhill De La Warr
29th Nov London The Adelphi
30th Nov Ipswich Regent Theatre
2nd Dec Birmingham Symphony Hall
3rd Dec Cambridge Corn Exchange
5th Dec Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
6th Dec York Barbican
7th Dec Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
9th Dec Aberdeen Music Hall
10th Dec Newcastle O2 City Hall
12th Dec Croydon Fairfield Halls
