JUSTIN Bieber is teaming up with an NHS Choir in the hopes of creating a Christmas number one.
The Lewisham and Greenwich choir gained fame when they beat the Canadian popstar to Christmas number one in 2015, after he urged his fans to support them.
The Choir have now added their voices to a special version of his track Holy hoping to score another Christmas number one, with profits split between NHS Charities Together and the choir’s local NHS trust charity.
Holy, which also features Chance the Rapper, focuses on Bieber’s Christian beliefs and love for his wife Hailey.
During sessions at Abbey Road Studios the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Choir added their own vocals to the song.
The Choir recording at Abbey Road Studios (Carsten Windhorst/PA)
The 26-year-old popstar said: “It’s great to be reunited with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir, as we share a fun bit of UK chart history together.
“Especially in these difficult times, I’m humbled to team up with them for a charity single that will benefit NHS workers on the frontlines of this pandemic and pay tribute to their unbelievable dedication.”
39-year-old Lizzie Farrant joined the choir a month after their Christmas number one and described Bieber as "welcoming" and "so supportive of us and what we do".
Ms Farrant, who is a midwife who was redeployed during the coronavirus pandemic to help with staff shortages, said: "What a year it has been. We talk about the Christmas number one all of the time. It’s given us so much.
"And whenever we talk about the Christmas number one, Justin Bieber is never far from our lips. They are synonymous with each other.”
Ms Farrant said members of the choir who had worked on the front line of the pandemic had “seen and experienced things they never imagined they would experience”.
She added: “The choir has given us a bit of grounding. All that time we have managed to keep virtual rehearsals together.
"We have really given ourselves the support, and then for Bieber to get in touch and say, ‘I would really like to do this collaboration and share this with you’… that’s really fantastic.”
The partnership started five years ago when Bieber’s hit Love Yourself and the choir’s A Bridge Over You were competing for the Christmas number on spot.
When Bieber heard about the choir he told his Twitter follows - 80 million at that time - to "do the right thing" and help the choir reach the top of the singles chart.
Following their success, Bieber travelled to London and presented them with their chart award.
He said afterwards: “I was honoured to meet everyone from the choir and I’m really happy that they got their number one.”
Holy by Justin Bieber and Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Choir will be available from Friday December 18.
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