Craig Revel Horwood and Rietta Austin are set to join the race for the UK’s Christmas #1 with their brilliant new single, It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas!, out December 2nd. The song marks the first time Strictly judge and dancer extraordinaire Craig Revel Horwood has released music and he has partnered with his best friend – singer Rietta Austin. Pre-save HERE.
Craig and Rietta have been working on an album but first they knew they wanted to release something fun for the festive season. Written by Rietta, Craig and Nik Page (who starred as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on the West End), and self-produced by Rietta, the song will undoubtedly get you in the mood for mince pies and a cocktail or two. It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas! will be premiered on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show and released on all digital service partners immediately after. The track is accompanied by a brilliant video which will premiere the same day.
Describing the song, Craig commented: “It’s a simply fun filled FAB-U-LOUS family treat which is catchy and charismatic. We hope everyone will experience the joy and happiness of Christmas with us by dancing around the tree to it!”. Rietta added: “Craig and I are so delighted to release our first single. We had so much fun recording it and can’t wait for you to hear it and dance to it! It’s an uplifting toe-tapper, there are jokes, sleigh bells, a killer sax solo and its infectious spirit makes you just want to have a good time. Everything you could ask for during the festive season!”
Craig Revel Horwood is a household name having appeared as a Judge on all 19 series of the hit BBC1 entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing. He also both directs and appears in the annual Strictly Come Dancing Live arena tour, created the touring show Strictly Confidential and was Head Judge on Dancing With The Stars Australia and New Zealand. Craig started his career as a performer in musical theatre in his home country of Australia, before moving to London to appear in many West End musicals including Miss Saigon and Crazy For You. Craig is spending the festive season playing the wicked stepmother in the pantomime Cinderella at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. In 2022, Craig will direct a new production of the musical Strictly Ballroom starring Kevin Clifton and can also be seen touring the UK in his new one man show All Balls And Glitter.
Rietta Austin is a singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, comedian and choreographer who has released music through HedKandi, Dance Nation America, Ministry of Sound (USA) and Halo Records. She is one of the Strictly Come Dancing Live singers. She was featured on Falco’s posthumous album, The Spirit Never Dies, which charted at number 1 in Austria and number 8 in Germany and has played leads in the West End for Respect La Diva and the UK premier of Bright Lights, Big City, as well as taking roles in both the worldwide Channel 5 Freddie Mercury biopic, Who Wants To Live Forever, and Xena Warrior Princess.
