“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed” Ed Sheeran has spoken out about the new Band Aid single, and said that he would have declined to take part, if he had been asked for permission. READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘Autumn Variations’ review: a pumpkin-spiced snoozer News of a new charity single was shared last week, when it was confirmed that a ‘2024 Ultimate Mix’ version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ would be arriving later this month in celebration of the original’s 40th anniversary. The new mix of the song, produced by Trevor Horn, brings together all of the voices from three versions of the track, recorded in 1984, 2004 and 2014.
Voices included in the anniversary edition include Sting , Boy George , Sam Smith , George Michael , Harry Styles , Chris Martin , Elbow ‘s Guy Garvey , Sugababes , Bananarama , Seal, Sinéad O’Connor , Rita Ora , Robbie Williams , Kool and the Gang , Underworld and more. It also comes with a house band comprising Paul McCartney , Sting, Duran Duran ‘s John Taylor (bass), Phil Collins , Roger Taylor , Danny Goffey (drums), Thom Yorke (piano), Paul Weller , Damon Albarn , Midge Ure , Johnny Greenwood, Gary Kemp and Justin Hawkins (guitar). However, in a new update shared online, Ed Sheeran has spoken out about his feature on the track, and said that if he had been asked for permission to use his vocals, he would have declined.
The pop star sang alongside One Direction, Sam Sm.
