Matt Baron/ShutterstockAfter starring in a recent commercial for Snickers, it looks like Elton John plans to make appearing TV ads one of his side gigs. British newspaper The Daily Mail reports that the pop-rock legend is set to earn $6.5 million to star in one of the U.K.’s most highly anticipated Christmas commercials.
Since 2007, the U.K. department store John Lewis has produced a series of splashy Christmas TV commercials, usually featuring cover versions of popular songs. But this year, instead of having someone cover an Elton song — which the store did in 2010 when the store hired Ellie Goulding to sing “Tiny Dancer” — they’re getting the man himself to do the honors.
According to The Daily Mail, John recently spent four days filming the Christmas commercial, which will be soundtracked by his classic tune, “Your Song.” The ad will have actors playing Elton as a young boy, opening presents with his family, and will end with present-day Elton playing the piano.
A source tells the paper, “It’s a tear-jerker but also very sweet, and follows Elton from a child, through his teenage years, into how he is today. It is all very, very charming and the exciting crescendo at the end will be Elton playing his famous piano.”
The annual John Lewis ad campaign is a huge deal in the U.K., and is considered by many to signal the official kickoff of the Christmas season. ABC Radio has reached out to Elton’s rep regarding the report.
Meanwhile, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer launched his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour over the weekend in Allentown, Pennsylvania. During the show, he told the crowd, “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve given to me these past 50 years.”
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