Gary Barlow and Sheridan Smith release super festive new song 'How Christmas is Supposed to Be'

24 November 2021, 12:41 | Updated: 16 November 2022, 16:06

Gary Barlow has unveiled his new Christmas single, and it's a festive extravaganza.

Teaming up with actor and singer Sheridan Smith, Gary has released the song 'How Christmas Is Supposed to Be' today (November 24), with its super fun video premiering at 7pm tonight.

The Take That star, whose album The Dream of Christmas follows on Friday, first met Sheridan backstage at the Royal Variety Performance last year.

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Ten months on, Gary asked Sheridan to sing with him as part of his popular Crooner Sessions, with fantastic results.

Gary Barlow - How Christmas Is Supposed To Be (Official Video) ft. Sheridan Smith

He told The Sun: “Everyone loves Sheridan, don’t they? She’s a great ball of energy and a great laugh. She’s just wonderful — and is a great actress and singer.

“We met in the wings of the Blackpool Opera House last year, while waiting to go on for the Royal Variety Performance. She just said: ‘I’m a big fan, will you take my number and keep in touch?’

“So we swapped numbers and then when I wrote How Christmas Is Supposed To Be last year, I just thought of her immediately.

How Christmas Is Supposed To Be

“The song is about a couple who have a falling-out, they can’t do things right, it looks like they might split up. The video needed a bit of acting so I thought Sheridan would be great. She had a listen to it then she was on the phone saying, ‘Yes, let’s do it’.”

Speaking about the album, he said: “We were all trying to make Christmas feel good last year.

“It was a really hard Christmas for so many because of the scenario we all found ourselves in. So to try and make things a bit special, I started writing these songs.

“I had never listened to those classic Christmas songs with the idea of singing them myself, but as this record evolved, so did my appreciation for these wonderful songs. It all started off as a bit of a dalliance in the studio and before I knew it, I had a whole album!”

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The album also features duets with Aled Jones and The Puppini Sisters, and comes as standard 11-track and deluxe 15-track editions.

Gary will support the album with a series of live shows across the UK in November and December, with support act Leona Lewis.