Justin Bieber teams up with former Christmas Number 1 rivals the NHS Choir on new version of his single Holy

The two acts had a highly publicised battle for Christmas Number 1 in 2015.

Justin Bieber will release a remix of his single Holy this week featuring his former Christmas Number 1 rivals The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.

Holy dropped in October this year with guest feature Chance The Rapper, peaking at Number 7 on the Official Singles Chart.

Now the Canadian pop superstar will be joined by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir for a new take on Holy, almost five years since the two acts were caught in the battle for Christmas Number 1 in 2015.

The new version will be released this Friday, December 18 - making it a contender for this year's Official Christmas Number 1. Proceeds from the song will be split between NHS Charities Together (which represents over 230 NHS charities) and the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Charity in recognition of the extraordinary efforts of those on the medical frontline during the Coronavirus crisis.

Bieber challenged for the 2015 festive top spot with his blockbuster ballad Love Yourself, but secured the choir their chart-topping single after he threw his considerable social media following behind them, urging his fans to download their cover of A Bridge Over You.

Bieber and the choir met in early 2016 to present each other with their Official Number 1 Single Awards.

Recording for the Holy remix took place at Abbey Road Studios in London earlier this month.

Caroline Smith, Children’s Community Physiotherapist and leader of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, said: “Justin Bieber helped make our dreams come true in 2015 and he’s doing the same this year; we really can’t thank him enough for the chance to work with him on this wonderful, uplifting song. We’re so proud to represent Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and all the heroes in the NHS.”

With this late entrant, the race for the Christmas Number 1 2020 is heating up. Bieber and the NHS Choir also face tough competition from the likes of Jess Glynne, Mariah Carey, and, er, Justin himself, who has recorded a festive covers of Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.

The Official Christmas Number 1 race runs between December 18 - 24, with the Official Christmas Chart revealed on Christmas Day on BBC Radio 1.