Colwyn Bay singer joins comic Peter Kay on Christmas single

Dec 11 2008 by Steve Stratford, North Wales Weekly News

Tesni Jones

A COLWYN Bay singer is hoping for a Christmas number one after singing backing vocals on Peter Kay’s festive single.

Tesni Jones, 23, of Mochdre has been singing since the age of 14 and has enjoyed some success as part of the band XYP in Holland and as a solo artist.

But her biggest break yet came after top record producer and songwriter Eliot Kennedy, who has written for the Spice Girls, Dannii Minogue and Celine Dion, asked her to sing backing vocals on Bolton comedian Peter Kay’s Christmas single Once Upon a Christmas Song.

Tesni said: “I first met Eliot when I was part of XYP and have stayed in touch with him ever since. It was way back in March this year that he rang me to ask if I would sing on Peter Kay’s single and I leapt at the chance. It was a bit strange recording a Christmas song in March!”

The single is the second released by Peter Kay’s transexual alter-ego Geraldine McQueen, a character taken from the comedian’s well-observed spoof talent show Britain’s Got the Pop Factor and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice.

Geraldine’s first single, The Winner’s Song, reached number two and the follow-up – co-written by Kay and Take That’s Gary Barlow – is released next Monday.

Tesni said: “It’s so exciting to be involved with such a high-profile project, and of course Peter Kay is hilarious! I haven’t met Peter yet, but I am going to be performing the song with him on stage at a charity gig in Sheffield next week, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Also on the bill at Sheffield City Hall is Canadian singer Bryan Adams and the cast of ITV1’s teen soap Britannia High.

So after her live gig next week, what’s next for Tesni?

She reveals: “I’m starting to write my own songs at the moment. I’m in no rush to get my ‘sound’, I’m just finding my feet and taking my time, so who knows what’s around the corner in 2009?”

Tesni certainly didn’t expect to be singing on a Christmas song by Peter Kay pretending to be a woman who used to be a man, so at the moment anything is possible!