Legendary singer Dame Shirley Bassey will open this year’s BAFTA Film Awards ceremony.
The veteran powerhouse singer will perform the opening number at London’s Royal Albert Hall next Sunday evening, in a special performance to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond franchise.
Dame Shirley will be giving an exclusive performance of an iconic Bond theme song, the choice of which will not be revealed until the night itself.
She is the only singer to soundtrack multiple Bond films throughout her career, having recorded the themes for the films Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker.
Since the first James Bond film Dr. No was released in 1962, the franchise has gone on to enjoy huge critical and commercial success throughout the years including 32 BAFTA nominations and 4 wins to date.
Another live performer on the night will be actress Emilia Jones, nominated for her performance in CODA.
Emilia Jones will perform a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s powerful ballad ‘Both Sides Now’, a song taken from her performance in the film CODA.
Dune is the leading contender at this year’s Awards ceremony, with 11 nominations. Jane Campion’s Western The Power of the Dog follows with eight, while Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical film Belfast has six.
