World Cup lullaby singing dad hopes to score Christmas hit single

By Jake Meeus-Jones via SWNS

A dad who sang his daughter to sleep with World Cup-themed lullabies has released a track and wants a Christmas number one - and is even performing at a World Cup fan zone to 800 people.

Marco Helliwell, 34, combined two of his favorite things - Christmas and the World Cup - to create his festive soccer tune and now hopes the track, called "Coming Home for Christmas," can top the charts.

Using his drama background, Marco realized he was coming up with some "nice hooks" when singing to his newborn baby, Mila, now aged one, to sleep.

Marco started to believe he had a hit with lines like "Gareth dust off your waistcoat, we're no longer the Christmas cracker joke" and he didn’t miss a chance to honor the women’s European Champions with the line "bring it home just like a Lioness."

He told his fiancé, Anna, a marketing managing director, about his plans for a Christmas number one after compiling a list of festive and football puns.

With his "biggest fan," Anna, in agreement, Marco called on some musical mates - Henry, 32, the composer; Jamie, 31, the producer, and Emmett, 31, the co-writer/music compositor - to help him put the track together in September.

They added a beat, some piano and trumpet in just two recording sessions, and by Oct. 28, the track had gone live on all major streaming platforms.

Full of confidence, Marco's song has been quoted on the official charts page as "one to keep an eye on," and he finds his tune alongside big names like Lewis Capaldi, Stormzy and Sam Smith.

Marco's hopes for festive success have been given a new lease of life as William Hill places his odds of reaching Christmas number one at 40/1 - the same as pop icons Adele, Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa.

He's even performing at the TalkSport World Cup fan zone in Waterloo, London, this weekend for England's R16 game.

Marco has also pledged to donate 100 percent of the profits from his Christmas single to FareShare - a charity committed to fighting hunger and food waste.

Marco, an estate agent from Acton, West London, said: "I’ve never seen people react the way they have to this song.

"People who are usually my biggest critics were so complimentary.

"There's something special about it.

"Having that paternity time off did wonders for me because I really had a chance to experiment and express myself.

"It was an extended amount of time where I could sing and explore vocal range.

"Because of the time of year as well, I wanted to do something as I'm always talking about the situation we find ourselves in, and I wanted to see what good could be done.

"We really want to make a difference with it. We want it to reach its full potential."

After the birth of his daughter Mila in August 2021, Marco started singing to her to sleep.

"I realized that I was coming up with some nice hooks and lyrics for a World Cup song, but it wasn’t until this year when I put Christmas and the World Cup together that I realized I was on to something," he said.

"I've always had it in me to come up with funny songs at home.

"My fiancé said she would leave the house for the day and be singing these funny songs in her head."

Before long, Marco had the makings of a full song and decided to go all out for a Christmas number one.

He called on some friends, who helped with the musical components and recorded the whole song in just two sessions.

He said: "I worked with Henry, Jamie and Emmett. We messed around in Jamie's shed, Henry put together the riff on the piano.

"Jamie was the sound engineer and put the whole thing together.

"It was recorded over two sessions and then Jamie edited it into what it is today.

"I spent the last year working on the lyrics, but it came together musically really quickly.

"Being amateurs, we knew we were up against it - it all happened so quickly.

"Then it was released on 28th October."

Marco's fiancé, Anna, was even a fan of the tune.

"Anna's my biggest fan, she always knew I had it in me to be a popstar," Marco said.

"She used to work in PR and has a marketing background, so she's been the engine.

"Basically, been my full-time agent.

"From being a nobody to potentially a Christmas number one, she's had to deal with a right diva.

"Luckily, I've had her by my side. She's done such a fantastic job.

"Considering we're not a household name, it’s been amazing. A real family effort."

It was Anna's work that also helped Marco secure his gig in front of 800 people at the TalkSport fan zone this weekend.

Marco said: "TalkSport wants me to perform when we get through to the knockout stages.

"We're also on the official charts website now too.

"I've never done this before, but it seems like everyone's got a song out at the moment.

"I'm hoping it will start getting picked up on the big radio stations soon."

Marco is confident about England's chances at the World Cup, saying: "I think we have every chance of winning it.

"You always need luck. It's been a very interesting World Cup so far.

"The World Cup brings people together and to have that at Christmas is special.

"I think we're going to start getting better and better as the tournament progresses."

It seems Marco has got the taste for comical songs as he has no plans to stop there.

He said: "I’d love to go on and do more songs.

"I've got some stuff in mind and I definitely believe I can go and create more catchy songs.

"I'd love to get them out there."