Paul Young has been announced as a special guest on Cher’s ‘Here We Go Again Tour’.
The ‘Everytime You Go Away’ hitmaker will open for the US music legend on the UK leg of the run next month, for what will be her first dates on British soil in 14 years.
Paul, 63, said: "I am truly honoured and excited to be performing as special guest for the legendary Cher on her UK tour."
The ‘Believe’ hitmaker kicks off the run at London’s The O2 arena on October 20, before hitting Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds for her first shows this side of the pond since the ‘Living Proof: The Farewell Tour’ in 2004.
Speaking about the shows, which will see the music icon perform her biggest hits and ABBA covers, she said: "I’m very excited to bring this show to the UK.
"It was the first country to embrace Sonny & Cher, and its where we created and had our first success with ‘Believe’. It’s really my second home."
The 73-year-old singer-and-actress released 10 tracks by the Swedish superstars – including ‘Fernando’, ‘Waterloo’ and ‘SOS’ – for the album ‘Dancing Queen’ last September, after starring as Ruby Sheridan, the mother of Meryl Streep’s character Donna, in ‘Mamma Mia 2’.
And the Hollywood legend took to Twitter earlier this year to tease her fans that a follow-up could be in the works, by sharing a list of potential songs she’d like to record for it.
She wrote: "If I was going to do ABBBA 2 …
"Take a Chance On Me, Super Trooper, Money Money Money, I do I do I do, Honey Honey, I Have a Dream, Vousez vous (sic), Does your mother Know, (and) Rock me (sic)"
‘Dancing Queen’ was recorded and produced in London and Los Angeles with Cher’s long-term collaborator Mark Taylor, who previously produced her hit ‘Believe’ which was number one in over 50 countries.
Though Cher was a big fan of the ‘Waterloo’ hitmakers – whose music soundtracks the movie – before she started work on the film, she hadn’t appreciated how "complicated" the tracks were until she started singing them herself.
She previously told BANG Showbiz: "In America we knew the hit songs, but then when I heard Fernando I heard a different thing. I heard the acting of it and I didn’t realise the songs were so complicated and I didn’t realise how orchestrated and produced they were."
Cher’s 2019 UK and Ireland tour dates are as follows:
October 20, The O2, London
October 24, Arena, Manchester
October 26, Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
October 28, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
October 30, First Direct Arena, Leeds
November 3,SSE Arena Belfast