Hugh Jackman will open the Brit Awards with a track from ‘The Greatest Showman’.
The 50-year-old actor is set to grace the stage of the UK music award ceremony next week for a performance of a hit from the 2017 musical – in which he starred as circus master P. T. Barnum – despite the soundtrack to the flick not being nominated for any awards.
A music insider told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: "Brits bosses did everything they could to sign up Hugh. He may not be as cool as the younger stars performing on the night, but he will certainly be the most popular.
"They are banking on his opening performance being a must-see for fans of the movie and are convinced he will be enough to persuade older viewers to tune in.
"Because it was a soundtrack it didn’t fit into any obvious awards categories but it has been the biggest thing in music for years so they had to acknowledge it somehow."
The soundtrack to ‘The Greatest Showman’ – which also starred Zac Efron, Zendaya, and Michelle Williams – was the biggest selling album of 2018 in the UK with 1.6 million sales.
Those impressive sales put clear water of 900,000 more sales between it and the album in second place, which was the second album from George Ezra – who will also be performing at the event – titled ‘Staying At Tamara’s’, which sold a total of 691,000 throughout the year.
The Brit Awards – which will take place at London’s O2 Arena on February 20 – will also see the likes of Little Mix, Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, and Pink take to the stage, while the show will be hosted by Jack Whitehall and aired live on ITV.
Hugh Jackman to open the Brit Awards
