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Dame Shirley Bassey Conjures Magic: Original Songs for New Harry Potter Audiobook Unveiled!

Published 3 hours ago2 minute read
Precious Eseaye
Precious Eseaye
Dame Shirley Bassey Conjures Magic: Original Songs for New Harry Potter Audiobook Unveiled!

Dame Shirley Bassey has officially joined the Harry Potter universe, decades after serving as the inspiration for a beloved character. The iconic Welsh singer has contributed three original songs to the new Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, an ambitious audio version of the acclaimed book series produced by Pottermore and Audible. One of these tracks, “You Stole My Cauldron But You Can’t Have My Heart,” was exclusively previewed.

Bassey's connection to the Wizarding World dates back to when J.K. Rowling was writing the novels. Rowling explicitly stated in 2015 that Bassey was the original inspiration for the character Celestina Warbeck, a fictional singing sensation who has appeared in the books, video games, and other media. Rowling described Celestina as “one of my favourite ‘off-stage’ characters in the whole series,” and confessed she “always imagined her to resemble Shirley Bassey in both looks and style.”

Expressing her honor at this long-standing connection, Bassey remarked, “I’m honoured to have been an inspiration for the original character of Celestina Warbeck in the Harry Potter series. Bringing her music to life in this ambitious project from Pottermore Publishing and Audible was a joy, and I hope these songs throughout the audiobooks offer a truly magical listening experience for fans worldwide.”

The three original songs showcase Bassey’s distinctive voice, blended with the rich sound of a 17-piece big band. Bassey recorded her vocal parts at Miraval Studios in France, while the big band's segments were recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. This project marks a significant musical contribution for Bassey, whose most recent original music prior to this was released in 2020 on her LP, *I Owe It All To You*.

The first of Bassey's songs is featured in the *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* audio cast, which was released on Tuesday, December 16. The other two songs, “A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love” and “You Charmed The Heart Right Out of Me,” are scheduled to appear in the *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* audio edition on April 14, 2026. Bassey joins an impressive roster of A-list talent for these new Audible productions, which are being released over several months. The cast is led by Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort, Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape, and Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall.

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