The holidays are here, which means Christmas music has fully infiltrated the charts, radio and mall speakers alike.
Most of that music precedes this year, from traditional classics sung by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Brenda Lee to contemporary hits from Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson and Michael Bublé — all names that regularly appear on the Hot Holiday Songs chart each year. But like every year before it, 2024 is closing with a bevy of new Christmas recordings from modern artists spanning pop, R&B, hip-hop, K-pop, jazz and rock.
Some of those artists — Lady Gaga, RAYE and Laufey, to name a few — put their own inventive spins on famous carols that originated long before this year. Others — such as FIFTY FIFTY, Coco Jones and GloRilla and Kehlani — released brand-new anthems celebrating love, light, mistletoe, snow, presents, family and all the good stuff we know and love about the best time of year. Meanwhile, a few musicians like Bleachers, Jessie Reyez and Conan Gray went the complete opposite direction with their original tracks, spurning festive stereotypes and tapping into the more melancholy parts of the holidays that people sometimes struggle with.
If you’re ready to stir something new into your Christmas playlists, Billboard presents the 25 best new seasonal tracks from artists of all genres and backgrounds ready for playback as we bid adieu to 2024. And who knows? Some or all of these tracks might just end up becoming new favorites that you’ll return to for yearly listening.
Keep reading to see our staff picks below.
After performing it with Zane Lowe on Apple’s A Carpool Karaoke Christmas, Lady Gaga surprise-dropped her soulful rock cover of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on streaming services, adding hers to a collection of famous spins on the classic by artists and acts including Bruce Springsteen, the Jackson 5 and more.
Nigerian star Pheelz gave “Twelve Days of Christmas” a modern Afrobeats shakeup for Apple Music’s exclusive Carols Covered playlist.
Also on Apple’s Carols Covered playlist is a gorgeous cover of “O Holy Night” from RAYE, whose effortless vibrato and gospel harmonies will take you to church.
German pop-punk rebel Nina Hagen reemerged this holiday season to cover “Silent Night” in her native language — in which the original ode was written — combining peaceful lyrics with vibrant drums and a grooving bass line.
Written and recorded for Netflix’s That Christmas, “Under the Tree” features Sheeran’s passionate vocals and swelling strings as he pines after a lost love over the holidays.
As the flagship artist introducing younger generations to jazz, it was only right for Laufey to use her prodigal skills for Christmas music. The Icelandic musician sounds gorgeous on all four tracks of her new EP, A Very Laufey Holiday, but her orchestral “Santa Baby” cover is particularly warm and cozy.
Brett Eldrege’s smooth crooning sounds exactly like the title of “Warm and Cozy” suggests. The cheerful track is one of eight songs on the singer-songwriter’s new album, Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family).
Propelled by a slap bass, saxophone and bright harmonies, Jimmy Fallon and the Jonas Brothers’ “Holiday” collaboration is a funky standout from the late night host’s 2024 Holiday Seasoning album. The project also features tracks with Meghan Trainor, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion, among others.
Flirty and plucky, “Parson Brown” finds Dan + Shay paying tribute to one of Christmas’ most under-appreciated characters: the clergy member in “Winter Wonderland” who asks, “Are you married?” The tongue-in-cheek track appears on the country duo’s 2024 festive album, It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album.
The five voices of Pentatonix unite with the two voices behind A Great Big World for a moving ballad celebrating the arrival of the best time of year. Expect emotional piano, swelling strings and gorgeous harmonies when pressing “play,” and don’t be afraid to “sing it loud for all to hear.”
Calum Scott and Christina Perri will have you feeling achingly nostalgic with “Kid at Christmas,” on which the duet partners’ voices cascade over emotional piano while singing about the magic of the holidays carrying over from childhood.
Through voice-isolating technology, the late Bing Crosby’s estate was able to take an old recording and fashion it into a duet with one of the world’s biggest modern pop stars: V of BTS. The result was a revamped version of one of music’s most enduring holiday classics with the two cross-generational stars’ silky voices blending in perfect tandem.
Jennifer Hudson’s dazzling personality and powerhouse vocals shine through on this soulful ode to one of the holiday season’s biggest stressors: Christmas shopping. The original tune is one of 16 tracks on the vocalist’s brand new album, The Gift of Love.
The members of Little Big Town harmonize over finger-picked guitar on “Evergreen,” which poetically posits that our memories with late loved ones are forever, even if those people aren’t here with us anymore. The track is one of 11 on the band’s 2024 holiday album, The Christmas Record.
On “Holidays,” Conan Gray reflects on the loss of youth, love and innocence measured incrementally with each passing Christmas. “The years have passed but you laugh exactly the same/ When I see you for the holidays,” the California native sings over tender strings and haunting bell tones.
Saweetie’s “I Want You This Christmas” is the flirty holiday rap song equivalent of a romantic Christmas fireplace. For anyone you might want to meet under the mistletoe, this is the track to send them.
Both Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce get solo moments to shine on the former’s original Christmas tune, each of the singers taking a verse before their voices twist together on the chorus. Bublé also dropped a solo version of the track, as well as one featuring Carlos Rivera.
Forget hippopotamuses and two front teeth. Megan Moroney knows exactly what she wants under her Christmas tree: a strapping cowboy. Please, Santa, please.
Mt. Joy teamed up with Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata for “Santa Drives an Astrovan,” a folksy, “Jingle Bells”-sampling standout from The Philly Specials’ 2024 charity album, A Philly Special Christmas Party.
Kelly Clarkson, one of the queens of contemporary Christmas music, returned with another holiday banger in 2024. The superstar’s vocals soar on the high-energy “You for Christmas,” which appears on her When Christmas Comes Around … Again album.
FIFTY FIFTY combine fun K-pop with snazzy retro jazz vibes on “Naughty or Nice,” a pace-changing banger that finds the girl group taking a page out of Santa Claus’ book and asking the eternal question: Are you naughty or nice?
Only GloRilla and Kehlani could make a Christmas song that’s simultaneously beautiful and bada–. The two women perfectly complement each other’s energies on this dynamic track as the Memphis rapper’s swaggering bars contrast with the R&B vocalist’s melodic refrain: “Nothing compares to the love at Christmas time.”
For anyone feeling more like a Grinch or Scrooge about the 2024 holidays, Jessie Reyez’s angry new post-breakup anthem cathartically disavows parties, mistletoe, Santa Claus and everything else about the season.
Bleachers shared the melancholy rock track “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” in November for “everyone who experiences the holidays as a time to clean out those who have done you wrong,” frontman Jack Antonoff wrote on Instagram the day it dropped.
Coco Jones breathed new R&B-pop life into the Christmas music canon with Coco by the Fireplace, a four-track holiday project. Standout track, “Santa Is Me,” is all about indulging in some well-earned self-love and retail therapy around the holidays, with the singer’s silky voice gliding over a punchy drum beat and lush harmonies as she sings, “If I don’t have anyone, I’m enough for me.”
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