State Champ Radio holiday
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All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The holiday season has arrived, and with it many savings opportunities to check off all the gifts for everyone on your […]
Jimmy Fallon’s first festive album, ‘Holiday Seasoning,’ debuts at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart and at No. 1 on the Comedy Albums chart (both dated Nov. 16). It’s the entertainer’s first album release since 2012. The star-studded set launches with nearly 13,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week […]
Charlie Puth is in the festive mood, and to celebrate, he dropped a new holiday song, “December 25th,” on Thursday (Nov. 7). “December 25th is the day I always miss you the most/ ‘Cause the music and the lights, it reminds me of a night/ That you told me you had to go/ December 25th […]
The holiday duo we didn’t know we needed! Former Phildelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce teamed up with the legendary Stevie Nicks for a cover of Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe This Christmas,” released on Friday (Nov. 8) via Vera Y Records. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Maybe forgiveness […]
‘Tis officially the season, and Jason and Travis Kelce are getting into the holiday spirit with their new Boyz II Men-assisted Christmas song, “It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights),” which arrived on Friday (Nov. 1).
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The track, which details the NFL duo returning to their hometown after some time away, gets an R&B spin thanks to Boyz II Men’s harmonies as they sing, “It feels so good to be back home again with all my family and friends/ Sharing gifts and memories/ We make under the Christmas tree.”
“I always have a blast when I get to join the guys on the Christmas album, but it was wild to be on a song with a group as iconic and timeless as Boyz II Men,” Travis said in a press statement. “My friends and I grew up on their music, and it’s still in the rotation today, so it was just an unreal experience.”
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“It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights)” marks the first single off A Philly Special Christmas Party, the third charitable album from The Philly Specials, a.k.a Jason Kelce, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. Last year’s A Philly Special Christmas Special raised over $3 million and featured singles “This Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Fairytale of Philadelphia” and “Pretty Paper.”
Additionally, to celebrate the single, Jason and Travis’ mother, Donna Kelce, will bring exclusive The Philly Specials-inspired holiday ornaments to QVC on Nov. 1 starting at 8 p.m. ET. They will be sold as a set of four and will come with ornaments of Jason, Jordan, Lane and a Christmas tree. Proceeds from the vinyl sales will go to support Children’s Crisis Treatment Center’s Holiday Toy Drive, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Snowflake Station and 87 and Running Foundation, plus a number of other Philadelphia based organizations.
A Philly Special Christmas Party is set for release on Nov. 22. Listen to “It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights)” below.
Jimmy Fallon is ready to ring in the most wonderful time of the year, and the Tonight Show host will accompany his upcoming festive album with a television special. Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular will feature a star-studded lineup of guest appearances, including Cara Delevingne, Dolly Parton, J.B. Smoove, Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, LL COOL […]
For anyone aching to start the holiday season early, Clay Aiken is here to deliver tidings of comfort and joy.
On Wednesday (Oct. 16), the American Idol alum announced his new holiday album, Christmas Bells Are Ringing, due Friday, Nov. 22. Reimagining 10 classic holiday songs in his signature soulful style, Aiken’s LP will mark his first full-length release in over a decade.
“It’s been a while, but it feels like the right time to release this album. The whole world is a mess these days, so I think we could all use a bit more of the kindness and cheer that comes with the holiday season,” Aiken tells Billboard in an exclusive statement. “The holidays have taken on a different meaning for me over these past 15 years as a father. I’m excited to share that Christmas spirit with this album.”
Aiken is also offering fans a tease of what’s to come with his new rendition of the Christmas classic “Do You Hear What I Hear,” made popular by Bing Crosby. Revitalizing the Christmas anthem, Aiken said in a statement that he wanted to share a song that offered people hope in a year of intense divisiveness. “The whole American political climate over the past few years hasn’t really given us much in the way of hope or optimism,” he said. “As much as I wanted to believe I might be able to make some positive change in that world, I’ve realized that music often does a better job of that.”
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The album is set to feature a slew a holiday classics, including the Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas, Darling,” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and even Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”
In the 12 years since Aiken’s last studio album, 2012’s Steadfast, Aiken has set his aspirations to other fields: In 2022, the singer ran for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional district, stating that he was inspired to run after seeing North Carolina’s lieutenant governor Mark Robinson ask “What is the purpose of homosexuality?” during a speech and wanting people in office “to start acting like grown-ups instead of children.” Aiken ultimately lost his primary to Rep. Valerie Foushee, who went on to win the seat.
Listen to Aiken’s rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear” and see the full track list for his upcoming holiday album below:
Clay Aiken’s Christmas Bells Are Ringing tracklist:
Merry Christmas, Darling
It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Caroling, Caroling
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Pure Imagination
Ave Maria
All Year Long
Wonderful Christmastime
Magic Moments
On This Silent Night
John Legend is bringing his acclaimed 2018 A Legendary Christmas album back on the road this year, with the 45-year-old EGOT winner unveiling a string of 11 festive U.S. shows slated for this holiday season.
As announced exclusively with People, the run will kick off Dec. 2 with a performance in Highland, Calif., followed by more dates in California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. “My hope for these shows is that they feel like a gathering of friends by the fireside — where the music brings warmth, joy, and a sense of togetherness,” he told the publication.
“Over the years, I’ve experienced the holidays in so many ways, and each version of me — from my childhood to now as a father — has shaped the way I approach this season,” the “All of Me” vocalist continued. “I want to share that journey with the audience, through songs and stories that celebrate both the festive spirit and the moments that bring us closer. I hope people leave feeling like they’ve been part of something warm, familiar, and special.”
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In addition to moments of storytelling about Legend’s career and life with his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, and their four children, the trek will see the musician joined by a four-piece band performing tracks — many of which are covers of holiday classics, such as “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — from A Legendary Christmas. Produced by Stevie Wonder and Raphael Saadiq, the LP peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 in 2020.
Fans can secure tickets when a presale kicks off at 10 a.m. local time Monday (Oct. 7) on Legend’s website. A general public on sale will follow at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday (Oct. 9).
Legend previously toured in support of A Legendary Christmas in 2018, unveiling a 25-date trek in October of that year at the same time he announced the album. The Voice coach most recently dropped an album of children’s songs and lullabies titled My Favorite Dream, featuring cameos from Teigen, 8-year-old daughter Luna and 6-year-old son Miles.
“I’m right in the thick of fatherhood,” he wrote in a statement ahead of My Favorite Dream‘s release in August. “My parents loved to sing around the house, making up bedtime songs for us and songs to motivate and inspire us. And Chrissy and I also love singing to our kids. We make up little jingles and ditties for them all the time. In our home, music is very important to the way we interact and communicate with them.”
See Legend’s A Legendary Christmas Tour dates below.
Over the past decade-plus, Illinois native Brett Eldredge has earned five No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits (including the two-week chart-toppers “Don’t Ya” and “Wanna Be That Song”) and has seen two of his albums rise into the top 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
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Thanks to his velvety, timeless vocal delivery, his annual holiday-themed Glow concerts and two albums comprised of primarily classic holiday songs (2016’s Glow and 2021’s Mr. Christmas), he’s also earned a reputation as an essential artist to help usher in the spirit of the holiday season.
On Sept. 27, Eldredge will extend that reputation with his third holiday album, Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family), an eight-song collection of original holiday songs. Eldredge, who is managed by Q Prime South, is also turning a new page professionally, as the album will be the first released on Eldredge’s own independent label, Warm and Cozy Records. Eldredge previously parted ways with his longtime label home, Warner Music Nashville.
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“The run we had together at Warner was very special and it ended with respect and love,” Eldredge tells Billboard via email. “I am so grateful for the wonderful team of humans at Warner and the work and belief they always had for me. At the end of the day, I missed the feeling of betting on myself. That feeling when you first get to town, knocking on doors and playing anywhere they would let me in the doors with my guitar and an eager voice that wanted to be heard…I have that hunger to bet on myself and starting my own label felt like the perfect way to do that.”According to Q Prime South’s Randi Tolbert, ADA will handle distribution for the label, with Q Prime South and Q Prime New York label services handling duties including marketing, press, radio and digital.
Asked if there are plans to sign additional artists to his Warm and Cozy label, Eldredge notes that at the moment, his sights are set on releasing his own music, and he’s immersed in “making music that I love by cutting out expectations or outside pressures and anything that would influence my creative spirit. I love the freedom of it all so far…I am going to focus on that for now, but who knows what the future holds!”
Among the original songs on the new album is “Sweet December,” a duet with Kelly Clarkson (the two previously collaborated on “Under the Mistletoe,” featured on Clarkson’s 2021 holiday album, When Christmas Comes Around).
“After singing ‘Under the Mistletoe’ together, I knew there was no one else in the world I wanted to sing this song with,” Eldredge says in a statement. “Kelly’s voice has this soulful retro feeling. I’ve never done a Christmas song in this style, and I really love it.”
Clarkson adds in a statement, “I’ve been fortunate enough to record songs with Brett, go see him live, and have him on my show! He has one of my favorite voices and I will sing with him anytime, anywhere! I hope people dig ‘Sweet December’ as much as we do!”
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The vinyl edition of the upcoming album will be released Oct. 25, bolstered by Welcome to the Family: The Game, an exclusive board game printed onto the vinyl edition’s gatefold.
For Eldredge, seeing the growing success of his holiday-centered music is a fulfillment of the dreams and ideas he had as a young vocalist, inspired by the sounds of timeless holiday songs each season.
“I think the success of this Christmas business or any business is to dig into what sparked it before it mattered to anyone else but yourself,” he tells Billboard. “That’s how I feel about this whole Christmas dream that has blown up to a level I only used to dream about as a kid, sitting by the tree singing along to Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby. That whole feeling of, ‘What if one day I could make music classic and cool like this, with my own holiday original songs? What if I could make people feel the way I do right now just listening and dreaming?’ When it all gets overwhelming, which indeed any type of success or ‘business’ does, I like to imagine taking a seat next to that 12-year-old me and saying, ‘Can you believe we are doing this?’”
Eldredge also notes to Billboard that fans can likely expect to hear a variety of sounds from him in the future as he explores musical avenues.
“I love so many types of music and I am inspired that we now live in an era where there can be a home on different playlists for different styles,” he says. “It honestly makes the live shows more fun and expansive too. I have a lot of different styles and sounds in my bag of magic tricks that I can’t wait to get out to the world!”See the tracklist for Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family) below:
1 “Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family)”
2 “It Must Be Christmas”
3 “Sweet December” (featuring Kelly Clarkson)
4 “Warm and Cozy”
5 “The Night St. Nick Got Sick”
6 “Season of Lights and Wonder”
7 “Who Will You Be Kissing on New Year’s Eve?” (featuring Idarose)
8 “Welcome to the Family” (Reprise)
It looks like Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll had an excellent time celebrating America’s birthday this year. On Thursday (July 4), the podcaster shared a video on TikTok of her fun-filled Independence Day with the country star and their family, featuring swimming, grilling and, yes, lots of fireworks. Jelly kicks off the clip by greeting […]
