holiday
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06/30/2023
From celebratory to critical, here are 30 tracks inspired by the U.S. of A.
06/30/2023
Mariah Carey might not officially hold the title of the Queen of Christmas after a fierce trademark battle, but her performance on the Billboard charts certainly suggests otherwise. On Tuesday (Dec. 27), the singer reacted with glee after finding out that her holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” hangs atop the Billboard Hot 100 for an 11th total week, extending Carey’s record for the most weeks of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart: 90 throughout her career.
“I can’t even handle this news.. I’m jumping up and down in the snow..! Meanwhile Cha Cha is swimming around and Mutley is howling like a kid running around in circles feeling our energy,” Carey captioned photos of the song crowning the Hot 100, the Global 200 and the Global Excl. U.S. charts, along with Christmas tree, snowflake and wrapped gift emojis.
While the holiday classic leads for a third week this holiday season, it’s far from the first time it has achieved this feat — “Christmas” has topped the Hot 100 during the holidays each year since December 2019. Meanwhile on the Global 200, “Christmas” earned a 12th total week at No. 1, along with a seventh week atop Global Excl. U.S., dating to the charts’ inceptions two years ago.
Carey also scored another major achievement for “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on Christmas Day. On Twitter and Instagram, the singer shared a boomerang style video of her hiding her face in disbelief while holding up her phone, which stated that “‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ breaks the record for the biggest streaming day in global Spotify history” with a 21.26 million streams on the music platform.
“Merry Christmas everybody!!! Did not expect to wake up to this amazing surprise!!!!” she captioned the post, which came amid a series of fittingly Christmas themed content from her social accounts.
See Carey’s reaction below.
Lea Michele and Darren Criss reunited Thursday (Dec. 22) for a very special Christmas edition of Apple TV+’s Carpool Karaoke.
In a bonus clip shared to YouTube, Criss takes the wheel as his former Glee co-star delivers her single “Christmas in New York,” from her 2019 holiday album Christmas in the City. “Rockefeller’s covered in the lights/ Families are playing on the ice/ From Harlem to the Battery/ Every corner’s bustling/ Suddenly it’s Christmas in New York,” she sings over her pal’s hilarious commentary (“You’re flat, you’re flat… I sounded better”).
Next, Criss dusts off “Christmas Dance,” an original tune from his own holiday album, 2021’s A Very Darren Crissmas. “So play a song that makes us make out when it snows/ A holly jolly one that everybody knows/ It goes, ‘Get up, get down, well come on it’s Christmas’/ Rocking around, well come on it’s Christmastime/ Time to really take a chance/ Can I ask, may I have this Christmas/ May I have this Christmas dance?” he croons before teaching Michele the step-by-step dance moves on the song’s bridge.
While filming the episode, Michele and Criss jammed out between takes to the Glee favorite “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, which they posted in an adorable video on the former’s TikTok. In October, the American Crime Story actor also visited his pal backstage at Funny Girl on Broadway, where she’s currently breaking box-office records as leading lady Fanny Brice.
Watch Michele and Criss go caroling around New York City in Carpool Karaoke below.
Lil Wayne Rewards 150 Students With ‘Weezy Christmas’ Party Rapper Lil Wayne is spreading some holiday cheer with his latest initiative. The 40-year-old teamed up with fellow Young Money mate Mack Maine and threw a celebration for 150 high-achieving students at a Dave & Busters in New Orleans. Lil Wayne & Mack Maine Host 150 […]
The Queen of Christmas, dahhlings! Mariah Carey has had an undisputed hold on the holidays since the release of her 1994 album Merry Christmas, and each year, her reign gets grander and more festive.
It may have taken “All I Want For Christmas Is You” 25 years to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but ever since it first accomplished the feat in 2019, the modern yuletide classic has been as reliable as Santa Claus himself in making its annual return to the chart’s summit as Carey’s record 19th No. 1 hit.
Whether she’s performing the beloved song at Christmas residencies and full-blown tours or star-studded events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, Mariah has also proved time and again that not only is she a modern holiday icon, she’s also the Queen of Christmas couture!
Over the years, the Elusive Chanteuse has rocked nearly every shade of red for the season’s fashions, from plunging gowns and floor-length coats to ensembles inspired by Santa, Mrs. Claus and The Nutcracker‘s toy soldiers. She’s also a pro at pulling off winter white, whether she’s wearing a snow-white dress covered in crystals or a fluffy hood tailor-made for keeping the December chill at bay.
Click through the gallery for a look at Mariah’s Christmas fashions past and present.
Lord, help the mister who comes between me and my sister! Kelly Clarkson paid tribute to the holiday classic White Christmas on Monday (Dec. 19) with a “Kellyoke” cover of “Sisters.”
Enlisting help from her backup singer Jessi Collins, the talk show host recreated the scene made famous by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in the beloved 1954 movie musical — all the way down to the elegant blue dresses and giant feathered fans. “Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters/ Never had to have a chaperone, no sir/ I’m here to keep my eye on her/ Caring, sharing, every little thing that we are wearing/ When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome/ She wore the dress, and I stayed home,” the two sang in perfect harmony.
Halfway through the number, two male members of Clarkson’s band Y’All stole the singers’ fans to dance around and lip sync — a la Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye’s characters in the film — before all four finished with some soft-shoe choreography.
As Christmas draws closer, Clarkson has gone all in on the yuletide tunes, performing everything from her own original songs like “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)” and “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” to “Santa Can’t You Hear Me” sans duet partner Ariana Grande and a cover of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
After the new year, Clarkson is set to return to The Voice for her ninth season as a coach after sitting out the recently wrapped Season 22.
Watch Clarkson and Collins’ pitch-perfect recreation of “Sisters” below.
With the holiday season in full swing, we’re surrounded by the wonderful world of holiday music. Despite the deluge of Christmas tunes such as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Hanukkah music is a lane that not many musicians have jumped into. But some of us surely do have a few star-lit videos, songs and concerts.
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I usually come up with one menorah, or hanukkiah, worth of solid options to put in YouTube rotation, but with the rising antisemitism in recent months by an extremely famous rapper who surely won’t be invited to any Hanukkah parties for the next decade, I came up with two Hanukkahs worth of songs for you.
Time to fry up some latkes!
1. Gangstagrass & Kosha Dillz, “Happy Chinooka (A Hanukkah Song)”
This year we can celebrate the joy of Smokey Robinson’s famous pronunciation of Chanukah. I mean Hanukkah. “How you spell it, how you sound it, it don’t matter how you gonna pronounce it.” The spelling of Hanukkah in English isn’t as important as the educational story we learn. “It started back in 164 BC in Jerusalem with my clique the Maccabees, they got attacked by Greeks….” This odd collaboration, where bluegrass meets hip-hop meets an animal farm in a Brooklyn bar, is a surefire way to creatively bring eyeballs to the holiday, alongside the first ever group of animals against antisemitism. “Happy Chinooka” isn’t a “Puppy for Hanukkah,” but who needs a puppy from Daveed Diggs when you can have an alpaca from Kosha Dillz and Gangstagrass!
2. Nissim Black, “Victory”
If you haven’t heard of Nissim Black, he is probably the most unique man to see during Hanukkah. He plays everything from the Chosen Comedy Festival in Miami for thousands of people to a show at the Grove in Hollywood, and his new song details his personal journey with God and the fight knocking out an Assyrian Greek soldier. A big theme is darkness to light, and you can tell the video was thought out perfectly in this boxing ring.
3. Matisyahu and Brady Watt, “King Without a Crown”
When Matisyahu shot on the scene back in the 2000s, the world drastically changed by seeing an Orthodox guy move crowds of tens of thousands. I’d say you had to be there to see it, but I remember it like it was yesterday. After all these years he just released this collaboration with Brady and it hits perfectly for the time we are in. Matisyahu literally has the name of the main character of the Hanukkah story, and he does the biggest Hanukkah festivals in the world. He is doing his annual Festival of Light tour with two shows at NYC’s Brooklyn Bowl Dec. 21-22. If you ever wanted to see the largest mishmash of a community ever, mixed with a mosh pit, it is at a Matisyahu show and I suggest you go.
4. Yo La Tengo, “Eight Candles”
Probably the most epic group to really crush the Hanukkah scene is our good friends Yo La Tengo. (I am actually not friends with them IRL but I do feel so.) I feel like if there was a romantic evening with that special light in your life, you’d light them up for her or him. I feel the chill of a rainy holiday under an awning. If you dig this, go see them at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom any of the nights of Chanukah. Yes, even on Christmas, as that is also Chanukah.
5. Six13, “Elton Johnukah”
I got to say this is the cleverest spin-off since I did a TV show party with Lil Jon called Lil Jonukah. Now, “Elton Johnukah” might be the only thing to beat it. They flip his “I’m Still Standing” lyric to “we’re still standing,” which is true. Most of the stories of the Jewish people are “we won, we eat,” and I surely eat standing up at Chanukah parties so that is epic to me.
6. Sarah Aroeste, “Hanuka”
Jews come in a variety of colors and looks. Ladino is a beautiful language that goes overlooked but not to the wonderful Sarah Aroeste, who brings her Ladino flair to the fields of Israel. Best part of this is that you can now Google “Ladino lessons” and see the entire translation in the YouTube description. Reminds me a bit of A-WA meets salsa music meets Hanukkah. She’d be the perfect opening act for Yo La Tengo.
7. Zusha, “Chanukah Is Here”
Imagine a bunch of men in black and white hats who mix up the jam band vibes with dance music at a late-night Coachella set. These guys are sort of that deal. They literally say the same thing over and over again but it is kinda the vibe of Chanukah if you jump into Crown Heights.
8. Ari Dayan, “Love”
There should be more representation of Jewish women artists, and a big thing about Hanukkah party music for me is that the song doesn’t necessarily need to be about Hanukkah (but it is cool to know the act is Jewish). The holiday season is about showing love so what better way to do that than with a song called “Love” by Ari Dayan? She mixes a lot of comedy with music and has an old Jewish man dancing in this video you might recognize as Jaddy, aka Brett Gelman. We all need a Jaddy for Hanukkah (not a puppy).
8. Too $hort, “The Hanukkah Song”
“Judah Maccabeatch” is the best reference to a Jewish warrior. Not only is Too $hort one of the best rappers and an influence on my music, but many of us would say he is the only man with a Hanukkah song that has transcended time as long as Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song.” I first heard about it in 2012 when it came out, and the only thing that could make the Matzo Ball better would be this man performing this song. “It’s even better than Yom Kippur, I got seven gifts and I want one more.”
9. Adam Sandler, “The Hanukkah Song“
Why not have it in here? You are going to listen to it anyway whether you want to or not, and even Too $hort was inspired by this man. It has set the golden standard for Hanukkah songs and earned the praise of music’s biggest Jewish stars.
10. Barbra Streisand, “Avinu Malkeinu”
One of the most iconic voices ever. She needs no introduction, but she does need to be here and at every dinner table playlist.
11. Nissim Black x Kosha Dillz, “The Hanukkah Song 2.0”
I had to include it: This will go down in history as the only Hanukkah video filmed on Thanksgiving last year in Times Square. When a song gets played on Paul Rosenberg’s Hanukkah Radio (yes, Eminem’s manager), it is a requirement to share it with the world.
12. Eden Derso, “Tamid”
If you need to bump the hottest Israeli rapper in the streets it must be Eden Derso. Tamid, for those who don’t know, means “always.” We always need strong bars like this, even if you don’t know what she is saying.
13. Joel Waggoner and Julia Mattison, “A Cutesy Country Hanukkah”
I’m not sure how I discovered this gem but I was hoping for Luke Combs to do the same thing. If anyone can find these people, I’d hire them for my Hanukkah party alongside some cloggers.
14. Kurstin x Grohl: The Hanukkah Sessions 2021, “Blitzkrieg Bop”
If anyone can do Hanukkah no wrong it is Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin with this Ramones cover. “Ay! Oy! Let’s Goy!” The level of lyrical flip there is so suitable for today. Dive into all their covers (this is their night two); they even got some Lisa Loeb with death metal vibes (or in this case, life metal vibes). It is amazing to see live, which I was fortunate enough to experience when performing at Bottlerock Napa, one of the dopest music festival experiences ever.
15. Run the Jewels, “A Christmas F–king Miracle”
There has to be one song that is talking about the crossover of our holidays for this playlist on Christmas Eve. If I can use this as my warm-up song for when I perform at TAO restaurant in NYC for open bar (seltzer for me) and sushi on Erev Christmas w/ Temple Emanu-El, I’ll be ecstatic.
16. Westside Gravy, “Diaspora”
Last but not least — a song about identity. I think we are at a time to chat identity and spotlight Black and Jewish folks like Westside Gravy, who tackles important topics that are hard to talk about. As we know there have been plenty of articles about Kanye, but no one is spotlighting the musicians caught in the middle. Great for a Hanukkah playlist anywhere in the world.
If 16 sufganiyot jams aren’t enough, I made a Spotify playlist with tons of songs that you can listen to. If you are in NYC, be sure to party with us live at TimeOut Market for “How Do You Actually Spell Chanukah?” and light the menorah with Holocaust survivor Sami Steigman, Shabbat Drop and more on Dec. 20. I will be giving out free sufganiyot.
Rami Even-Esh, aka Kosha Dillz, is a Billboard-charting rapper based in Brooklyn and also a cast member on Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘n Out, seasons 18-20. In his spare time, he raises money for Holocaust survivors in need, and recently went viral for dissing Kanye West with his song “Death Con 3.” Say shalom on Twitter.
Olivia Rodrigo shared a Christmas surprise Friday (Dec. 16) in the form of “The Bels,” the original holiday song she wrote when she was just 5 years old.
Even as a kindgartener, the pop sensation shows she had an early knack for rhyming as she sings, “Red and green is the Christmas queen/ Make the holidays special to me/ Oh, see the dancing gingerbread dance in your head/ Wait, wait, wait for the bells to ring there” over a beat perfect for sugar plum fairies.
Rodrigo also shared a note to her fans on her website along with the cute track, writing, “Hi guys!!! Hope everyone is doing well! I miss you guys! It’s been getting cold in LA & things are slowing down for the holidays. I put my little silver Christmas tree up in my living room & it makes me super happy. I’m so excited for the new year & everything that’s in store! I hope you guys have a holiday season filled with love & relaxation. Thinking of you always! All my love, Liv.”
For the past month, fans have been buzzing online that new music could be on the way from Rodrigo in the new year, based on the fan message she sent her top Spotify listeners as part of Spotify Wrapped 2022.
In November, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star performed “You’re So Vain” at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony to induct Carly Simon as part of the Class of ’22.
Stream “The Bels” here.
Apple Music announced Friday (Dec. 16) that Alicia Keys is bringing her first-ever Holiday Masquerade Ball to the streaming service later this month.
A trailer for the virtual event — which will stream Wednesday (Dec. 21) — shows the superstar performing a soulful cover of “Please Come Home for Christmas” on the Apple Music Live stage. “Bells will be ringing sad sad news/ Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues/ My baby is gone and I have no friends/ To wish me greetings once again/ Choirs be singing ‘Silent Night’/ Christmas carols by the candlelight,” she sings while pairing a bejeweled mask quite literally dripping in crystals with a sleek, tuxedo-inspired pantsuit.
With an assist from TikTok, the Masquerade Ball will feature music from Keys’ new holiday album, Santa Baby, and include appearances by JVKE and Jon Batiste.
“This is THEE Holiday party of the season,” Keys said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Apple Music and TikTok for helping me create a magic moment to showcase my first holiday album, in such a special way, for everyone around the world.”
Upon its November release exclusively on Apple Music and the iTunes Store, Santa Baby debuted in the top 20 on Billboard‘s Top Holiday Albums chart and has so far spent five weeks and counting on the tally. The studio set — a follow-up to 2021’s KEYS — was preceded by original holiday offering and lead single “December Back 2 June.”
Keys also stopped by Billboard‘s Pop Shop Podcast earlier this month to chat about the album, telling hosts Katie Atkinson and Keith Caufield, “It has a soulfulness, a rawness, it has that New York energy in it too, but it just feels like something you could play from top to bottom. And I recorded it like that; we recorded it very consistently over about seven days, and it all really feels cohesive and great. And so I love it. I think now is the time.”
Watch the trailer for Keys’ Holiday Masquerade Ball here.
Since the business of holiday music is growing so fast – it occupies five of the top 10 places on the Billboard Hot 100 this week – we are re-presenting some of our stories from Christmas seasons past. This piece, about a Hannukah compilation, originally ran in 2019.
Two years ago, Verve Forecast approached Grammy-winning music supervisor Randall Poster (Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Irishman) with a proposition: curate and produce a Hanukkah album. “I had just finished doing the soundtrack to the movie SuperFly with Future, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great follow-up: Hanukkah,’ ” recalls Poster, who grew up celebrating the holiday. He started reaching out to friends and collaborators, “convincing them that I wasn’t kidding.”
But it wasn’t until longtime pal Jack Black sent in two recordings — one of which was actually a Passover song — that Poster felt he had the foundation for an album. “Jack gave us the substance, so everything [else] would feel like it was part of a whole.” The additional song ended up inspiring the title of Hanukkah+ (out now, and on vinyl Dec. 13), which boasts a mix of covers and original music from the likes of HAIM and The Flaming Lips.
Randall Poster
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW
The market for Christmas music is massive. What was the strategy behind putting out a Hanukkah album?
It’s not an easy thing. It doesn’t have the built-in Christmas music collectors, so we talked about trying to have a longer view — there’s an evergreen quality to it. But also, making it available at nontraditional retailers, like all of the synagogue gift shops, and seeing if we can make contact with the built-in audiences that the various artists on the record have [helped].
How did you ensure it wouldn’t come off as parody?
Probably the most famous Hanukkah song at this point is Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song.” That’s why I was searching for a spiritual component, which allowed me to approach artists who weren’t Jewish, who had no real sense of the holiday or the history. I tried to find balance, because I wanted to have some of that silly, joyful element.
Was it tough to get artists onboard?
It’s not an easy one where you can say, “Hey, let’s do ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ ” and set the stage for somebody to just come in and sing. My hope is if this goes well, maybe next year we do another five songs and just add to it. One person that I really wanted to get — he said he would but just got caught up in the sweep of his new record — was Ezra Koenig.
Hanukkah+
Courtesy Photo
Why such fondness for Hanukkah?
It was always the fun Jewish holiday, really. And as far as the musical repertoire [went], “The Hanukkah Song” was pretty much the favorite, or “Dreidel Dreidel.” I had a sense of it being a musical holiday, though there aren’t that many to choose from.
What will success for the album look like to you?
To tell you the truth, I feel like it already is a success. For me as a Jew, it was important to focus on more of the spiritual component, and I think we’ve captured that. I’m waiting for my rabbi to hear it.
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 21 issue of Billboard.