holiday
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Mariah Carey has declared that “it’s time” to enjoy Christmas music, and on the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’re discussing 10 new pop holiday hits from 2022 to add to your party playlists.
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We’ve got new songs from previous Pop Shop guests Backstreet Boys, Harry Connick Jr., Pentatonix and Meghan Trainor on the lineup, as well as Santa-approved smashes from Lizzo, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys and Sia. Phoebe Bridgers is back with her annual holiday cover for charity, Blake Shelton covers a Christmas confection by his wife Gwen Stefani, and Lindsay Lohan is channeling her Mean Girls past with a new rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock.”
But which new holiday hit is your favorite? Below, listen to the latest podcast, and also vote for your personal festive fave.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard‘s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an iconic holiday event for more than 90 years, and in recent memory, it has brought some of music’s shining stars and up-and-coming acts along for the float- and balloon-filled ride.Ahead of the 2022 parade, which features Gloria Estefan, Fitz & the Tantrums, Ziggy Marley, Joss Stone, Jordin Sparks and Betty Who, take a trip down memory lane with some big-name artists who (you may have forgotten) once graced a Thanksgiving float.
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Hilary Duff, 2003
Taking a “retro ride” on a ’50s-themed diner float, then-16-year-old Duff (nearing the end of her Lizzie McGuire days) sang her classic “So Yesterday” in an oh-so-2000s outfit.
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Rihanna, 2005
The eight-time Grammy winner was still a “teen singing sensation” when she appeared in the parade, bringing her Barbados flair to the cold streets of New York City with her breakout single “Pon de Replay.”
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Chris Brown, 2006
Of all the tunes Breezy could’ve performed from his debut self-titled album, he opted for the rather depressing ditty “Say Goodbye.” Despite the odd song choice, also on the bill that year were the Jonas Brothers, Julie Andrews, Hall & Oates and Barry Manilow, so needless to say it was a pretty stellar parade all around.
Miley Cyrus, 2008
Marking her second year in the parade (and still in the pre-twerking era), Cyrus performed her song “I Thought I Lost You” from the Disney animated movie Bolt, fittingly doing so upon the float dedicated to the film.
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Jay Sean, 2009
Bringing one of the most bangin’ hits of 2009 to the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jay Sean performed “Down” and totally owned it (and the vest he was rocking).
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Kanye West, 2010
Who knows what enticed the Life of Pablo rapper to partake in the Thanksgiving parade festivities when he was already one of the biggest names in the rap game? But he took his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track “Lost in the World” to the Big Apple Float.
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Carly Rae Jepsen, 2012
While most parade-goers were probably hoping to hear Jepsen’s mega-hit “Call Me Maybe” as she rode on her float, she instead sang her song “This Kiss” — which still provided for plenty of head-bopping.
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Ariana Grande, 2013
Although Grande’s chart-topping album Yours Truly was already out by the time of her parade appearance, she decided to bring some holiday cheer with her version of Wham!‘s “Last Christmas.” Side note: This was seemingly the breakout year for artists who have since reached superstar status, as Grande wasn’t the only now-big name on the roster: Fifth Harmony, Florida Georgia Line and Brett Eldredge were also parade performers in ’13.
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KISS, 2014
A bit of a left-field addition amid pop stars like Meghan Trainor and Broadway performances, KISS brought their classic 1975 hit “Rock and Roll All Nite” the parade aboard a bare-bones float that featured nothing but the rock group and their iconic black-and-silver getups. Nothing says Thanksgiving like face paint and rock and roll.
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Panic! at the Disco, 2015
On the cusp of the release of their career-changing album Death of a Bachelor in January 2016, Panic! at the Disco performed the celebratory DOAB single “Victorious” on a Ninja Turtle float. If only frontman Brendon Urie knew just how “victorious” the next few years would be…
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Gwen Stefani, 2017
In a more unconventional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade performance, Gwen Stefani sang on a stage atop the Bryant Park ice-skating rink instead of upon a float going down the streets of New York City. That also meant she got to perform a full song as opposed to 45 seconds of one, which was an early Christmas gift for those Gwen stans who love her version of “White Christmas.”
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Kim Petras, 2021
Just a year before daddy got hot at the body shop, Kim Petras stopped by the family-friendly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for a G-rated performance of her bubbly pop delight “I Don’t Want It At All” with teen dance troupe Boss Kids backing her up.
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Christmas in America is a time for family togetherness and glitzy commercialism, and New Yorkers were treated to both on Tuesday (Nov. 22) night when Elton John, his husband David Furnish and children Zachary (11) and Elijah (9) helped unveil the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday display.
A police barricade stopped traffic on (the rather busy) Fifth Avenue at 49th Street in Manhattan while a grand piano was wheeled into the middle of Fifth Avenue around 7 p.m. E.T. as onlookers – who were expecting a holiday display reveal but not a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer – marveled. After some introductory remarks from Saks CEO Marc J. Metrick, who announced that Saks was giving a $1 million donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Rocket Fund, Sir Elton took his rightful place behind the ivories.
“It means a great deal to me to have your support,” John said of the donation. “Thank you so much. I’m so thrilled to kick off the holiday season tonight and to be a part of this spectacular and iconic window unveiling and light show.” At that point, Furnish brought the boys up to join Elton for a family countdown to the big reveal.
Sir Elton – who just played the final North American show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour on Sunday (Nov. 20) – treated lucky onlookers to a one-and-done performance of his Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough single “Your Song,” a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit that began his imposing run on the chart back in 1970 (No hyperbole: We’re talking 29 top 10s, nine No. 1s on the Hot 100).
After reminding audiences why he remains such a treasure with his live prowess and inestimable gifts, Elton joined his family in a seated section of the crowd to watch the lights show. The window extravaganza included a fitting nod to John via a several rocket ships on pistons while seasonally shaded lights tripped the light fantastic on the building’s façade. A medley of Sir Elton’s hits accompanied the display, which found John and Furnish bobbing their heads to “Step Into Christmas” and “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix).”
As fireworks exploded above Saks Fifth Avenue, there was a moment when John reached up to scratch his head – it was almost certainly a biologically motivated move, but it seemed fitting that it occurred when his gentle ballad “Your Song” (playing in its studio version) blasted over speakers to accompany pyro above one of New York City’s most iconic and high-end department stories.
As John detailed in his marvelous memoir Me, he was fortunate enough to happen upon Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to “Your Song” as a struggling artist and was subsequently inspired to compose a melody to match the unabashed sincerity of the words. The idea – heck, the reality – that 50 years later, this gentle ballad would soundtrack an explosive holiday display that temporarily shut down one of the busiest metropolitan areas on earth is remarkably unlikely. But then again, John’s life has been unlikely.
As the fireworks faded and crowd dissipated, John can rest assured one of thing: even as he wraps up, he continues to deliver – and leaves us hungry for more treks down the yellow brick road. No matter how brief.
Get ready for a very NCT Christmas! On Thursday, NCT Dream announced they will spread cheer to their fans during the most wonderful time of year with the release of a special holiday album titled Candy.
“NCT DREAM Winter Special Mini Album Candy 2022.12.19 (KST),” the group tweeted, along with a festive illustrated visual of an NCT Dream house decked out in Christmas-themed regalia with bows, mini Christmas trees, candy canes, peppermints, bows, twinkling lights and more. Candy will mark the group’s first-ever holiday album.
The holiday album will also serve as a comeback for the group — which consists of members Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Chenle, Jaemin and Jisung — since the release of Beatbox, the repackaged deluxe version of their second studio album Glitch Mode that contained four additional tracks on the album.
Glitch Mode served as the K-pop group’s last official album release. The project debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard 200 but spent a total of five weeks on the Top Current Album Sales chart following its April release, and reached a peak of No. 5 on the chart.
Up next for NCT Dream is bringing THE DREAM SHOW 2 : In a Dream world tour to Japan. The trek kicks off in Aichi at the Nippon Gaishi Hall on Nov. 23 and will play three nights in Kanagawa at the Nov. 26-28. The Japanese leg of the tour will conclude in Fukuoka for a show at the Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A on Dec. 1.
See NCT Dream’s Candy announcement below.
Alicia Keys’ first seasonal effort, Santa Baby, jingles onto Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart (dated Nov. 19) as the list’s highest debut of the week, arriving at No. 19. The 11-track effort is Keys’ first independently released album after a career in the major-label system, first with J Records and then RCA. The download and streaming editions of the album are exclusive to the iTunes Store and Apple Music, respectively, while the physical album is widely available to all retailers.
The set bows with 3,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 10, according to Luminate, with traditional album sales powering 74% of that sum.
Meanwhile, Keys’ cover of “Please Come Home for Christmas,” from the Santa Baby project, enters at No. 27 on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart – her seventh visit to the list.
A second debut joins Santa Baby on Top Holiday Albums as Switchfoot’s first Christmas release, This Is Our Christmas Album, enters at No. 400 (1,000 units). Coincidentally, both include covers of a pair of classics: “Christmas Time Is Here” and “The Christmas Song.”
Elsewhere on Top Holiday Albums, Michael Bublé’s Christmas crowns the chart for a 37th nonconsecutive week (rising 2-1 with 13,000 units; up 107%), while the various artists compilation A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector jumps 10-2 (a new peak) as holiday streaming programming kicked into gear post-Halloween in the chart’s tracking week of Nov. 4-10.
The Top Holiday Albums chart ranks the 50 most popular seasonal albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each units equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. The seasonal Top Holiday Albums returned for another festive season with the Oct. 22-dated list and will continue as part of Billboard’s weekly chart menu until it dashes away in January 2023.
When Christmas comes around…again! Kelly Clarkson unveiled her latest round of holiday merch on Wednesday (Nov. 16), complete with a festive bundle perfect for all your booze-related needs.
“My signature engraved wine tumbler is back in stock, y’all… and now it’s bundled with my engraved wine opener!” she wrote on Twitter followed by a string of drink emojis including a popped champagne bottle and clinking flutes.
The singer’s new batch of Christmas goodies also includes a cranberry red t-shirt emblazoned with “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” — the title of her duet with Ariana Grande, which the pair recorded for 2021’s When Christmas Comes Again… while working together on Season 21 of The Voice. (They also performed the horn-infused bop live during Clarkson’s NBC holiday special last Christmas season.)
Speaking of the original American Idol winner’s second Christmas album, the studio set just picked up a 2023 Grammy nod for best traditional pop vocal album earlier this week, bringing the pop star’s total to 16 career nominations and three wins.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show — which has officially been renewed through 2025 — the talk show host has recently run through an impressively diverse string of “Kellyoke” picks, including “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Mama Cass with The Mamas & the Papas, Florence + the Machine’s Twilight: Eclipse cut “Heavy in Your Arms,” the original version of “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle, Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Z.Z. Hill’s “Someone Else Is Steppin’ In” and more.
Get a look at Clarkson’s new wine-ready holiday merch and apparel below.
The Bocelli family, Debbie Gibson, Crowder and Thomas Rhett all continue to ring in the holiday season, leading a parade of debuts on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart (dated Nov. 5).
A Family Christmas by Andrea Bocelli and his children Matteo and Virginia Bocelli enters Top Holiday Albums at No. 2 with 6,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 27, according to Luminate. Andrea Bocelli spent eight weeks atop the chart in the 2009-10 holiday season with My Christmas. While Virginia Bocelli makes her Billboard chart arrival with the new set, Matteo logged 14 weeks at No. 1 in 2018-19 on the Classical Digital Song Sales chart with “Fall on Me,” with his father.
The list’s second-highest debut of the week belongs to Gibson’s first seasonal collection, Winterlicious, at No. 17. Says the pop singer-songwriter, “I put a lot of thought into making a universal album inclusive of non-denominational songs, Christmas songs and even an original Hanukkah song, which highlights the strength and devotion of the Jewish community.”
The set also includes duets “with my two favorite Joes: Daddy Joe [Gibson’s father] on ‘White Christmas’ and Joey McIntyre on ‘Heartbreak Holiday.’ “
Gibson, who broke through with her hit debut single, “Only in My Dreams,” and album, Out of the Blue, in 1987, muses, “Getting the call to say I’ve charted in Billboard never gets old.”
Also bowing on the latest Top Holiday Albums tally: Crowder’s Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas (No. 21); Rhett’s Merry Christmas, Y’all (No. 22); XTC frontman Andy Partridge’s My Failed Christmas Career, Volume One (No. 26); and Joss Stone’s Merry Christmas, Love (No. 26).
Meanwhile, the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas returns to the top of the tally for its 13th week at No. 1. It earned 9,000 units, up 23%, in the tracking week.
The Top Holiday Albums chart ranks the 50 most popular seasonal albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. The seasonal Top Holiday Albums returned for another festive season with the Oct. 22-dated list and will continue as part of Billboard’s weekly chart menu until it dashes away in January 2023.