The air is getting brisk. The nights are starting to glow with sparkly, colored lights. There’s a bit of magic in the air. It’s officially the holiday season, and some of your favorite music stars – like Chloe Bailey, TWICE and Walk Off The Earth – want to help you get into the spirit with some new holiday music!
For the 2023 season, Amazon Music launched its Amazon Music Original Holiday Playlist, featuring new original tracks and renditions of holiday favorites. “Christmas is my favorite time of year!” Meghan Trainor tells Us Weekly exclusively, “We start decorating and playing Christmas music right after Halloween.” Trainor, 29, covered “Jingle Bells” for the playlist, along with her son Riley. It’s the second holiday song from the “Made You Look” singer this year, as she revealed her duet with Jimmy Fallon earlier in the month.
Another artist with two holiday songs this season is Chloe Bailey. The 25-year-old singer covered Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas Baby” for the playlist, which plays over the opening credits of Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross’s new Prime Video movie, Candy Cane Lane.
“In recreating a classic,” Chloe tells Us Weekly exclusively, “I wanted to make sure I was honoring the original artists but also putting my own personal spin on the tracks. With ‘Merry Christmas Baby,’ I kept listening back to Otis Redding’s original so that I could match the soul in his voice.”
Chloe also covered “Winter Wonderland” for the Amazon Music Original Holiday Playlist, taking inspiration from Darlene Love’s rendition on 1963’s A Christmas Gift For You. “For ‘Winter Wonderland,’ I wanted the musicality to feel classic but also add my harmonies and chopped up samples throughout,” she tells Us Weekly. “I hope fans feel holiday joy and cheer when they hear my Amazon Music Original holiday tracks this year, however it means to them!”
K-Pop superstars TWICE have provided a holiday version of their song “Heart Shaker,” and they tell Us Weekly that they were ”very happy to share a special remix of [the song] filled with holiday spirit with our ONCEs in time for the holiday season!”
The playlist also includes tracks by Tokio Hotel (“Your Christmas”), Jorja Smith (“Stay Another Day”), Banda MS (“Navidad, Navidad”) and Annalisa paying homage to Darlene Love with a cover of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Walk Off The Earth provided their rendition of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” for the playlist, and the band tells Us Weekly that the decision to reimagine the song was “a natural one for us. It’s a holiday anthem that has brought joy to countless hearts, and we couldn’t resist infusing it with our unique musical spirit. Drawing inspiration from the timeless melodies of Paul McCartney, we’ve added our own unique twist and we hope our rendition will become a cherished part of your festive celebrations.”
Sam Fisher, who covered Billy Mack’s “Christmas Is All Around,” is already planning out the holiday season. “Christmas for me is an excuse to watch Love Actually as many times as I want without being judged,” he tells Us Weekly. “So when Amazon Music Australia asked me to cover a Christmas song, I knew what I had to do. I’m so stoked to share my cover and I hope the big man is proud of it!”
Now with over 60 songs, the Amazon Music Original Holiday playlist is a great way to get into the spirit, whether or not your Christmas spirit rivals Buddy the Elf or if you’re feeling a little bit Grinchy this year. Check out the entire playlist here and the new additions below.
Amazon Music Original Holiday Track List
“Merry Christmas Baby” by Chlöe
“Winter Wonderland” by Chlöe
“Jingle Bells” by Meghan Trainor
“Heart Shaker (GALACTIKA * Holiday Remix)” by TWICE
“You’re Christmas to Me” by Sam Ryder
“Wonderful Christmastime” by Walk Off The Earth
“Your Christmas” by Tokio Hotel
“Christmas Without You“ by Anne-Marie
“Christmas is All Around“ by Sam Fischer
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Annalisa
“Silver Bells” by Stephen Sanchez
“Stay Another Day” by Jorja Smith
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Jesse & Joy, De Viaje con los Derbez
“Yo Vengo Del Monte” by Niña Pastori
“Navidad, Navidad” by Banda MS
“Silent Night” by Camélia Jordana
