Itโs time โ Whether your holiday greeting is bah humbug, merry Christmas or seasons greetings, there is no escaping festive music in December. For many, December marks the start of when it is socially acceptable to listen to Christmas carols and other holiday music. But whatโs on the Christmas playlists of students at Laurier?
Love or hate her, it is undeniable that Mariah Carey has had a large impact on festive music. โSheโs got the number one Christmas song in my opinion,โ said Nick, a music student at Laurier.
It was common for Careyโs peers and other artists in the 90s and early 2000s to release holiday themed albums. If youโre looking for a few standards to play over the season, try Michael Bubleฬโs Let it Snow (2003) and Christmas (2011), Louis Armstrongโs What a Wonderful Christmas (1997), Johnny Cashโs Christmas with Johnny Cash (2003) and Enyaโs And Winter Came… (2008).
The popularization of holiday music started in the 1930s, but it is the holiday pop of the 1950s to 1970s that laid the blueprint for artists like Mariah Carey and Michael Bubleฬ. Many notable artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, John Lenon and Elvis have all released Christmas albums. Elvisโs Christmas Album (1957) holds the record for the best-selling Christmas album of all time with over two hundred million copies sold worldwide. Many of Elvisโ Christmas originals have been covered by an astonishing range of artists. Whether youโre a fan of the king of rock and roll or not, no Christmas playlist is complete without an Elvis original or cover.
As more contemporary artists rose to top the charts, a new generation of holiday pop has emerged. Contemporary pop icons like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Justin Beiber have all released their versions of holiday pop albums.
Taylor Swiftโs The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection was released in 2007 and contains six tracks โ four of which are covers. Christmases When You Were Mine and Christmas Must Be Something More were both penned by a young Taylor Swift.
Ariana Grande, like the queen of Christmas pop, is another whistle-note aficionado intent on making her mark in the Christmas genre. Grande released her first Christmas EP, Christmas Kisses in 2013, followed by Christmas and Chill in 2015. Grandeโs holiday pop is perfect for creating a cheery holiday vibe.
Justin Beiberโs Under the Mistletoe is a collection of Christmas covers including a collaboration with the queen of Christmas pop, Mariah Carey. Their take on โAll I Want for Christmasโ is iconic and a hit for a reason. The well-known lyrics with a modern update are sure to have you singing along.
Newly minted pop princess Sabrina Carpenter released a Christmas EP in 2023 titled fruitcake. The six-track EP starts off with A Nonsense Christmas where Carpenter puts a fun spin on her hit Nonsense from album Emails I Canโt Send (2022). The track is fun, a little bit moody, and authentically infused with Carpenterโs whimsical charm. Throughout the album, the tone gets a little heavier with songs like cindy lou who and santa doesnโt know you like I do. The EP closes out with a cover of Irving Berlinโs White Christmas. Carpenter expertly delivers exactly what her listeners want: A festive and moody but most importantly fun spin on holiday pop.
โI appreciate some new holiday Christmas songs. Thatโs why I like fruitcake so much,โ said Elizabeth, a third-year health science student when talking about fruitcake, which is her favourite holiday album.
Another rising star to stream this holiday season is Laufey โ more specifically, her holiday EP, A Very Laufey Holiday. Four out of five tracks are covers – The original track is called Love to Keep Me Warm and it is in collaboration with dodie. This album is perfect for listeners of modern jazz.
Whether or not youโre a fan of holiday pop music, consider diving into the genre this holiday season and listen to old and contemporary artists to expand your musical palette.
