It’s that time of the year again!
Christmas Day is just around the corner but preparations are already being made, gifts are carefully being bought, and decorations are slowly starting to make their way into the house. You’ve likely already begun to smell fresh cookies baking in the oven, catch yourself thinking which decorations would look best on this year’s Christmas tree, and (depending on where you live), go out into the snow and make all the snow angels and snowmen you can.
But Christmas is never complete without the right music, and to that end, we bring you five of the most celebrated artists, in no particular order, who really encapsulate what Christmas is all about:
Frank Sinatra: It would be a Christmas crime not to include the legend himself! Included in his multifaceted discography is a substantial number of songs dedicated to Christmas and the holidays, including an album called Christmas Songs by Sinatra (not the most creative name, we know!). So sit back, put this on, and let your house be filled with his beautiful voice.
Michael Bublé: The next addition: Canadian singer Michael Bublé. He has dedicated extensive parts of his career to spreading love and positivity during the festive season, even releasing an exclusive Christmas album for his seventh release. What’s it called? Well, Christmas, of course! With songs like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", it went on to become not only his most successful album ever, but also one of the most successful albums in the world regardless of genre.
Mariah Carey: American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey is one of the most beloved figures in music. Known for her incredible vocal range, she forever blessed the holiday season with her 1994 album Merry Christmas (you get the theme by now), which included one of the biggest hits in the history of music: “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Good luck trying to get that song out of your head for the next few months!
Pentatonix: Now a slight departure from the other singers we’ve highlighted so far: Pentatonix is a well-known modern a capella group who really captured the Christmas imagination in 2014 with their album That’s Christmas To Me. With singles like “Mary, Did You Know?” and “White Winter Hymnal”, it isn’t hard to see why they were able to pull off a peak of number two on the Billboard 200 in the US.
In fact, they put out a cover of the hit song “Last Christmas” this week! Listen to it here
Celine Dion: We end with the best-selling French-language artist of all time! But don’t worry, we’ve chosen one of her English Christmas albums to end this list: These Are Special Times. A mixture of both covers and original songs, this album contained tracks like “The Prayer” and “I’m Your Angel”, and has managed to retain its charm and appeal even after all these years. Listen to all the songs on the album here
So that’s it! We hope our far-from-definitive list of the best Christmas artists you should be listening to will help you pick exactly the right moods for you and your loved ones when you celebrate the holiday season, and soon after, the beginning of 2023.
From everyone at Taaqademy,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!