By: Amber W. (’23)
With the 2020 holidays on the horizon, many pop artists have begun releasing new Christmas songs in hopes to bring their fans out of the tumultus events that 2020 has brought to them and into the Christmas spirits.
Oh Santa by Mariah Carey ft. Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson
Released: Dec. 3
Rating: 5/5
Mariah Carey, who has been dubbed the “Queen of Christmas”, has released a “Mariah Carey Christmas Special”, featuring various artists in her newly remixed songs, such as Snoop Dog and Tiffany Haddish. However, her remix of “Oh Santa!”, featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, has truly captured the public’s attention.
The unexpected holiday team-up between the three powerhouses ushered a lot of energy and excitement into the remix, giving all three pop stars sufficient amounts of time to present their vocal techniques while being in the spotlight. The most notable moment in the remix was when Mariah and Ari, who are both well known for their whistle registers, surprised their fans by harmonizing in whistles. With J. Hud’s powerful belts, Ari’s melodic runs, and Mariah’s whistle notes, the remake of the pop song that was released a decade ago is, without a doubt, a holiday bop.
Naughty List by Liam Payne with Dixie D’amelio
Released: Oct. 30
Rating: 3/5
Liam Payne has teamed up with Dixie D’amelio to release “Naughty List”, a intended fun and playful Christmas song has turned out into a tedious and song that seems to drag on for way longer than 2.5 minutes.
The song starts off with sleigh bell effects in the background as the former One Direction star begins the pre-chorus, bringing in chill vibes. However, by the end of the song, there were no variations in the song, with the exception of the single belted high note towards the end of the song by Liam. The cursive techniques and the inability to properly enunciate for both artists caused the lyrics of the song to be really hard to keep up, causing the song to be boring.
It’s Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries by Carly Rae Jepsen
Released: Oct. 29
Rating: 4/5
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “It’s Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries” breaks the traditional Christmas classics by enlivening the holiday jam with upbeat trap effects and bass effects, making the song itself unique.
The “Call Me Maybe” singer spices the holiday song up with various bass effects, and a series of falsettos. The song unwraps the ideals of the holidays by depicting both happy and disappointing parts of the season. The song, although very different from holiday hits such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” or Wham!’s “Last Christmas”, brings a new perspective of the holiday season.
