Holiday Album Releases Preview: Alicia Witt, The Carpenters, Little Big Town, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, The Beach Boys, Yächtley Crëw

There are a parade of new holiday music-centered releases being released in 2024. Here is a roundup of the most anticipated of the titles.

Artist: Alicia Witt

Title: I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You (Alicia Witt Music)

You might like if you enjoy: Peggy Lee, Aimee Mann, Nancy Wilson

Tell me more: Alicia Witt's first-ever full length Christmas album I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You is an artistic triumph, capturing the spirit of the season but also celebrating the artist's top-tier talents as a singer, keyboardist and songwriter. So in addition to her beautiful covers of three traditional favorites ("O Holy Night," "The First Noel" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas"), she offers up a parade of nine ambitious new originals. The jazzy title track, country-tinged "Weird Time of Year," wistful ballad "Is This The Christmas" and bewitching "Lonely Holy Christmas" are all a delight. Information: aliciawittmusic.com.

Artist: The Carpenters

Title: Christmas Once More (A&M/UMe)

You might like if you enjoy: The Carpenters

Tell me more: The Carpenters' Christmas Once More is an all-new Christmas collection featuring 16 holiday classics curated by Richard Carpenter. The newly remixed and remastered title includes holiday music nuggets such as "Sleigh Ride (There's No Place Like)," "Ave Maria," "My Favorite Things," Richard Carpenter's own "Merry Christmas, Darling" and many more. Christmas Once More is available now via multiple formats, including audio CD, black vinyl, limited-edition gold vinyl, digital download streaming and ATMOS. Information: carpentersofficial.com.

Artist: Little Big Town

Title: The Christmas Record (Capitol Records Nashville)

You might like if you enjoy: Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland

Tell me more: Little Big Town – Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook – have released their first ever holiday music album titled The Christmas Record. In addition to seasonal favorites like "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Little Big Town offers up a number of new songs including the joyful "Glow" and wistful "Christmas Night With You." Information: littlebigtown.com.

Artist: Vince Gill and Amy Grant

Title: When I Think Of Christmas (MCA Nashville)

You might like if you enjoy: Amy Grant, Vince Gill

Tell me more: When I Think Of Christmas compiles a treasure trove of nine holiday classics recorded by Vince Gill and Amy Grant that have been previously recorded and offers up those newly remastered; the new album also showcases two new recordings from the couple. Although it’s difficult to limit the number of treasured Christmas songs for which Grant and Gill are legendary, they have selected nine previously released tracks including Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas” and “Breath of Heaven,” which was originally recorded on her Home for Christmas ranked in Billboard’s Top 25 greatest holiday albums of all time, and Gill’s “O Holy Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Additionally, there are two new recordings, including Grant’s version of the album’s title track and "'Til the Season Comes Round Again,” a Grant/Gill duet.The title collectively captures the spirit of their "Christmas at the Wyman" concerts. One of the most successful residencies in the history of Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Gill and Grant's "Christmas at the Ryman" has presented more than 100 shows in front of nearly a quarrier-million people. This year's series will run Nov. 29 through Dec. 21, 2024. Information: mcarecordsnashville.com.

Artist: The Beach Boys

Title: The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (Capitol/UMe)

You might like if you enjoy: The Beach Boys

Tell me more: In celebration of its 60th anniversary, The Beach Boys' beloved Christmas Album is getting a special reissue this season. Issued on Nov. 8 as a special limited-edition numbered LP on zoetrope vinyl, the vinyl LP also comes with a special 7-inch translucent ruby red vinyl of the holiday tracks "Little Saint Nick" and "Auld Lang Syne." The 7-inch single will also be available separately on ice blue vinyl. Originally released in 1964, The Beach Boys' Christmas Album features a winning combination of enduring originals ("Merry Christmas, Baby," "The Man With All The Toys," "Santa's Beard" and "Christmas Day") and classics ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "White Christmas" and "Frosty the Snowman"). Information: thebeachboys.com.

Artist: Yächtley Crëw

Title: Seas and Greetings (Earache Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Yachtley Crew

Tell me more: Southern California-based troupe Yächtley Crëw have released the five-song EP Seas and Greetings, which features four artful covers and one original in tune with the holiday season. My favorite selection on the set is a tender taken on the John Lennon favorite "Happy XMAS (War Is Over)." Other standouts include a version of the Eagles' heartfelt "Please Come Home For Christmas" and the band's own "Home For Christmas." Information: yachtleycrew.com.

Robert Kinsler

The Cowsills Release Xmas EP 'A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills' via Omnivore Recordings

 The Cowsills Release New Christmas EP

A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills

Out Now via Omnivore Recordings 

Includes Two Original Holiday Songs Plus A New Version Of  “Winter Wonderland”

 

October 27, 2023: The Cowsills, the hit family singing group of the ‘60s, have released A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills, a new digital-only Christmas EP featuring two originals, “Christmastime (Song For Marissa)” and “Some Good Years,” plus a new, acapella version of the holiday favorite, “Winter Wonderland.” The EP follows a very busy year for The Cowsills, who released their first album in 30 years, Rhythm Of The World (2022), and have been touring extensively the past 9 summers on the Turtles' annual Happy Together Tour.

 

Formed in 1965, The Cowsills would become a worldwide phenomenon when “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” spent two weeks at #2 in 1967 (blocked from the top of the charts by The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer”). The Top 10 “Indian Lake” followed in 1968, and “Hair” matched their two weeks at #2 benchmark in 1969. The family band became the inspiration for The Partridge Family, and even recorded the theme to Love, American Style.

 

In the early ‘90s, the family regrouped to record a Christmas single “Christmastime (Song for Marissa).” The melody for “Christmastime (Song for Marissa)”, was written in the late ‘70s and sat for years without lyrics as an instrumental. Once it was recognized as Christmas music the lyrics were added in 1986 and a brand new Christmas carol was born. Joined by friends and admirers including The Bangles’ Vicki Peterson and Michael Steele, and Peter Holsapple of The dB’s, “Christmastime (Song for Marissa)” was finally recorded in the summer of 1992. Along with “Some Good Years,” these two songs were actually released as a collector’s 45 RPM single edition on Rockville Records in 1993.

 

These tracks return three decades later on A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills, joined by an all-new, acapella version of the holiday classic “Winter Wonderland.” Available digitally, these tracks help illuminate why The Cowsills stay in our collective ears.

 

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/hf5CvjSBOc0?si=uMUlbZzkzU6s_mzL

Purchase: http://www.omnivorerecordings.com/shop/christmas-offering

 

A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills Tracklist:

1. Christmastime (Song For Marissa)

2. Some Good Years

3. Winter Wonderland

Seth Swirsky releases new single / music video "Christmas Eve"

Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Seth Swirsky has just released a wonderful new original holiday song titled "Christmas Eve." 

As Swirsky notes in connection with the captivating and tuneful track "The origin of this song is funny: I met a lovely woman at a Christmas party in New York City awhile back named Eve. We hit it off but she told me she was leaving the next morning to go back to L.A. where she lived. I said, 'I guess I have to wait till next year to see you at this Christmas party again, huh?'. And, for the next three years, that is when I saw Eve; on Christmas Eve at that annual party. She was literally my 'Christmas Eve'!"

Watch the newly-release music video "Christmas Eve" HERE.

Capitol/UMe to release Neil Diamond's 'A Neil Diamond Christmas' on 2 LP, 2 CD & 1 CD on October 28, 2022

My first post of 2022 related to holiday-minded releases is a good one! Neil Diamond's "A Neil Diamond Christmas" arrives on Oct. 28...Robert Kinsler

CAPITOL/UMe TO RELEASE NEIL DIAMOND’S

A NEIL DIAMOND CHRISTMAS ON 2LP, 2CD & 1CD
ON OCTOBER 28, 2022

Legendary Artist Celebrates The Holidays With

A Hand-Picked Compilation Of His Favorite Christmas Songs, 

Including A New Mix Of “O Holy Night”

 

 

Los Angeles – September 16, 2022 – On October 28, Capitol/UMe will celebrate the full breadth of Neil Diamond’s holiday spirit with the release of A Neil Diamond Christmas, a special, artist-curated compilation of the greatest songs culled from Neil’s four beloved and best-selling Christmas albums. The tracks Neil has personally selected for this compilation all originally appeared on September 1992’s The Christmas Album, October 1994’s The Christmas Album Volume II, October 2009’s A Cherry Cherry Christmas, and November 2016’s Acoustic Christmas.

 

Neil Diamond performing at the Forum
in Inglewood, CA in August 2017.
Photo: Drew A. Kelley

A Neil Diamond Christmas will appear in four physical configurations: 2LP 180-gram black vinyl, an exclusive, limited-edition gold opaque 2LP 180-gram vinyl, 2CD, and 1CD. All of the tracks on A Neil Diamond Christmas have been newly remastered under the artist’s direction by Neil’s longtime engineer, Bernie Becker. Additionally, Neil and Bernie created a stunning new mix of “O Holy Night,” originally released on The Christmas Album. Preorder A Neil Diamond Christmas HERE.

 

Critics have praised Neil’s holiday originals while celebrating the inventive arrangements of the more traditional songs, singling out Neil’s “trademark gritty soul and flair for inflection” while also noting his performances are “much more than a man and a guitar.” 

 

Throughout his illustrious and wide-ranging career, Neil Diamond has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide and dominated the charts for more than five decades with 38 Top 40 singles and 18 Top 10 albums, making appearances in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for a total of 101 weeks. In addition, he has achieved record sales with 40 Gold albums, 21 Platinum albums, and 12 Multi-Platinum albums.

A Grammy Award-winning artist, Diamond is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and has also received The Johnny Mercer Award and the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, two of the highest honors bestowed upon songwriters. Diamond’s many other achievements include a Golden Globe Award, 13 Grammy nominations, ASCAP Film and Television Award, Billboard Icon Award, American Music Award, and 2009’s NARAS’s MusiCares Person of the Year Award. In 2011, Diamond received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contributions to American culture. 

 

Neil Diamond A NEIL DIAMOND CHRISTMAS [2LP, 2CD & 1CD]

 

2LP [black & color 180-gram vinyl]

 

Side A

1.       Happy Christmas (War Is Over)  4:04

2.       The Christmas Song  3:31

3.       Jingle Bell Rock  1:49

4.       White Christmas  3:55

5.       You Make It Feel Like Christmas  3:35

6.       Morning Has Broken 3:02

 

Side B

1.       Santa Claus Is Coming To Town  3:25

2.       Silver Bells  3:04

3.       Cherry Cherry Christmas  3:26

4.       Sleigh Ride  2:36

5.       Winter Wonderland  2:39

6.       Christmas Medley: It’s Almost Day / Make A Happy Song / We Wish You A Merry Christmas  3:12

 

Side C

1.       O Holy Night*  3:27

2.       Little Drummer Boy  3:51

3.       O Come, O Come Emmanuel / We Three Kings Of Orient Are  2:56

4.       Silent Night  4:00

5.       O Come All Ye Faithful  4:12

6.       Mary’s Boy Child  3:18

 

Side D

1.       Children Go Where I Send Thee  5:26

2.       The First Noel  3:35

3.       Hark the Herald Angels Sing  4:12

4.       Angels We Have Heard On High  3:16

5.       Christmas Prayers  4:30

6.       Joy To The World  2:38

 

 

2CD

 

Disc 1

1.       Happy Christmas (War Is Over)  4:04

2.       The Christmas Song  3:31

3.       Jingle Bell Rock  1:49

4.       White Christmas  3:55

5.       You Make It Feel Like Christmas  3:35

6.       Morning Has Broken 3:02

7.       Santa Claus Is Coming To Town  3:25

8.       Silver Bells  3:04

9.       Cherry Cherry Christmas  3:26

10.     Sleigh Ride  2:36

11.     Winter Wonderland  2:39

12.     Christmas Medley: It’s Almost Day / Make A Happy Song / We Wish You A Merry Christmas  3:12

 

Disc 2

1.       O Holy Night*  3:27

2.       Little Drummer Boy  3:51

3.       O Come, O Come Emmanuel / We Three Kings Of Orient Are  2:56

4.       Silent Night  4:00

5.       O Come All Ye Faithful  4:12

6.       Mary’s Boy Child  3:18

7.       Children Go Where I Send Thee  5:26

8.       The First Noel  3:35

9.       Hark the Herald Angels Sing  4:12

10.     God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman  1:17

11.     Angels We Have Heard On High  3:16

12.     Christmas Prayers  4:30

13.     Joy To The World  2:38

 

 

1CD

 

1.       Happy Christmas (War Is Over)  4:04

2.       The Christmas Song  3:31

3.       Jingle Bell Rock  1:49

4.       White Christmas  3:55

5.       You Make It Feel Like Christmas  3:35

6.       Morning Has Broken 3:02

7.       Santa Claus Is Coming To Town  3:25

8.       Silver Bells  3:04

9.       Cherry Cherry Christmas  3:26

10.     Sleigh Ride  2:36

11.     Winter Wonderland  2:39

12.     Christmas Medley: It’s Almost Day / Make A Happy Song / We Wish You A Merry Christmas  3:12

13.     O Holy Night*  3:27

14.     The Little Drummer Boy  3:51

15.     O Come, O Come Emmanuel / We Three Kings Of Orient Are  2:56

16.     Silent Night  4:00

17.     The First Noel  3:35

18.     Christmas Prayers  4:30

19.     Joy To The World  2:38

 

*denotes new mix

Classic Christmas songs from The Beach Boys, Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Nat King Cole and more receive official videos for Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! ...

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS FROM THE BEACH BOYS, BING CROSBY, BURL IVES, DEAN MARTIN, ELLA FITZGERALD, FRANK SINATRA, THE JACKSON 5, JIMMY DURANTE, MARVIN GAYE AND NAT KING COLE RECEIVE FIRST-EVER OFFICIAL VIDEOS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

UMe’S LATEST HOLIDAY VIDEO OFFERINGS JOIN A HOST OF SEASONAL AUDIO DELIGHTS, INCLUDING OFFICIAL HOURS-LONG PLAYLIST, A HOST OF THEMATIC DIGITAL COLLECTIONS, AND MUCH MORE TO HELP SOUNDTRACK YOUR HOLIDAYS AND TURN UP THE JOY

Los Angeles – December 9, 2021 – This holiday season, UMe has once again teamed up with legendary artists and estates to create official animated videos for some of the most beloved holiday songs in the Christmas canon from the likes of Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, The Jackson 5, Jimmy Durante, Marvin Gaye, and Nat King Cole. Most of the animated videos were produced by Fantoons Animation Studios, with Ella Fitzgerald’s “Sleigh Ride” created by the team at Pixel Park; The Jackson 5’s “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” animated by Troy Browne and Chaz Bottoms, with puppets created by Adam Kreutinger and operated bypuppeteers Alex Griffin and Jayden Libran; and Marvin Gaye’s “I Want To Come Home For Christmas” directed by Tim Fox and animated by Daniel Crossan. The videos span a variety of styles and themes and feature animators from all over the world putting their unique spin on the holidays. 

In addition to the animated videos, several engaging lyric videos have been created for The Beach Boys’ “The Man With All The Toys,” Bing Crosby’s “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” Dean Martin’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and Nat King Cole’s “The Happiest Christmas Tree,” which are perfect for holiday gathering sing-alongs. 

WATCH BING CROSBY’S “I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS” & 
“THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY”

WATCH BURL IVES’ “RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER”

WATCH DEAN MARTIN’S “I’VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM”

WATCH ELLA FITZGERALD’S “SLEIGH RIDE”

WATCH FRANK SINATRA’S “HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS”

WATCH THE JACKSON 5’S “SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN”

WATCH JIMMY DURANTE’S “FROSTY THE SNOWMAN”

WATCH MARVIN GAYE’S “I WANT TO COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS”

WATCH NAT KING COLE’S “O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL”

WATCH THE BEACH BOYS’ “THE MAN WITH ALL THE TOYS” (LYRIC VIDEO)

WATCH BING CROSBY’S “DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR” (LYRIC VIDEO) &
 “IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS” (LYRIC VIDEO)

WATCH DEAN MARTIN’S “BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE” (LYRIC VIDEO)

WATCH NAT KING COLE’S “THE HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS TREE” (LYRIC VIDEO)

“UMe has created a series of videos for many of UMG’s most cherished and enduring holiday hits as we partner with our artists once again to continue this tradition,” says Bruce Resnikoff, President and CEO of UMe, the global catalog company of UMG. “This year’s videos were created by directors and artists from around the world and embody the holiday spirit as these timeless songs have been reinterpreted in creative new ways.”

In the video for Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” viewers are taken on a Christmas voyage through the perspective of several generations of hopeful, hardworking family members, from the turn of the century to 1970s NYC to modern day, as they attempt to make it home for the holidays, while Bing serenades throughout the decades. In “The Little Drummer Boy,” a similar theme is told as a boy, away from his family, makes a meager living cleaning up backstage nightly. On a particularly depressing evening, as Christmas is fast approaching and the distance from his family becomes all the more somber, the boy transforms some rusty buckets and pails into a drum kit and the theatre, strewn with Crosby references, and its inanimate inhabitants come to life as he offers his sole and modest gift of drumming. In Burl Ives’ “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” a new chapter is added to one of the most famous Christmas tales of all as Rudolph Jr. saves Christmas after the blinking Neurological Observational Sensor Equipment (N.O.S.E.) malfunctions, forcing Rudolph to spring into action just like his famous father. 

Dean Martin is recruited by Santa and Mrs. Claus to handle Christmas duties while they sneak off for a tropical vacation in the hilarious video for “I’ve Got My Love To Keep You Warm,” which features Dean brought to life through an ingenious mix of photo collages and ‘60s-era animation. Meanwhile, in the video for The Jackson 5’s “Santa Claus Is Coming Town,” a delightful hybrid of puppetry and animation, Santa more than embraces his duties and saves the world by gleefully delivering presents and the Christmas spirit around the globe to magically transform people and the areas that need his help the most. Ella Fitzgerald’s “Sleigh Ride” takes viewers on a striking visual adventure around the globe with many “Easter Eggs” to be found along the way from throughout Ella’s career. 

Written and co-directed by David Calcano of Fantoons, the video for Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” beautifully tells Calcano’s personal story, which is really the universal story about missing home and family during the holidays after leaving one’s country in search of a better life, in his case leaving Venezuela for the U.S. The video, which states in the credits is “Dedicated To Those Who Had To Leave Their Home… Looking For A Better Life,” has gone viral in Latin America and has struck a chord with people around the world who have been sharing their own stories in the thousands of YouTube comments. Jimmy Durante tells a different kind of story in the video for “Frosty the Snowman” which features a larger than life Frosty in this modern, whimsical take on the classic tale. The video for Marvin Gaye’s poignant “I Want To Come Home For Christmas” takes on a more solemn and serious tone as Gaye, depicted as a cab driver during the holidays, drives around the city and helps veterans, as the light on his taxi reads, get “home for Christmas.” Written and recorded in 1972 about supporting America’s prisoners of war and told from a soldier’s perspective, the song was released posthumously in 2019 on the Motown/UMe album, You’re the Man. The video premiered on Veteran’s Day in partnership with the Paralyzed Veterans of America. 

To celebrate the unifying spirit of Christmas, Nat King Cole’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” has brought together 20 different visual styles from artists all over the world to tell “The Greatest Story Ever Told” with their distinctive interpretations. The story of the birth of Christ has been uniquely illustrated by 27 artists from 15 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela. 

For those looking for more holiday entertainment, The Ed Sullivan Show’s Official YouTube Channel will be adding classic performances to The Ed Sullivan Show holiday playlist from its archives of seasonal favorites all month long, including “The Christmas Song” by Dolores Gray, “Baby’s First Christmas” by Connie Francis, “Jingle Bells” by Shari Lewis and her adorable sidekicks, Lamb Chop and Charlie Horse; cherished standards “Ave Maria” by Joselito, a medley by Sandler & Young singing “Do You Hear What I Hear? / Silent Night / O Holy Night,” the Mexican Boystown Choir with “Auld Lang Syne;” and a holiday-themed medley from Bobby Sherman. The videos also will be available here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheEdSullivanShow 

These videos are just some of the many ways that UMe is celebrating its unmatched Christmas catalog and helping to turn up the joy this holiday season. A variety of new thematic digital collections are available to stream now on your favorite streaming service and include the “Christmas For Kids” series, which features classic Christmas songs specially curated for children of all ages from the likes of Bing Crosby, Burl Ives and Peggy Lee; “Christmas Carols” from Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and 98°; a pair of George Straight“Strait To Christmas” collections, “Classics” and “Holiday Jams;” and a variety of other sets from Dean Martin (“White Christmas,” “Let It Snow”), Nat King Cole (“Joy To The World”), and 98° (“Festive Christmas”). 

Also available for your streaming pleasure is UMe's Christmas playlist, which features some of the most popular songs and artists across the holiday music canon, pairing timeless classics with contemporary favorites. The hours-long –and ever-expanding – playlist is available now for streaming on Spotify and Apple. Listen here: https://stream.lnk.to/ChristmasPR

uDiscover Music is also getting into the spirit with their just launched holiday hub which includes a variety of gift guides for all types of music lovers, eclectic playlists and the memorable stories behind classic holiday tunes. Visit it here: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/christmas/

ABBA Christmas single and video out now

Check out the new music video for ABBA's first-ever Christmas song, the lovely "Little Things"...Robert Kinsler 

CHRISTMAS SINGLE ‘LITTLE THINGS’ OUT NOW   WATCH THE SOPHIE MULLER-DIRECTED MUSIC VIDEO   ABBA RECEIVE THEIR FIRST EVER GRAMMY NOMINATION   ABBA has released their first Christmas single ‘Little Things’, out now with proceeds going to Unicef to help support the Global Child Protection Fund.   Taken from ABBA’s album Voyage (Capitol), ‘Little Things’ is a reflection on the joy of Christmas morning and family time around this special time of year.   Agnetha, Björn, Benny & Anni-Frid say: “We think it is impossible to eradicate poverty without the empowerment of women. That's why we support Unicef in protecting girls from sexual violence and empowering them through the Global Child Protection Fund. We have done so for many years with our song Chiquitita and now we have decided to give Unicef a Christmas gift in the form of a second song: Little Things from our album Voyage.”   The official music video for the single also launched yesterday (Dec. 3, 2021). Directed by Grammy and BRIT Award-winning British music video director and longtime ABBA fan Sophie Muller (Gwen Stefani, Annie Lennox, Sade, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Radiohead, Björk) alongside Executive Producer Juliette Larthe (Arca, Kanye West, Little Simz ), Producer Chris Murdoch (Kylie Minogue, Franz Ferdinand, Maneskin) Performance Director Theo Adams (Years & Years, Paloma Faith, FKA Twigs) and PRETTYBIRD UK, the film is a brilliantly-conceptualised take on the production behind ABBA Voyage, the series of concerts featuring digital versions of ABBA that will open in London next year.   Centred around a dedicated and ambitious group of school-age children, many of whom in real life are close to (or even related to!) the creative team behind the groundbreaking concerts, this next generation of geniuses are inspired to create an ABBA Voyage ‘Christmas Special’, and embark with irrepressible enthusiasm on the enterprise of motion capture, choreography, costume design, stage lighting and band rehearsals, culminating with the arrival of parents and family members and the beginnings of snow, to watch a very convincing performance by the re-imagined ‘ABBA’, as ‘Little Things’ draws to a close.   After what was one of the biggest and most anticipated comebacks in history, ABBA’s new album Voyagewas released last month, going straight to the No. 1 spot in 18 countries including the UK, Germany, Australia and Sweden and reaching No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. In its first week, Voyage achieved worldwide sales in excess of 1 million copies, and has received more than 190 million combined streams to date.   The single ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ has just received the band’s first ever Grammy nomination for ‘Record of the Year’.   Speaking on the success of Voyage, “We are so happy that our fans seem to have enjoyed our new album as much as we enjoyed making it! We are absolutely over the moon to have an album at the top of the charts again / ABBA”.   ABBA / Voyage - global launch highlights include: ●      Voyage achieved worldwide sales in excess of 1 million copies in its first week, and has received more than 190 million combined streams to date.  ●      In the U.K. Voyage became ABBA’s 10th UK Number 1, and their first to top the Official Albums Chart in 40 years. It is 2021’s fastest-selling album to date and registered the biggest first week sales in four years (203,909). It is also the fastest-selling vinyl release of the century.  ●      In the U.S. – Voyage debuted at #1 on the Top Albums chart, as the band achieved their biggest ever US chart debut. ABBA also claimed the highest sales week in 2021 for a group. ●      The album achieved multiple gold and platinum certifications around the world. ●      Voyage is the biggest international debut of the year in Japan, Germany, Australia, U.K. & France.   Next year will see the opening of ABBA Voyage, the revolutionary concert that will see Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid as digital avatars at their very own purpose-built ‘ABBA Arena’ at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, performing a set-list of ABBA’s greatest hits along with two songs from their new album Voyage, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, alongside a ten-piece live band.   Tickets on sale now at abbavoyage.com.    ABBA Voyage is directed by Baillie Walsh (Flashbacks of a Fool, Being James Bond, Springsteen and I), and produced by Svana Gisla (David Bowie Blackstar/Lazarus, Beyoncé and Jay Z for HBO, Springsteen and I) and Ludvig Andersson (And Then We Danced, Yung Lean - “In My Head”, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again).

https://abbasite.com/ Instagram Twitter Facebook TikTok YouTube   About ABBA With nearly 400 million albums sold worldwide, 17 No. 1 hits and over 16 million weekly global streams, ABBA are one of the world’s most successful music acts of all time. Ever since their breakthrough with ‘Waterloo’ back in 1974, ABBA’s music has captured the hearts of people all over the world. Today, the songs they created – written and produced by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and interpreted vocally with passion and commitment by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad – are regarded as an important part of the international music canon. In the 21st Century, ABBA are more popular than ever. ABBA Gold, originally released in 1992, recently passed its 1000th week on the UK Album Chart, the first album in history to reach this milestone. Content using the #ABBA hashtag on TikTok recently reached one billion views, without the catalogue officially being available on the platform. ABBA was inducted into the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and ‘Dancing Queen’, one of their most beloved songs, was added to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2015.