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If you’re looking to add new Christmas songs to your Noche Buena playlist or new versions of the classic songs you already love, we’ve got you covered.
Panamanian artist Sech kicked off the holiday season with a heartfelt and nostalgic original track titled “Carta Navideña,” which he performed for children who are battling cancer at Fanlyc Hospital in his native Panama. “Christmas is for sharing,” the chart-topping artist wrote on social media. “Thank you, Fanlyc, for opening your doors and the incredible work you do with this children.”
Meanwhile, Los Dos Carnales released their version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in their norteño style and in Spanish. And both Nuevo Elemento and Victoria La Mala dropped Christmas-themed EPs.
Nuevo Elemento released Nueva Navidad, which features a mix of covers and original tracks. Victoria La Mala takes on classics such as “All I Want for Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Last Christmas” in her three-track EP titled Mi Regalo.
From “Rodolfo El Reno” to “Carta Navideña” and “Otro Triste Invierno,” here are 10 Christmas songs for your festive playlist.
Los Dos Carnales, “Rodolfo El Reno”
Sech, “Carta Navideña”
Nuevo Elemento, “Otro Triste Invierno”
El Alfa, El Cherry Scom, Kiko El Crazy & Shelow Shaq, “Prende el Arbolito”
MKY, “Noche Buena Sin Ti”
Arthur Hanlon, “Noche de Paz”
Camila, “Navidad Sin Ti”
Victoria La Mala, “Last Christmas”
Majo Aguilar, “Navidad, Feel the Magic”
Limi-T21, “La Tristeza Pa’ Fuera!”
Christmas always arrives early in Australia, and it’s a particularly joyful one this year for Adele, Elton John, Dua Lipa and Pnau.
Elton and Dua’s “Cold Heart” (Pnau Remix) is the Christmas No. 1 in the land Down Under, where it clocks up five non-consecutive weeks at the summit.
“Cold Heart” (via Warner/Universal) is just one week away from equaling Elton’s all-time streak at No. 1, the double A-side Princess Diana tribute “Something About The Way You Look Tonight”/Candle in the Wind 1997.”
The current frame is glittering with Christmas tunes, led by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony) lifting 8-2. Carey’s Christmas classic just misses out on a rare four-peat; the single has led the survey in the holiday seasons of 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Also impacting the Top 20 are Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 12-9 via Sony), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (up 13-10 via Reprise/Warner), Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 21-12 via Universal), Ed Sheeran & Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” (up 29-16 via Universal/Warner), and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (up 34-17 via Universal).
Meanwhile, Adele’s 30 (Columbia/Sony) notches a fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, with the week’s best-selling tally on vinyl.
A social media campaign helps Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train (GAWD/EMI) lift 5-3, for a new peak. Christmas Train includes Paul Kelly’s signature song “How to Make Gravy,” a seasonal classic about a dad in jail, missing his extended family ahead of the big day and dishing out his special gravy-making tips. The ARIA Hall of Famer’s first Xmas set is the highest-placed festive LP on the latest chart.
‘Tis the season to make sure you’ve got hip-hop on your playlist, so here are some suggestions that you need to be listening to this holiday.
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Ahead of his debut North American War & Wonders Tour, which launches Jan. 11 in San Diego, Grammy-nominated rapper and Rhythm + Flow inaugural champion D Smoke is wrapping up an incredible year by giving back to younger people in need.
On Saturday (Dec. 18), the Inglewood, California, native and former high school teacher hosted a Reimagining CommUNITY During the Holidays event, in partnership with CASA of Los Angeles, Crete Academy and Cancel The Contract: Antelope Valley.
During the heartwarming festivities, D Smoke and his his wife, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and violinist Angelina Sherie, were joined by their parents and pet dog, along with local Crete Academy elementary school students, to sing Christmas carols for South Central Los Angeles foster children at transitional youth and foster homes Sanctuary of Hope and Project Destiny Group Home. D Smoke also provided gifts to the youth, presented by Adidas and Black Santa. D Smoke concluded his holiday give-back with an intimate gathering at Sip & Sonder in Inglewood.
“Cancel the Contract is doing great work that’s aligned with the work I’ve been doing since I was in college, whether it be providing access to higher education or serving communities where education needs love and attention,” the “Black Habits” hitmaker tells Billboard. “Their mission is to stand against over-policing in schools.”
D Smoke goes caroling and provides gifts to South Central LA foster youth alongside his family and Crete Academy student singers in collaboration with CASA of Los Angeles and Cancel The Contract Antelope Valley on Saturday, Dec. 18.
“The culture and love for elementary school students at Crete Academy is beautiful,” adds the education reform advocate. “Even the language [they use] and how the staff is trained to deal with kids is super aware, conscious and responsible of how it affects children. And CASA of Los Angeles, those were the perfect organizations [to collaborate with].”
D Smokes recalls a particularly memorable moment from Saturday’s benefit event. “I come from church so to see the young kids really minister and positively impact teenagers [was amazing]. The little kids are so free and innocent-thinking, so it was magical to see a teenager who may have been at her breaking point tearing up because the little girl who had a solo while singing ‘Jingle Bells’ decided to make up her own lyrics. It was a beautiful moment because you’re left to assume that if somebody is feeling sensitive, it’s probably because they’re having a hard time with something. So that moment may have been encouraging.”
Speaking further on the importance of giving back and remaining active in his local community amid his rapid rise to fame, D Smoke explains, “People need to see success in places where they don’t see it all the time. Visibility is extremely important because when people see you within arm’s reach, the things you’ve accomplished become possible to them.”
L to R: Christian Green, Campaign Coordinator of Cancel the Contract AV Coalition; Waunette Cullors, Activist & Steering Committee Member of Cancel the Contract AV Coalition; D Smoke, Brett Mitchell, Co-Founder and Principal of The Crete Academy; Hattie Mitchell, Founder of The Crete Academy; Charity Chandler-Cole, CEO of CASA of Los Angeles
He adds that giving back to others also provides a personal sense of fulfillment and purpose. “The other side of it is that serving the community does something for a person. It puts things into perspective for the person doing the work,” he says.
And for Smoke, who previously taught Spanish classes, music recording and financial literacy at Inglewood High School, View Park Preparatory Accelerated Charter High School, Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets High and more academic institutions for a decade, it’s especially important to restore his native South Central L.A. community. After all, his grandma’s family home has been nestled in Inglewood since the ’70s.
Simply put, “giving back improves me. It makes me a better person and a better artist,” he says.
“It’s giving me all the energy and fuel to make better art,” says D Smoke, who released his sophomore studio album, War & Wonders, in September. His debut studio album, Black Habits, debuted at No. 25 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart in February and was Grammy nominated for best rap album last year.
With all of his success in music, D Smoke still prioritizes the youth. “Kids need exposure and that’s given from professionals from diverse careers,” he explains. “They have to see their dreams in someone else and they need exposure to resources and the opportunity to explore their talents in different crafts so they can learn. They also need well-funded centers, from music and film recording studios to technology centers.”
D Smoke goes caroling and provides gifts to South Central LA foster youth alongside his family and Crete Academy student singers in collaboration with CASA of Los Angeles and Cancel The Contract Antelope Valley on Saturday, Dec. 18.
Smoke tied the knot with his wife Sherie on July 24. She appears in the album artwork for War & Wonders and will join Smoke on tour. Also exciting during D Smoke’s North American War & Wonders tour, fans can expect to see special appearances from his cousin Tiffany Gouché and Domani Harris (rapper T.I.’s son). “These are people who are true artists and with this being my first outing, people are going to see an authentic view of the art in person,” he says.
Pianist Smoke teases, “There will be some piano moments where I’m playing and rapping scaled down things and there will be full show moments. We’re excited and I trust that everything is going to work together as it should.”
The tour will run from the U.S. and Canada from Jan. 11 to Feb. 9, with stops in California, Texas, Maryland, Philadelphia and more. Tickets are available for purchase at D Smoke’s official website.
D Smoke goes caroling and provides gifts to South Central LA foster youth alongside his family and Crete Academy student singers in collaboration with CASA of Los Angeles and Cancel The Contract Antelope Valley on Saturday, Dec. 18.
