Amazon Music Kicks Off the Holidays with New Amazon Original Songs from Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, José Feliciano, Carrie Underwood and More

SEATTLE, Nov. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - Amazon Music today announced its kickoff to the holiday season with a slate of brand-new holiday content for listeners, including new exclusive music from chart-topping artists, hundreds of holiday playlists and stations, and much more. Starting today, Amazon Music listeners around the world can hear new, Amazon Original holiday songs from artists including Justin Bieber and his rendition of Brenda Lee's classic holiday song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree;" Mary J. Blige today releases her own version of WHAM's "Last Christmas;" Carrie Underwood and her new, original composition titled "Favorite Time of Year," which now appears as a bonus track on Amazon Music for her new album, My Gift; UK sensation Jess Glynne shares her take on Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas;" and José Feliciano will soon release a reimagined version of his song "Feliz Navidad," to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the crossover hit. To stream these new holiday songs and more, click here.

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"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' has always been one of my favourite songs to celebrate the holidays, and I'm excited to team up with Amazon Music to share my own version, with my fans," said Justin Bieber.

"I've always loved how 'Last Christmas' walks the line between being upbeat and heartbroken — all while still remaining one of the catchiest holiday songs," said Mary J. Blige. "It's one of the most unique holiday songs, and I'm excited for my fans to hear my take on it this holiday season on Amazon Music."

"'Favorite Time of Year' is a joyful, super happy and fun Christmas song because it is about all of the things that make you happy this time of year, and it puts you in the mood to celebrate," said Carrie Underwood. "I can't help but smile when I sing it, it just brightens my day and I'm thrilled to share it today only on Amazon Music."

Amazon Music releases Amazon Original songs from a wide range of artists year-round, and continues to enlist both emerging artists and chart toppers to create special holiday songs only for Amazon Music listeners. In addition to new songs from Bieber, Blige and Underwood, this holiday season Amazon Music listeners can now stream a reimagined version of "In The Bleak Midwinter" by Jamie Cullum; a cover of "Merry Christmas Darling" by Lennon Stella; for King & Country's version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?"; a new holiday original titled "Pub Crawl" from Canada's top rock outfit, Arkells; and "Zuhause (Christmas Time)" by German singer, Vanessa Mai. In the coming weeks, Amazon Music will release even more Amazon Original songs including a Spanglish rendition of "Let It Snow (Navidad, Navidad, Navidad)," by Lele Pons; "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas (Te Deseo Muy Felices Fiestas)" in Spanglish by Jesse & Joy; as well as a cover of "The Christmas Song" from Amazon Music Breakthrough artist, Kiana Ledé.

"This holiday season, it's important for us to bring our customers more reasons to smile, and to create ways for them to connect with their favourite artists while at home with family," said Ryan Redington, VP of Music Industry at Amazon Music. "Our customers are requesting holiday music more and more each year. In the days leading up to Christmas last year, Amazon Music listeners requested holiday music more than 11 million times per day, and nearly 8,000 times per minute worldwide, and we can't wait to see that trend continue."

Continuing the holiday celebrations throughout December, Amazon Music will launch a new episodic video series as part of the [Re]Discover initiative on Amazon Music, the global brand developed to support artist catalogs across all music genres. The [Re]Discover series will explore the untold stories behind lasting holiday hits including, "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love and "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano. Kicking off in December, the new content series will unveil never-before-heard details with a mix of archival footage, animations and interviews with the star subjects or those closest to them. Additionally, Amazon Music will feature Darlene Love as the [Re]Discover Artist of the Month for December, launching a new playlist for customers to explore her music beyond her holiday mainstay on December 1. In addition, Dolly Parton fans can catch, "Dolly Parton's Comin' Home for Christmas", an exclusive holiday experience featuring a performance and Q&A for fans with the country music icon at 10am PT/12pm CT on November 13 via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Amazon Live.

To get started on holiday listening, simply ask "Alexa, play holiday music" in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android or on enabled devices, for a mix of the new singles and classic hits, or check out popular playlists such as Christmas Present and Christmas Past. For a limited time, new Amazon Music Unlimited customers can get three months of the premium streaming tier for free to enjoy unlimited access to tens of millions of songs, ad-free. To learn more, visit amazonmusic.com.

About Amazon Music
Amazon Music reimagines music listening by enabling customers to unlock millions of songs and thousands of curated playlists and stations with their voice. Amazon Music provides unlimited access to new releases and classic hits across iOS and Android mobile devices, PC, Mac, Echo, and Alexa-enabled devices including Fire TV and more. With Amazon Music, Prime members have access to ad-free listening of 1 million songs at no additional cost to their membership. Listeners can also enjoy the premium subscription service, Amazon Music Unlimited, which provides access to tens of millions of songs and the latest new releases. And with Amazon Music HD, customers have access to the highest-quality listening experience available, with tens of millions of songs available in High Definition (HD), over one million songs in Ultra HD, and a growing catalog of 3D Audio. Customers also have free access to an ad-supported selection of top playlists and stations on Amazon Music. Engaging with music and culture has never been more natural, simple, and fun. For more information, visit amazonmusic.com or download the Amazon Music app.

About Amazon
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SOURCE Amazon Canada

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