Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Get Merry With New Spotify Holiday Singles From Laufey, Kirk Franklin, Ezra Collective, and Panter Blico

14/11/2023

As the year draws to a close, you might be excitedly getting ready for the holidays. And whether you're spending time with family or celebrating with friends, you know your gatherings aren't complete without a great soundtrack.

To help start your merrymaking right, we're back with another edition of Spotify Holiday Singles. This year, we invited jazz starlet Laufey, gospel legend Kirk Franklin, eclectic fusion quintet Ezra Collective, and rising M sica Mexicana star Panter B lico to record a cover of a classic holiday hit or an original song that channels the spirit of the season.

The end result is four new singles, each with its own distinct sound, making any time the perfect time to enjoy some festive vibes. Here's what each of our featured artists had to say about their Spotify Holiday Singles.

Winter Wonderland Laufey

Raised between Iceland and the U.S., Laufey is a classically trained cellist and pianist who has quickly become a household name since stepping onto the scene in 2020 with her hit Street by Street. As a kid, she became hooked on jazz standards after digging through her dad's record collection, and now she is the most-streamed jazz artist on Spotify thanks to hit singles like Let You Break My Heart Again and record-breaking albums like Bewitched.

For her Spotify Holiday Single, Laufey reaffirmed her love of jazz standards with her cover of the timeless Winter Wonderland.

Why did you choose Winter Wonderland? I chose to cover Winter Wonderland because it captures the essence and warmth of Christmastime at my family's home in Iceland.

What's your favorite holiday tradition? It has to be giving and receiving books on Christmas Eve. Nothing beats sitting down with my family on Christmas Day and diving into the books by the tree.

Joy To The World Kirk Franklin

Since bursting onto the scene 30 years ago, Kirk Franklin has successfully bridged the worlds of gospel, pop, hip-hop, and R&B, steadily delivering a parade of hits to fans around the world. The 19-time Grammy winner first made his mark with his 1993 debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family, and he hasn't looked back since. Just last month, the legend released Father's Day, his 14th studio album.

And for this year's round of Spotify Holiday Singles, Franklin chose to bring good tidings with his gospel-infused cover of Joy To The World.

Why did you choose Joy To The World? I chose Joy to the World because the world could always use a little more joy. Christmas is my favorite time of year because it's a time where people are more optimistic. I want to get the message out there for everyone to spread a bit of joy everywhere they go, today and every day of the year.

What's your favorite holiday tradition? I love being with my family and giving them the holiday specials that I never had growing up. Whether that's eating too much good food or giving them too many gifts. It's the time where I really get to show my family how much I love and appreciate them for their constant love and support.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Ezra Collective

Since coming together in 2016, London ensemble Ezra Collective has become known for their distinct fusion of Black genres like jazz, grime, and Afrobeat. Last year the group, which consists of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, released its third album, Where I'm Meant To Be, featuring collaborations with like-minded artists Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sand , and Nao.

And for their Spotify Holiday Single, the quintet lent its talent to a cover of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Why did you choose the song you covered? Femi: Christmas music is all about carols. The simplicity of them, but also the beauty in the melodies. I guess also growing up in church, around the Christmas period it's the carols I would hear. For us, this tune is a really wavy carol, such a beautiful melody. So much to interpret and make your own.

What's a holiday tradition of yours? Femi: It has to be the Ezra Collective Office Party. We have no office, but the name just makes it sound more grown up. It's just an opportunity to eat and drink together. Secret Santa, and most importantly whatever that year has been, a moment to be grateful and thank one another.

Un Vaquero En Navidad Panter B lico

Just 21 years old, Panter B lico has become one of the leading lights of the M sica Mexicana scene. The former Grupo Arriesgado member broke through as a solo artist earlier this year, topping charts with hits like LA 701 and S mbolo Sexual, along with releasing his debut album, Punto Y Aparte.

For this year's edition of Spotify Holiday Singles, the rising star took a different approach and contributed an original song: Un Vaquero En Navidad.

What was the inspiration for Un Vaquero En Navidad ? When they asked me to record an original Christmas corrido, I thought I'd go outside of the traditional and tell a story about something I'm passionate about, which is horses. I imagined being a cowboy at Christmas time, and that's where the lyrics came from. And with my musicians, we realized that the northern cumbia style was best for the period.

What's your favorite holiday tradition? Like everyone, we spend the night of the 24th having a traditional family dinner. We open gifts the morning of the 25th and get together that day for a reheated meal.

Keep this year's holiday celebrations turned up to 11 with Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection, featuring our full catalog of original songs and covers.
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-11-14/holiday-singles-laufey-kirk-fr...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

10/07/2026

N.Y. State Broadcasters Association Selects Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/07/2026

Chyron's PRIME 5.4 Brings Template Experience to More Newsrooms

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/07/2026

Registration Opens for 2026 NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/07/2026

IAB Releases Redefining Media Types' Standard for Public Comment

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/07/2026

Wedotv FAST Channels Launch on TiVo Platforms in Europe

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/07/2026

Sage Offers Guidance on EAS Password Changes

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/07/2026

Omaha Productions Goes All-In as World Series of Poker Main Event Returns to ESPN

With 50+ cameras, three trucks, 60+ EVS channels, RFID hole-card workflows, and ...

09/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Dana Shearer, Syracuse University

A recent graduate from Westchester, NY, this experienced technician has already started her first gig in the industry, as a REMI A2 Comms Specialist at ESPN In...

09/07/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lightcasts Andreas Kisslinger on the Role of Automation, Cloud-Based Workflows in Streaming

Live sports production is a fast-paced industry with no signs of slowing down. W...

09/07/2026

TV Skyline, thinXpool, DMC Production Collaborate on Deutsche Telekom's World Cup From NYC

From a rooftop studio in Manhattan, multiple Germany-based companies share respo...

09/07/2026

FOX One and Overtime Announce Creator Series Race to Glory for FIFA World Cup 2026

Overtime has announced a content partnership with FOX One to produce Race to Glo...

09/07/2026

Ross Production Services Standardizes on Clear-Com Intercom Across Mobile Production Fleet

Clear-Com has announced that Ross Production Services (RPS) has standardized on ...

09/07/2026

NetApp Returns as Presenting Partner of 2026 NFL Madrid Game

The NFL has announced that NetApp will return as Presenting Partner of the NFL Madrid Game, featuring the Atlanta Falcons against the Cincinnati Bengals at the ...

09/07/2026

The R&A and Cisco Announce Multi-Year Network Infrastructure Partnership

The R&A and Cisco have announced a multi-year partnership making Cisco the Official Network Supplier of The R&A and its Championships. Cisco will deploy AI-read...

09/07/2026

Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach, and LTN Complete Live Syndication of 25 Words or Less LIVE

Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach (XR), and LTN have announced the completi...

09/07/2026

Wynn Records Launches Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Platform Powered by Kiswe

Kiswe has announced a partnership with Wynn Records to launch the Wynn Records Network streaming platform, debuting Saturday, July 11 with a Salita Promotions b...

09/07/2026

NEP Europe Announces Multi-Year Agreement as Wimbledon Broadcast Services Provider

NEP Europe has announced a new multi-year agreement with Wimbledon Broadcast Ser...

09/07/2026

Thropic Games Raises Pre-Seed Round Led by The Famous Group

Thropic Games, a company offering casual mobile games tied to fan fundraising for sports programs, has announced a pre-seed funding round led by The Famous Grou...

09/07/2026

Game Creek Video Purchases 10 Grass Valley K-Frame Switchers for Fleet Expansion

Game Creek Video has reached an agreement with Grass Valley to purchase 10 K-Frame production switchers as part of a two-year fleet expansion. Two systems have ...

09/07/2026

Gravity Media Powers ITVs FIFA World Cup Coverage with Three-Hub Remote Production

Gravity Media is delivering a three-hub remote production workflow for ITV's...

09/07/2026

Report: North American Broadcast Journalists Spend Up to 75% of Time on Technical Workflows

A new report from Quickplay and Caretta Research, The Broadcaster Revolution Wi...

09/07/2026

DAZN to Broadcast Esports World Cup Free to Global Audiences

DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to serve as t...

09/07/2026

YES Networks Mike Webb on Finding Opportunity for Innovation in Live Regional Sports Production

The regional sports network is staying busy this summer with broadcasts of the N...

09/07/2026

Universal Audio Black Box HG-2 & elysia karacter

Latest analogue-emulation plug-ins revealed Universal Audio have just added two new analogue-emulation plug-ins to their DSP-powered UAD line-up. Developed ...

09/07/2026

Neumann launch U 47 FET Bon Scott Edition

Limited-edition mic celebrates rock icon Neumann have partnered with the Bon Scott Estate to create a limited-edition version of the U 47 FET that honours b...

09/07/2026

Plugin Station: Plug-in management software

Handles organisation, updates, troubleshooting & more Created by pro-audio software developer Julian Worden, Plugin Station from Julian Michael Technologies...

09/07/2026

LANDR expand Fair Trade AI programme

Introduces new $1 million advance programme LANDR have just announced the next phase of their Fair Trade AI programme, a pioneering opt-in music-licensing p...

09/07/2026

Spitfire Audio expand low-cost Originals range

Four new titles now available Spitfire Audio have just introduced four new titles in their Originals range, bringing the total count of libraries in the low...

09/07/2026

SBS statement Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

SBS statement Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion 9 July, 2026 Media releases SBS acknowledges the gravity of the matters before the Roy...

09/07/2026

Press Release: NFVF Sixth Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP6) Status Update

08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...

09/07/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces New UltraStudio Express 3G

Blackmagic Design Announces New UltraStudio Express 3G Brie Clayton July 9, 2026 0 Comments New extremely portable capture and playback models with 3G...

09/07/2026

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card Management Platform for NetConnect+ Plans

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card Management Platform for ...

09/07/2026

Hong Kong Jockey Club Expands Intercom Infrastructure Wit...

Riedel Communications today announced that the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), one of Asia's most prestigious horse racing organizations, has significantly up...

09/07/2026

Game Creek Video Switches On Next-Gen Production with K-F...

Leading North American mobile production facility provider standardizes on Grass Valley's fully IP-native K-Frame production switchers for its fleet of next...

09/07/2026

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card M...

Miri Technologies Inc. is rolling out a new online portal that provides customers and resellers with self-serve management tools and usage analytics for the com...

09/07/2026

Beeble Introduces AI-Driven SwitchHDR Converter

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/07/2026

DP Aakash Subramaniam Chooses ZEISS Supreme and Nano Prim...

Cinematographer Aakash Subramaniam, WICA faced a conceptual challenge: how could he make a film about dying that doesn't feel like one? The film, Our Weird...

09/07/2026

The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent's Nightmare for U and U&W

Years in the making, this intimate documentary draws on rare access to Leah Crouchers family to tell the story behind one of Britains most high-profile missing ...

09/07/2026

Enjoy Gigafast speeds and Ultimate TV pack for less

Thursday 9 July 2026 Enjoy Gigafast speeds and Ultimate TV pack for less The latest deals have dropped from Sky TV and Sky Broadband, the award-winning provid...

09/07/2026

Local campaigns with impact

Hands up who would like to dress up as a giant crisp packet? The call that went out across the agency as our anti-litter campaign, Wish you weren't here fo...

09/07/2026

GeForce NOW Turns Up the Heat With New GeForce RTX 5080-Powered Toronto Server

This GFN Thursday brings more games, more power and more ways to play on GeForce NOW. The cloud gaming service is expanding with a new GeForce RTX 5080-powere...

08/07/2026

Aqueduct Racetrack Goes Silent

The end of the Big A' marks the demise of one more iconic sports venue and its signature sound After 132 years as one of the preeminent horse-racing track...

08/07/2026

Memphis Athletics, Learfield Continue Long-Term Partnership

Memphis Athletics and Learfield have signed a long-term renewal to their 25-year relationship, which sees Learfield's Tiger Sports Properties continue repre...

08/07/2026

T-Mobile Brings ABS Challenge System, 5G Batting Practice Cams to 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia

MLB All-Star Week returns to Philadelphia for the first time in 30 years as Amer...

08/07/2026

SVG Enterprise Launches Inaugural Enterprise Video Summit, Oct. 19 in New York

Former Wall Street Video event expanded to include all Enterprise sectors SVG Enterprise has announced the inaugural Enterprise Video Summit, taking place Oct....

08/07/2026

Wrigley Field Revamp: Chicago Cubs Upgrade LED Videoboards To Match New 1080p Control Room

An offseason project enhanced eight video displays around the venue in time for ...

08/07/2026

A Beacon on Biscayne Bay: Miami Heat Reflect on Ambitious Renovation at SVG Venues & Teams Summit

Kaseya Center has a ton of new features that weren't available to the indust...