Hip Holidaze

When December comes around, the sound of house parties, cozy nights in and special nights out becomes decidedly more festive. Between holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah, songs from across the genre spectrum get a little more jolly, a little more sentimental — and a whole lot more reflective; on the highs and lows of our year, and the lessons that we learn along the way. For decades, winter-time festive songs tended to be the preserve of old school crooners, but in recent years, a far broader spread of artists have taken on holiday music, bringing their unique vibes and the sound of their respective genres into the festive fold.

Pop divas like Sabrina Carpenter, JoJo, Kylie Minogue and Christina Aguilera put their zesty twist on holiday sentiments, while rappers like Tyler, The Creator and GloRilla bring their flair and humor. R&B vocalists like Jennifer Hudson and Coco Jones set the romantic mood, while country artists like Lainey Wilson, Kacey Musgraves, Mickey Guyton and Willie Nelson amp up the storytelling. On the rock side, too, indie bands like Fleet Foxes, HAIM, Yo La Tengo and Bryan Adams bring fuzzy guitars and punchy drums into the fold, offering old school storytelling with classic wintertime motifs. 

Dive into this collection of untraditional wintertime tracks — featuring Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, RAYE, Kesha and more — and get into the festive spirit.

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LISTEN TO THE HIP HOLIDAZE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW

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Sabrina Carpenter, “A Nonsense Christmas” 
On her festive album ‘fruitcake,’ pop vocalist Sabrina Carpenter is playfully coy about holiday romances, bringing an R&B edge to the track.

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JoJo, “December Baby”
Millennial pop star JoJo joins in with the festive fun on this catchy R&B track, which is all about finding love in the wintertime.

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Honey Bxby, “All I Want”
Rising rap-R&B artist Honey Bxby asks for her Christmas wishes to come true on this 2025 track. You can learn more about Honey Bxby’s career journey so far in our in-depth Sound Advice interview, as well as check out her track-by-track commentary, recorded exclusively for our Voice Notes series.

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Mickey Guyton, “Sugar Cookie”
Mickey Guyton’s contemporary blend of country and R&B comes through on her 2025 festival album, ‘Feels Like Christmas.’

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Kacey Musgraves, “Glittery”
Country-pop artist Kacey Musgraves is oh-so sweet on her Christmas songs. On this collaboration with Troye Sivan, she’s a hopeless romantic.

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Laufey, dodie, “Love to Keep Me Warm”
Icelandic vocalist and musician Laufey blends laid back jazz and lounge pop on this festive track, from her 2025 album ‘A Very Laufey Holiday.’

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HAIM, “If It Be Your Will” 
The HAIM sisters celebrate the festive period of Hanukkah on this searching cover of Leonard Cohen’s beloved track.

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Lainey Wilson, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
Country vocalist and guitarist Lainey Wilson takes on this Bing Crosby classic, from her 2025 EP ‘Peace, Love and Cowboys (Holiday Edition).’

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Leon Bridges, “A Merry Black Christmas”
R&B vocalist and songwriter Leon Bridges celebrates his Black soul music tradition on this 2025 festive track.

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Coco Jones, “Skip My House”
On R&B vocalist Coco Jones’ latest festive track, she tells Santa how she’s already got everything she could dream of.

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GloRilla, Kehlani, “Xmas Time” 
Memphis rapper GloRilla and R&B vocalist Kehlani link up for this festive 2024 track, switching the vibe from soulful to bumping.

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Tyler, The Creator, Fletcher Jones, “I Am The Grinch”
Taken from the soundtrack from the iconic “The Grinch” movie, Tyler, The Creator makes himself the Christmas-wrecking protagonist on this groovy rap track.

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Jennifer Hudson, “Santa For Someone” 
On this peppy track, soulful vocalist Jennifer Hudson taps into the classic, R&B girl group sound to get into the festive spirit.

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Cher, “Christmas Is Here” 
The one and only Cher gets into the Christmas mood with this sparkling disco-pop track for the dancefloor.

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Kylie Minogue, “Hot in December”
Australian pop legend Kylie Minogue turns up the heat on this driving disco track, taken from her 2025 album, ‘Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped).’

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Christina Aguilera, “My Favorite Things (Live From The Eiffel Tower)”
On her 2025 holiday album ‘Christmas In Paris,’ pop vocalist Christina Aguilera taps into a dramatic, big band sound.

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FIFTY FIFTY, “Naughty or Nice” 
South Korean girl group FIFTY FIFTY bring their saccharine tones and uptempo beats to the festive song tradition.

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Gwen Stefani, “My Gift Is You”
On her 2025 deluxe edition of ‘You Make It Feel Like Christmas,’ former No Doubt vocalist Gwen Stefani flexes her love for festive music.

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Kesha, “Holiday Road”
On this 2025 track, pop artist Kesha takes a festive feeling and makes it soar, with big vocal harmonies and punchy, ‘80s synth beats.

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The Futureheads, “Christmas Was Better in the 80s”
UK indie rock band The Futureheads dropped the aptly titled ‘Christmas’ album in 2025; this upbeat track taps into festive nostalgia.

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Bryan Adams, “California Christmas”
On his 2025 album ‘A Great Big Holiday Jam,’ Canadian rock vocalist and musician Bryan Adams collaborates with Alessia Cara, Barenaked Ladies and more.

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Adam Green, "Dreidels of Fire”
Indie rock artist Adam Green narrates the Hanukkah story of the menorah in this witty track from the 2019 compilation, ‘Hanukkah+.’

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Willie Nelson, “Christmas Love Song” 
Country music renegade Willie Nelson is in a pensive mood about love on this 2025 festive track.

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Michigander, “Not So Merry Christmas”
Nashville-based vocalist and guitarist Michigander dives into a deeper emotional well on this 2025 Christmas track. Learn more about Michigander’s creative process and insights on his latest tracks in this SoundCloud-exclusive commentary. 

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Fleet Foxes, “Angel in the Snow”
Seattle folk rock band Fleet Foxes give the Christmas song tradition a twist, for the soundtrack of 2025 festive movie “Oh. What. Fun.”

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Bleachers, “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call”
On this searching 2025 track, noted producer Jack Antanoff’s indie rock band, Bleachers, reflects on past Christmases, and goes their own way.

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Norah Jones, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
For this twinkling take on a classic festive track, vocalists Norah Jones and Laufey collaborate; the track dropped on the iconic jazz label Blue Note.

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Yo La Tengo, “Eight Candles”
Seasoned indie trio Yo La Tengo celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah with this gentle song about the eight candles of the menorah.

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Robert Glasper, “December” 
Jazz composer and musician Robert Glasper dropped his winter holiday EP, ‘In December,’ with various collaborations. On this laid back track, vocalist Andra Day gently riffs.

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RAYE, “O Holy Night”
UK vocalist and songwriter RAYE blends R&B, pop and jazz on this soaring version of the classic Christmas carol song.

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LISTEN TO THE HIP HOLIDAZE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW