Grammy-Award winning and platinum-selling artist Fantasia
will release her first-ever holiday album, Christmas After Midnight, via
Concord Records on October 6. The
12-track album was produced by Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, The Black-Eyed
Peas) and includes some of Fantasia's favorite holiday songs including
"This Christmas," "Silent Night," "Santa Claus Go
Straight to the Ghetto," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
and "Baby, It's Cold Outside," featuring vocals from the critically
acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer CeeLo Green. To pre-order the album, click HERE.
"I'm so excited for my first Christmas album,"
says R&B sensation Fantasia.
"My Grandmother Addie Collins' birthday was on Christmas Day. I
will never forget how she would put up the prettiest Christmas trees and
lights. But more importantly, I'll never forget the impact she had on me and
everyone else around her this time of year. She was a loving woman who helped
all her grandchildren understand the true meaning of the holiday, its impact on
our spirituality and character as well as the importance of recognizing the
value of family and significant relationships.
This album is dedicated to her.
So as she would always say, 'Keep giving the Gift of Giving!'"
Recorded live in Los Angeles' iconic Capitol Studios and
Nashville's famed Blackbird Studios, Christmas After Midnight is an inspiring
and merry blend of rock, soul, jazz, funk and blues that will send holiday
spirits soaring. Brimming with creative
arrangements on standards such as "This Christmas" to the jazzy
interpretation of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?," Fantasia's
soulful and unique vocals breathe a fresh new take on these beloved
classics. The album also features a
playful rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside," featuring CeeLo Green.
"This album pays homage to my grandmother and is a gift
from me to all of those who remember their grandparents or parents putting up
Christmas trees and being a blessing into people's lives," says
Fantasia. "I'd also like to pay
homage to the great singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra
and Ray Charles who stood strong in what they believed in - the music. I hope
that it blesses you guys. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."
North Carolina native Fantasia broke on to the scene in 2004
as the season three winner of Fox's American Idol. Later that year, she
released her platinum-selling debut album Free Yourself and became the first
artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut at #1 with her
first single, "I Believe." The singer's eponymous sophomore effort,
released in 2006, featured the #1 R&B single "When I See U," and
reached gold status. In 2010, Fantasia earned her first ever Grammy Award for
the hit single "Bittersweet," off her critically acclaimed third
album Back to Me. Side Effects of You
followed in 2013, debuting at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and #2
on the Billboard Top 200. On July 29, 2016, Fantasia released her fifth studio
album, The Definition Of...., which became her third consecutive #1 R&B
album debut, her fourth top ten debut on the Billboard 200, and earned her
another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
In addition to being a mainstay in music, Fantasia adds
author and actress, to her growing list of accomplishments. In 2006, she
released her New York Times best-selling memoir, Life Is Not a Fairytale, and
starred as herself in the Lifetime movie of the same name. In 2007, Fantasia
landed the coveted role of Celie in Broadway's The Color Purple for which she
won a Theater World Award. Fantasia returned to Broadway in 2013 as the first
celebrity engagement in After Midnight, a dance-focused musical that celebrated
Harlem's iconic Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and
'30s. After receiving rave reviews, Fantasia joined the cast of After Midnight
for a second run in May 2014.
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