8 best pop and RB holiday songs to add to your playlist
Holiday songs can set the mood for our festivities and gift-wrapping sessions. After all, we need joyous moments during the season, which can be stressful and worrisome. To help create these joyful moments, we gathered some pop and RB holiday tracks for our playlist!
As said, music can set the tone for any occasion. It’s how we can communicate with life’s curveballs and peaks. At Christmastime, when our moods can easily shift from dark to light, high and low, we seek balance by finding that perfect holiday song. Then, we can share the sounds with our loved ones to get them into the holiday spirit.
That’s really how the holidays should be spent, along with great food and good tidings. Without further ado, here are the five pop and R&B holiday songs for this year’s playlist!
8 pop and RB holiday songs to be added to your playlist
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” Mariah Carey 1994
Is it really Christmas without Mariah Carey’s holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You“? No, it’s not. Nicknamed the “Queen of Christmas,” Mariah’s track takes us back to when Christmas was a simpler time. As the years rapidly passed, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” remained a Billboard topper.
To make even the holidays more cheerful this year, Mariah traveled across the United States and Canada for her Merry Christmas Come and All Tour. Kim and Khloé Kardashian brought their girls to Mariah’s show in LA as their first concert, and they had a wonderful time.
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple, iHeart, Spotify, YouTube
“Comin’ For X-mas?” Usher 1995
I bet you thought Usher didn’t release a Christmas song. Well, he did, and it was back in 1995 when he was still just a teenager. In his track, “Comin’ For X-Mas?“, Usher tells a hopeful story of whether his girlfriend will stop by for the holidays. What’s sweet about the song is that it gives us some of Usher’s earlier work and how far he came. Speaking of his work, Usher’s performing in the 2024 Apple Music Superbowl LVIII Halftime Show. Now, that’s something we can all get merry about.
Where to listen: Amazon Music and YouTube Music
“Hark! The Angels Sing! (Shout)” Vanessa Williams 1996
Vanessa Williams graces us with her beautiful rendition of the 18th-century carol, “Hark! The Angels Sing,” from her 1996 album, Star Bright. Sometimes, we need to think about why we celebrate the holiday season in a spiritual sense and gain our peace from it. Joining her on the track is a gospel choir, adding even more magic.
Additionally, Vanessa acted and performed in the 2000 VH1 Network TV movie A Diva’s Christmas Carol, a Y2K take of Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol. The film is scheduled to air on December 21st on VH1.
Where to listen: Apple Music, Amazon Music, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music
“I Won’t Be Home For Christmas” Blink-182 2001
If you’re feeling a bit “punkish” this holiday season, then you must listen to Blink-182’s “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas.” With hard guitar riffs by Mark Hoppus, bass beats by Tom Delonge, and Travis Barker’s epic drumming, the track sways from traditional holiday tracks, but why should everything follow orders when it comes to music?
Just don’t do anything Mark sings about in the song; it’s just for a laugh.
I’m just surprised that the Kardashian family didn’t add this track to their Christmas album recording session last year, seeing Kourtney is married to Travis and has a child with him.
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music.
“Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” N*SYNC 1998
You take one of the most famous boybands to walk the planet, pair them with the holiday season to produce a surefire Christmas track, and boom! You go platinum. That’s the case with N*SYNC, who released the now-classic “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” in 1998. It’s a warm, comforting song, and its video is packed with ’90s nostalgia that we are feeling at the moment. Additionally, 25 years later, the band reunited for the DreamWorks film Trolls Band Together, where they performed a song from its soundtrack!
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music
“My Only Wish (This Year)” Britney Spears 2000
Britney reigned as the “Princess of Pop” in the late 90s and 2000s, dominating MTV’s TRL and the stage. She released a holiday track with her signature Soubrette voice during her early fame days. Titled “My Only Wish (This Year), the song’s theme was typical of the era- wanting a partner to spend the holidays with. However, the lyrics are catchy and innocent, which was pretty much Britney’s style then, which is why I love them.
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music
“8 Days of Christmas” Destiny’s Child 2000
Before Beyoncé launched her highly successful solo career, she was a member of one of the greatest girl groups of all time (Goat), Destiny’s Child. Hit after hit, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and former members LeToya Luckett, Farrah Franklin, and LaTavia Roberson reigned the airwaves in the 90s and early Y2K. In 2000, Destiny’s Child celebrated the holiday with their Christmas tune, “8 Days of Christmas.” Similar to the classic song, “12 Days of Christmas,” Bey and her girls sing about the gifts their loves gifted them for Christmas, all while dressed in cute Santa costumes and shopping inside a toy store. The video has a strong 2000 vibe and takes us back to the excitement of stepping into an onsite store rather than online. There’s nothing like it.
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music.
“Sleigh Ride” TLC 1993
Another reigning girl group, TLC, had long success in the music industry. T-Boz Watkins, Chili Thomas, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes gifted us with their own unique version of “Sleigh Ride.” Filled with festive beats, Lisa’s signature rapping, and holiday cheer. It’s the perfect way to wrap up our playlist for this season.
Where to listen: Amazon Music, Apple, iHeart, Spotify, and YouTube Music.