20 famous musicians you didn’t know have Christmas songs

Kanye West doesn’t exactly give off holiday vibes, but his Christmas song, “Christmas in Harlem,” is rather festive. He might be the last person you’d expect to record a Christmas song, and that’s why we put him first on this list. 

Lady Gaga has multiple Christmas songs, including a few duets with Tony Bennett. They’re all good songs, but more than anything, they leave you wondering why Gaga hasn’t recorded a full Christmas album. We’d love a record of standard holiday covers from her. 

Train, for whatever reason, included the song “Shake Up Christmas” in their 2009 album Save Me, San Francisco. The song wasn’t nearly as successful as others on the album, like “Hey, Soul Sister” or even “Marry Me,” but it’s made its way onto some Christmas playlists throughout the years. A few years later, the band recorded an entire Christmas album and put “Shake Up Christmas” on it, too. 

Britney Spears’ Christmas song isn’t totally obsolete, but it’s not nearly as famous as other Christmas songs written by pop stars of her caliber. Had she recorded it with an entire Christmas album, it might’ve gotten the recognition it deserves. 

Her rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in Elf is not the only Christmas song Zooey Deschanel sings! The actor and musician is in a band called She & Him, and the duo released their album, A Very She & Him Christmas, over a decade ago. It’s the perfect album for easy listening on Christmas Day. 

2023 was the year Cher finally delivered her fans a Christmas album. It’s got covers and original songs, and they’re all perfectly Cher. Also, it’s her 27th studio album, which is a remarkable feat whether the album is a holiday or not. 

2023 also brought fans a Christmas album (technically an EP) from Gavin DeGraw. Though he’s not as famous as Cher, and it’s definitely not his 27th studio album, DeGraw’s output of classic covers is also worth a listen.

Christina Perri hasn’t been super famous since the Twilight films wrapped, and that’s also when she released her Christmas EP. It’s mostly covers, but Perri has an original called “something about december.” If you’re a fan of lowercase girl music, this is the Christmas album for you.

Christmas rap largely goes unnoticed. Even Snoop Dogg’s Christmas album, Snoop Dogg Presents Christmas in tha Dogg House, fell to the wayside against holiday stalwarts. This album is a compilation album, so it’s not just Snoop on the record. None of the other featured artists are as famous, though. 

You might not know that it was Tyler, the Creator singing on the track, but if you heard the rap version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from 2018’s The Grinch, you’ve listened to his Christmas song. Tyler, the Creator also has a few more on the movie's soundtrack. 

By hip-hop standards, “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-D.M.C. is perhaps the most popular Christmas song, but within the Christmas music genre as a whole, it’s widely underappreciated. Fun fact: In the first-ever Christmas episode of The Office, Kevin sings a verse of this song. 

Not only does Chris Brown have a Christmas song, but he was also in a Christmas movie. At the beginning of his career, Brown tried his hand at acting, including a part in This Christmas with Regina King, Columbus Short, and Idris Elba. Brown contributed a cover of the Christmas song of the same title to the movie’s soundtrack. He’s got some original Christmas songs, too. 

Not to be confused with JoJo Siwa (who also has some Christmas offerings), JoJo of mid-to-late-aughts fame released a Christmas album in 2020. It features a mix of covers and originals, all of which you’ll be happy you listened to because that woman can sing the phonebook and make it sound good. 

Celine Dion has sung multiple Christmas songs throughout the years, but for some reason, her covers have never gained traction like those of her contemporaries. “I’m Your Angel,” one of her most popular songs, was included on her first Christmas album, but it does not sound even remotely festive, so it’s clear why it didn’t stick as a Christmas song. 

Had Norah Jones released her Christmas album about 20 years prior, it might’ve made a huge splash. Alas, it came out in 2021, and only huge Norah fans listened, which is a shame because her voice is stunning. Luckily, Christmas songs never get old, so this album can still be enjoyed. 

Toni Braxton released a Christmas album when Norah Jones should have. The album has a surprising number of original songs, and it has both a lyrical and instrumental version of a track called “Snowflakes of Love.” Do with that information what you will. 

Compared to NSYNC, Backstreet Boys are the superior boyband. However, when it comes to Christmas music, NSYNC wins. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” is an absolute banger released at the height of the band’s fame. Meanwhile, Backstreet Boys waited until the latter half of their career to record a Christmas album. 

We didn’t know that we needed a song called “Ludacrismas,” but Ludacris did, and that’s why he gave it to us. He released it in 2007, the same year the movie Fred Claus was released, in which Luda played a North Pole DJ. 

Blink-182 released an original Christmas song, “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas,” in 1997. The song didn’t do too well in the United States, but it’s the only one of the band’s songs to go No. 1 in Canada. The more you know.

The Killers actually have quite a few Christmas songs, and there’s a subset of fans who are majorly into the band’s holiday offerings. Multiple people have ranked The Killers’ Christmas tracks, and the internet has hidden corners with discourse surrounding them.