When Christmas Comes Around... - Wikipedia
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| When Christmas Comes Around... | ||||
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| Studio album by Kelly Clarkson | ||||
| Released | October 15, 2021 | |||
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| Length | 47:51 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
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| Kelly Clarkson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from When Christmas Comes Around... | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
When Christmas Comes Around... is the second Christmas album and ninth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released through Atlantic Records on October 15, 2021. Produced by Jesse Shatkin, Jason Halbert, Joseph Trapanese and Aben Eubanks, it is her second Christmas album after Wrapped in Red (2013) and a follow-up to her eighth album Meaning of Life (2017). Conceived after the emotional turmoil of her public divorce, When Christmas Comes Around... is a breakup holiday album that features cover versions of Christmas songs, as well as original co-penned tracks and duets with Chris Stapleton, Ariana Grande, and Brett Eldredge.
Critics broadly praised When Christmas Comes Around... for Clarkson’s powerful, versatile vocals and mix of fresh originals with standout classics, though some noted uneven production and felt the new songs failed to match her previous holiday work. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[1] Promotion for the album included a Christmas special of the same title, which premiered on NBC on December 1, 2021. The Christmas special premiered with a 0.6 rating and 4.3 million total viewers.[2][3] Its release was preceded by the singles "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me". It also includes previously released singles "Christmas Eve", "All I Want for Christmas Is You", and "Under the Mistletoe" as bonus tracks. A deluxe reissue of the album featuring two new tracks was released on November 1, 2024, including the single "You for Christmas".[4]
Background and recording
[edit]—Clarkson on naming the album When Christmas Comes Around...[5]"My purpose for choosing this lyric as the title of this project was to bring forth a sense of reality to the fact that we are probably in very different places emotionally When Christmas Comes Around... Some of us are consumed with a new love, some of us reminded of loss, some filled with optimism for the coming new year, others elated for some much deserved time away from the chaos our work lives can sometimes bring us. Wherever you are, and whatever you may be experiencing, I wanted everyone to be able to connect to a message on this album. Each year you may even have a new favorite depending on where you are in your life, but while change can be unpredictable there is no better time of year, in my opinion, to breathe hope into one’s life and let possibility wander."
Following the release of her first Christmas album Wrapped in Red in 2013 on RCA Records, Clarkson transferred to Atlantic Records and has issued the Christmas tracks "Christmas Eve" (2017), "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge), and a cover of Vince Vance & the Valiants' "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2020).[6] In an interview on the television program Entertainment Tonight, she revealed that she was not originally intending to record another Christmas studio album due to her fondness for her first, but later decided to following the emotional stress induced by the highly publicized divorce the previous year.[7] In recording the album, Clarkson recorded cover versions of various Christmas classics and wrote new material featuring duets with American recording artists Chris Stapleton and Ariana Grande.[6]
Themes and inspirations
[edit]Atlantic Records has promoted When Christmas Comes Around... as an exploration of "a wide range of holiday emotions and experiences anchored by Clarkson's incomparable vocal prowess".[6] Clarkson has elaborated that the album will explore various themes of love, loss, hope, and optimism — emotions that people tend to experience during the holiday season.[5][7]
Drawing inspiration from her experiences during the past two years, she remarked of the album's title, her first to not have a titular track since My December (2007), as "when Christmas comes around, we are all in different places." Further adding that its selection of tracks will both evoke a somber and posit a jolly atmosphere. Characterizing it as "a different Christmas album", she portrayed When Christmas Comes Around... as feeling more like a normal studio album, but "there's Christmas sprinkled on it."[7]
Release
[edit]When Christmas Comes Around... was released by Atlantic Records on October 15, 2021.[7] A special edition shipped exclusively to Target retail stores would also feature a Christmas card signed by Clarkson.[8] Its lead single "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)", was released on September 23, 2021.[9] "Glow" with Stapleton and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" with Grande were released as promotional singles alongside the album's release.[10][11] The deluxe reissue of the album entitled When Christmas Comes Around… Again was released on November 1, 2024.[4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Slant Magazine | |
In a roundup of new holiday albums, The New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica praised Clarkson's "nimble" vocals and wrote that the original tracks, some of them strikingly "uncelebratory," make the album stand out.[14] In the year-end episode of his Times podcast Popcast, Caramanica again praised the album, calling it "very, very good [...] solid [and] impressive," though "not quite Mariah-level."[15] Mike DeWald of Riff Magazine praised how Clarkson's original songs are "something fresh and listenable."[16] Alan Sculley, writing for The Wichita Eagle, called When Christmas Comes Around... another "stellar holiday album". He found that it was "anything but the typical holiday album" and concluded: "Whatever the songs, they often come with full orchestration and plenty of studio polish, yet don't sound overproduced. Now with two stellar holiday albums to her credit, fans will be ready whenever another Clarkson Christmas album comes around again.[17]
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, who gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, criticized some production choices but praised Clarkson's "impressive" vocals and "melodic variations" on the classics as the "chief selling point."[13] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, called it "a vibrant, fully orchestral, high-volume set on average", and singled out "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" as highlights among the newest tracks."[12] Helmi Yusof from The Business Times noted that "Clarkson keeps it classy with her second Christmas album." He felt that "the best songs are the familiar ones, such as George Michael's "Last Christma"s sung as a slinky jazz number and "Jingle Bell Rocks" getting some lift from her powerful lungs."[18] Vulture's Justin Curto called Clarkson "the queen of the holidays", calling the album a gift for Christmas. Curto especially appreciated the collaboration with Ariana Grande, as it sounds "as majestic as you would expect from the two singers."[19] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine found that while the original songs on When Christmas Comes Around... "don't quite live up to the lofty bar she previously set" on Wrapped in Red, the album "juxtaposes the yuletide blues with jubilant holiday standards," further noting that "Clarkson's vocals, then, are the album’s chief selling point."[13]
Commercial performance
[edit]By December 2021, the album had sold 93,000 album-equivalent units.[20]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Merry Christmas Baby" |
| Jesse Shatkin | 3:45 |
| 2. | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" | Meredith Willson | Shatkin | 1:54 |
| 3. | "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" |
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| 3:51 |
| 4. | "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" |
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| 4:10 |
| 5. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Johnny Marks | Shatkin | 1:52 |
| 6. | "Glow" (with Chris Stapleton) |
| Halbert | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Santa Baby" |
| Halbert | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" (with Ariana Grande) |
| Halbert | 4:02 |
| 9. | "Last Christmas" | George Michael | Halbert | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Jingle Bell Rock" |
| Shatkin | 1:56 |
| 11. | "Blessed" |
| Halbert | 3:34 |
| 12. | "Christmas Come Early" |
| Halbert | 2:59 |
| 13. | "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge; Bonus track) |
|
| 3:45 |
| 14. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Bonus track) |
| Shatkin | 3:46 |
| 15. | "Christmas Eve" (Bonus track) |
| Halbert | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 47:51 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You for Christmas" |
| Ronson | 2:54 |
| 2. | "Sleigh Ride" |
| Ronson | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Merry Christmas Baby" |
| Shatkin | 3:45 |
| 4. | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" | Willson | Shatkin | 1:54 |
| 5. | "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" |
|
| 3:51 |
| 6. | "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" |
|
| 4:10 |
| 7. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Marks | Shatkin | 1:52 |
| 8. | "Glow" (with Chris Stapleton) |
| Halbert | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Santa Baby" |
| Halbert | 2:50 |
| 10. | "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" (with Ariana Grande) |
| Halbert | 4:02 |
| 11. | "Last Christmas" | Michael | Halbert | 3:09 |
| 12. | "Jingle Bell Rock" |
| Shatkin | 1:56 |
| 13. | "Blessed" |
| Halbert | 3:34 |
| 14. | "Christmas Come Early" |
| Halbert | 2:59 |
| 15. | "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge; Bonus track) |
|
| 3:45 |
| 16. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Bonus track) |
| Shatkin | 3:46 |
| 17. | "Christmas Eve" (Bonus track) |
| Halbert | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 53:05 | |||
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes
Recorded and engineered at
- Brooklyn, New York (Brooklyn Bridge Music)
- Burbank, California (The Eastwood Stage at Warner Bros. Studio, The Listening Station, Glenwood Place Studios)
- Los Angeles, California (The Ribcage)
- Nashville, Tennessee (Ocean Way, Southern Ground)
- New York City (Manhattan Beach Recording)
- Pasadena, California (The Vibe Room)
- Studio City, California (Everland Studios)
- Universal City, California
Performance credits
- Kelly Clarkson – all vocals
- Jessi Collins – background vocals
- Luke Edgemon – background vocals
- Brett Eldredge – featured vocals
- Ariana Grande – featured vocals
- Nayanna Holley – background vocals
- Tiffany Palmer – background vocals
- Bridget Sarai – background vocals
- Chris Stapleton – featured vocals
- Brandon Winbush – background vocals
Musicians
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Production
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Charts
[edit]| Chart (2021–2025) | Peakposition |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] | 61 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 147 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25] | 31 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] | 26 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] | 42 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[28] | 23 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[29] | 58 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] | 19 |
| Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge)[31] | 55 |
| Polish Streaming Albums (ZPAV)[32] | 67 |
| Portuguese Streaming Albums (AFP)[33] | 160 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] | 80 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 41 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[36] | 94 |
| US Billboard 200[37] | 22 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[38] | 1 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format | Label | Catalog number | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 15, 2021 | Standard |
| Atlantic | 864083-4 | [21][39] |
| Christmas card CD | 864006-3 | [8] | ||||
| November 1, 2024 | When Christmas Comes Around... Again reissue |
| 860289-4 | [40] |
References
[edit]- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Complete Winners & Nominees List".
- ^ Thaadeus, Shearmen (December 2, 2021). ""Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around" ratings". Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ Dwortz, Mallory (December 1, 2021). "How to Watch "Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around"". MLive. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c Iahn, Buddy (September 24, 2024). "Kelly Clarkson shares 'You For Christmas'". The Music Universe. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Fisher, Kelly (September 27, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Dishes On Her 'Purpose' For Christmas Breakup Single". iHeartRadio. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Towers, Andrea (September 23, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson drops holiday breakup bop 'Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)' just in time for... fall". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Calvario, Liz (September 24, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Shares the Inspiration Behind Her New Breakup Christmas Song and Holiday Album (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around (Target Exclusive, CD)(Christmas Card)". Target Corporation. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Zemler, Emily (September 23, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Welcomes the Holidays With 'Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Clarkson, Kelly; Stapleton, Chris (October 14, 2021). "Spotify – Glow". open.spotify.com.
- ^ Clarkson, Kelly; Grande, Ariana (October 14, 2021). "Spotify – Santa, Can't You Hear Me". open.spotify.com.
- ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (October 15, 2021). "When Christmas Comes Around... Review by Marcy Donelson". AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c Cinquemani, Sal (October 15, 2021). "Review:Kelly Clarkson's When Christmas Comes Around Is a Jolly Breakup Album". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (December 11, 2021). "13 Albums That Revisit (and Redefine!) Holiday Classics". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (December 28, 2021). "What We Forgot to Talk About in 2021". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ DeWald, Mike (October 15, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson celebrates the season on 'When Christmas Comes Around…'". Riff Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Sculley, Alan (October 15, 2021). "New Christmas albums offer something for almost everyone - and a few lumps of coal". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Yusof, Helmi (December 16, 2021). "10 things to entertain you this X'mas". The Business Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Curto, Justin (October 15, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Declares It's Christmastime With When Christmas Comes Around …". Vulture. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^ Christman, Ed (December 13, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé and Mr. Hankey: What's Selling (And What's Not) At Brick-And-Mortar Music Stores This Holiday Season". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2025.(subscription required)
- ^ a b "When Christmas Comes Around... (CD Album)". HMV. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ White, Jack (September 22, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson to release second festive album When Christmas Comes Around... on October 15". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 30 December 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1817. Australian Recording Industry Association. December 30, 2024. p. 6.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around..." (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 47. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "Album 2025 uke 52". VG-lista. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
- ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – albuy w streamie" (Select week 19.12.2025–25.12.2025.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ^ "Top 200 Stream Álbuns Semana 52 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 5. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 22/10/2021 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around...". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 30/12/2022 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ^ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Clarkson, Kelly (September 22, 2021). "When Christmas Comes Around..." Apple Music. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "When Christmas Comes Around... Again by Kelly Clarkson". Spotify. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website
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