It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to gather around with friends and family to eat, drink and be merry. Of course, the holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without carols. Our 2024 Carols Covered collection features a new batch of Christmas and holiday songs reimagined by some of our favourite artists. This year’s playlist includes selections from Rachel Platten, The Linda Lindas, Zach Top, Lizzy McAlpine and many others. You don’t want to be caught playing the same oldies from Christmas past at the annual holiday party. So decorate the tree, bake some cookies, put on the Carols Covered playlist and enjoy new versions of some classic hits. And read along as the artists talk about the songs they selected. Rachel Platten, “Jingle Bell Rock” “This song just always makes me happy,” the “Fight Song” singer tells Apple Music. “Maybe it’s that guitar riff at the beginning, or maybe it’s because it makes me think about that incredible scene in Mean Girls—it’s just such a classic song.” Lizzy McAlpine, “Celebrate Me Home” “My guitarist and producer, Mason, suggested this song, and I had never heard it before,” the artist and producer tells Apple Music. “I listened, and it just felt like an outside-of-the-box Christmas song to do instead of the normal ones you hear all the time. And it’s his mom’s favourite song.” Zach Top, “Blue Christmas” “I always loved this song, and I feel like a lot of the covers mimic the Elvis original, so I wanted to put my own spin on it and come at it with a little different perspective,” the newly minted country star tells Apple Music. “I remember my poppa (my mom’s dad) always loving Elvis before he passed. He always had Elvis playing in his truck. This was one of his favourite Christmas songs for sure, and it’s special to me for that reason.” MaKenzie, “Let It Snow” “I decided to cover this song because I’ve always been a big Boyz II Men fan. I remember seeing Shawn Stockman when he was a judge on The Sing-Off and being obsessed with the advice he was giving,” the Kentucky-born singer tells Apple Music. “It was just a logical decision. I’m a harmony girl; I love stacks, heavy harmonies, texture and all of that. Boyz II Men, vocally, I feel like they’re very much about that, so it was super fun to be able to get in and play with all the things that I love, because they love those things too.” The Linda Lindas, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” “‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ was a childhood favourite and is so fun to sing, listen to and play,” Mila de la Garza tells Apple Music. “We thought it would be cool to cover it, and we’re excited about how it turned out! Brenda Lee’s voice is so unique, and I think it’s sort of piqued my interest since I was a little kid, especially as a singer myself.” Lights, “Last Christmas” “The music I’ve been working on lately has taken a real shift to darkwave/New Wave influences, both sonically and lyrically,” the Canadian singer-songwriter tells Apple Music. “I’ve always thought ‘Last Christmas’ would sound good in that style, double-time drums and fast dreamy guitar would pair well with its sad-boy lyrics.” BOYNEXTDOOR, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” For their contribution to this season’s curated selection of holiday songs, the Korean boy band reimagined the classic festive track. “We decided to cover this song because it best resembles the image of BOYNEXTDOOR among all the classic carol music,” LEEHAN tells Apple Music. Tones And I, “Hallelujah” “I decided to cover this song because I think it’s a beautiful song and my choir sings it every year for a Christmas festival that I host,” Australian hitmaker Tones And I tells Apple Music. “It’s one of the most beautiful covers I’ve heard them sing, so it was a no-brainer to cover this song myself and get those choir members on the track.” Pheelz, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” “Music has always been at the heart of my holiday experiences. My love for music started in the church, and during the holiday, as a choir member, we would have Christmas carols for a large audience,” the Nigerian artist-producer tells Apple Music. “Growing up in Nigeria, the festive season was filled with traditional sounds, family gatherings and plenty of dance. No matter what was happening in the society or in our personal lives, holiday songs would bring us together, creating a vibe that just felt magical. For me, music, especially holiday music, is like the soundtrack of joy, and it always reminds me of home and love.” Ruel, “santa doesn’t know you like I do” “I thought doing a new song would be a fun idea rather than hitting one of the old classics. It’s such a fun take, and I really love the melodies on this one,” the Australian singer-songwriter tells Apple Music. “I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking it sounded like an instant classic Christmas song. I don’t think they come around all that often either.”