Black Pumas Release Spotify Holiday Single 'Christmas Will Really Be Christmas'

Today the Grammy-nominated Austin duo Black Pumas release their Spotify Holiday Single, a cover of the legendary R&B artist Lou Rawls' 1967 track "Christmas Will Really Be Christmas." "We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling," frontman Eric Burton says. "It's a message that needs to be heard right now. I was a little nervous about singing in Lou Rawls' low register, so I sang it an octave higher and it was nice to arrange vocals with the ladies [backup singers Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller] as well to put our own spin on it."

Producer/bandleader Adrian Quesada says, "A Christmas song isn't exactly something that we set out to do, but this Lou Rawls song is amazing. It was produced by one of my favorite arrangers and producers, David Axelrod. On that side of it I was drawn to it initially and I confirmed with Eric. I think we were both attracted to the message too, it touches on a message that I think is poignant to today's times, that Christmas isn't really Christmas until everyone has peace and happiness." Listen to "Christmas Will Really Be Christmas (Lou Rawls Cover)" below.

Black Pumas were one of twelve artists - alongside Jazmine Sullivan, Dashboard Confessional, Betty Who, Julien Baker, and more - chosen to record holiday songs for 2020's Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection playlist. Driving more than four billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love.

The deluxe edition of Black Pumas' self-titled debut album is out now and features a selection of bonus tracks, including the brand-new single "I'm Ready," which the band performed on The Late Late Show With James Corden last week. Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) is streaming everywhere and available for purchase HERE.

Listen to the single here: