Lori McKenna Announces Holiday EP 'Christmas Is Right Here'

Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Lori McKenna's debut holiday EP, Christmas Is Right Here, is out next Friday, November 19.

Pre-order and pre-save the new EP here.

Produced by McKenna along with Luke Laird and Barry Dean, the six-song release features five new original holiday songs as well as a version of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime." Of the project, McKenna shares, "It was such a joy making this holiday music with my Nashville family of co-writers, musicians and friends. I feel like we hit on some of the emotions that come with the holidays-the easy feelings and the harder ones. It seems impossible for me to talk or sing about the holidays without going back in time and I feel so blessed to have the music to come back with me."

The new release continues a series of landmark years for McKenna following three widely acclaimed albums-2020's The Balladeer, 2018's The Tree and 2016's The Bird & The Rifle. Of her most recent album, the Associated Press praised, "McKenna has by now long established herself as one of the best songwriters working in any genre. And she does it again and again," while The Tennessean asserted, "one of the sharpest pens in modern country and folk songwriting."

Additionally, The Tree was nominated for "Album of the Year" at the 2019 Americana Music Awards and landed on several best-of lists including Entertainment Weekly, Paste, Slate, The A.V. Club, The Washington Post and Rolling Stone, who declared, "another batch of pristine compositions...the singer-songwriter has established herself as not only one of country music's most respected songwriters...but more importantly one of its most poignant storytellers." Moreover, the Grammy-nominated The Bird & The Rifle was named one of the best albums of the year by NPR Music's Ann Powers who lauded, "puts her careworn, reaching alto up front, wrapping the transcendent earnestness of classic rock within the resilient uplift of soul, shot through with the plainspoken heartache of country."

In addition to her career as a solo artist, McKenna continues to enjoy tremendous success as one of the music industry's most in-demand songwriters. Earlier this year, she won her third Grammy Award for Best Country Song for The Highwomen's "Crowded Table." This latest award follows her back-to-back wins for both Song of the Year at CMA Awards and Best Country Song at the Grammys for "Girl Crush" performed by Little Big Town and "Humble and Kind" performed by Tim McGraw.

Moreover, she became the first female to ever win Songwriter of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards that same year. In addition to writing songs for a multitude of award-winning artists including Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Hunter Hayes and Reba McEntire, McKenna also co-wrote "Always Remember Us This Way," which was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2018 film, A Star Is Born.

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