Multi-Genre Recording Artist Damien Sneed Releases Christmas Project, 'Joy To The World'

Multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed released his first Christmas project, Joy To The World, on Friday, December 6, on Sneed's LeChateau Earl Records. Produced by Sneed, Joy To The World is available on digital retail and streaming platforms everywhere, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify, and Tidal.

The four-song EP features some of Sneed's favorite holiday classics including, "Joy To The World" with Grammy Award-winning Jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and vocalist Alicia Peters-Jordan; "What Christmas Really Means" with vocalist Lizzy Ossevoort, "A Child Is Born," and the "Adore Him" medley ("O Come Let Us Adore Him" [traditional], and "No He's Not a Baby Anymore"), composed by Sneed.

Joy To The World is a preview of Sneed's forthcoming full-length holiday album, scheduled for release in 2020, which will include a national tour. "My debut Christmas project has truly been a long time coming," says Sneed. "My arrangement of 'Joy To The World' was the first thing I created during the first month; I moved to New York City to study at New York University as a graduate student."

"I pray that people are lifted and encouraged by this holiday musical offering," Sneed continues. "During this season, many people are separated from their families and dealing with the daily pressures of life. It's a pleasure to collaborate with my friend, the brilliant trumpeter and arranger Keyon Harrold, who I met at a church in the Bronx. I'm also thrilled to present my friend, vocal extraordinaire, Alicia Peters-Jordan, who I met at Howard University as a freshman, and we worked closely in the music department at my church in Washington, DC."

"One thing I learned from the late Aretha Franklin and Jessye Norman, as well as my mentors Wynton Marsalis and Richard Smallwood, is always to reach forward and tap the next generation," Sneed continues. "And that's what I'm doing with my graduate vocal student, Lizzy Ossevoort, from the Manhattan School of Music, who is a native of The Netherlands."

Sneed headlined two concerts in support of his Christmas project. On Friday, December 6, Sneed made his concert debut at the Apollo Theater Café in Harlem, NY; and Saturday, December 7, he presented his first-ever concert at Sixth & I in Washington, DC. Sneed was joined by some of today's top vocalists and musicians, including Chenee Campbell (vocalist), Anitra McKinney (vocalist), Lizzy Ossevoort (vocalist), Tekesha Russell (vocalist), Linny Smith (vocalist), Tiffany Stevenson (vocalist), Alicia Peters-Jordan (vocalist), Justin Cunningham (bass guitar), David Daniels (lead guitar), Joel Tate (drummer), and Brandon Williams (organ).

In January 2020, Damien Sneed kicks off his 40+-City North American tour, "We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," at New York City's Joe's Pub at Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 9:30 p.m. The tour will make stops at concert halls and universities in the U.S. and Canada. For a complete list of the tour dates, click HERE.

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