Interview: Singer-Songwriter Alicia Witt Celebrates Her New Christmas Album at 54 Below

Alicia Witt makes her 54 Below debut on Tuesday December 3rd at 7 pm to celebrate the release of her first full length Christmas album, I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You. Debuting in November 2024, the album marks her debut as a solo producer on a full-length record. Don’t miss the chance to see one of the finest singer-songwriter at Broadway’s supper club. BroadwayWorld’s Stephen Mosher wrote about Alicia Witt, “…her skilled fingers flying over the keys and her rangey, honeyed voice, clear as crystal, pretty as a stained glass window, carrying the audience into the ether, as an audible cloud, heaven bound. Patrons around the room could be seen to clasp hands over hearts and heard, sighing with beatific bliss. This is a voice to treasure, wrapped around visceral visuals, and memorable melodies.”

Alicia Witt is the star of this summer’s smash hit movie Longlegs, opposite Nicolas Cage, as well as nine Hallmark Christmas movies and four decades worth of film, TV, and stage credits. A classically trained, award-winning pianist and Billboard Top 30 charting singer-songwriter, Alicia and her band will get you in the holiday spirit with this festive show. Featuring some heartfelt and uplifting originals and your favorite holiday standards, you’ll hear the entire new album, as well as all Alicia’s previously released original Christmas songs, many of which you’ve heard in her Hallmark movies over the years.

Read a conversation with Alicia about the show, her new album and her upcoming album tour, which starts November 30th.

What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming Christmas show at 54 Below?

54 Below is such a special venue to me. I flew out from Nashville to see my friend Bebe Neuwirth shine on stage there a few years ago in a wonderful concert she put on, and I’ll never forget the feeling in the room that night or how I sat there in the audience with a permanent smile, watching as she lit up the whole room. Also, years earlier, I’d seen Susan Egan in Cabaret downstairs at Studio 54 and that remains one of the most indelible stage performances I’ve seen. I’m trying not to think too hard about the fact that I’m now about to take the stage there, so I won’t get nervous! Mostly just beyond thrilled that, after perhaps 50 concerts over the years in NYC, I now get to perform at 54 Below for the first time, at the most beautiful time of year, all geared towards Christmas, with an incredible Nashville band that is joining me for my album release tour.

What was it like putting together your Christmas album?

It was like living in Christmas for an entire year! I started writing many of the original songs that appear on this record last Christmas, while my tree was still up, so they are infused with the holiday spirit. And I decided on the fact that I’d be recording it in spring 2024 quite early on as well - I saw that I had a window in my schedule and lined up my favorite musicians and studio and engineer. The other extraordinary blessing of this was that I had originally planned to co-produce the record, as I have done previously - but my partner fell through due to schedule a month before we went into the studio. I asked a few others who I deeply admired, but none of it was aligning last minute, and I already had the studio and musicians booked. It was my friend Mandy Barnett - who appears on track 4 of this album with me in a song we wrote together - who said to me one day, ‘You should just produce it yourself’. So I took a leap and did it. It was one of the greatest joys of my musical life so far, and my life in general, truly - to hear the production in my head and to be able to successfully translate it to my collaborators and have it turn out exactly as I imagined, but even better. I love producing and can’t wait to do it again. 

Also, it’s worth mentioning that my incredible fans largely funded the production of this album. I didn’t do a crowd-funding campaign per se, but I played a ton of online shows to raise money, and received gifts from some extraordinary fans to bring this album to life. As a one-woman independent label, that is a big deal. 

You've done a lot of movie, TV and theater. What keeps you coming back to doing cabaret?

There’s nothing that compares to the feeling of being up in front of an audience, performing as myself rather than a character, sharing songs that I created. It’s a type of expression that is so completely different than any of the other mediums I perform in, because it’s just me, connecting to just you out there. For those few hours, we are all united through these songs, and the honor I feel that an audience has come out and has absorbed these songs into their own soundtrack, or is discovering this side of me for the first time- there are no words. Also, there is now a ‘fan-ily’ of die hard fans who travel around to multiple shows when I’m on tour - and they’re gaining a reputation for being the kindest, friendliest, warmest audience members you’re likely to meet. I’m honored that the feedback I hear most often from the venue right after I play a show is ‘your audience was SO nice to everyone.’ At my recent Joe’s Pub concert this past spring, there were multiple reports of new friendships popping up, and food orders being shared with strangers.

Can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind one of your original tracks on your new album?

It’s so hard to choose just one. But I’ll choose two: “Weird Time of Year” is inspired by what our dogs and cats must think of Christmastime. I had gotten together with one of my favorite co-writers, Matt Wynn, in the midst of a frigid ice storm here in Nashville, talking about Christmas song ideas for the record. We were noodling around with some traditional sweet ones, and he happened to mention that one of his cats had broken Joseph’s cane in their nativity scene by jumping up on it. I stopped him and said - ‘That’s a good idea for a song… what must they think?’ The song just flowed out of us from there. I love it - it’s got a Randy Newman kind of vibe bolstered by some incredible holiday horns - it’s festive and quirky and there’s no holiday song like it. My beloved dog Ernest even has background vocals at the end!

There’s also the closer, which is called “December 26th,” written with and featuring the incredible John Paul White, whose idea it was. The afterthought day of the year that no one ever knows what to do with. What fun to create that together. We recorded it live - all the songs on the record were recorded live with the band - but on this one I kept my live vocals as well. Couldn’t beat the energy. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is also a 100% live performance - no overdubs at all.

I can’t leave out my other two guest performers – Mandy Barnett and Matthew Perryman Jones. They’re two of my favorite voices and favorite people in Nashville, and their work speaks for itself. ‘’Is This The Christmas’’, which Mandy and I wrote together, is inspired by an unfinished idea I had a few years ago. It tells the story of that exquisite missing and longing for a loved one who is no longer in your life, for whatever reason - and the wish that this might be the Christmas you move on and really enjoy the season again without it primarily bringing up the pain of losing them. “Lonely Holy Christmas” was based on an idea Matthew had, and it resonated with me as well because I’d spent Christmas completely alone last year - by design. It was peaceful and very reverent - and my hope is that this song will resonate with anyone who is spending the holiday alone. 

What have you been filling your time with lately, aside from getting ready for your 54 Below show?

I’m about to film two movies in Vancouver and in Connecticut - in between rehearsals and my twelve-city album release tour! 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I can’t wait to see you at 54 Below. Thank you for honoring me by sharing some of your time with me. New York City - I think I’m spending Christmas with you.

---

Find out where to stream and download the album at ffm.to/christmaswithalicia

Find the rest of Alicia Witt’s tour dates at aliciawittmusic.com/tour

Tickets to see Alicia Witt’s December 3 show at 54 Below are available here.

Header photo credit: Travis Commeau

To post a comment, you must register and login.