Dolly Parton, Julien Baker, Black Pumas Get in the Holiday Spirit With Spotify

Dolly Parton, Julien Baker, and Black Pumas are ringing in the holiday season by collaborating with Spotify.

Parton joined Spotify’s For the Record podcast on their Christmas episode, where she discusses her new album A Holly Dolly Christmas and collaborating with Michael Bublé on the track “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas.”

Baker and Black Pumas submitted holiday songs to the streaming service’s holiday playlist. Baker — who will release her new album Little Oblivions in February — contributed ” A Dreamer’s Holiday,” while Black Pumas submitted “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas.”

“I chose ‘Dreamers Holiday’ because I found it incredibly unique as far as holiday songs are concerned,” Baker said in a statement. “It’s a very understated song — both lyrically and musically; while it’s technically about a ‘holiday’, it doesn’t directly reference any specific holiday theme, it leaves the lyrics a bit more open-ended. It’s the same way with the music — the chord structure is complicated but surprisingly timeless to me even though the song itself is over 70 years old. It’s the kind of song whose arrangement can be re-imagined so many times, and I love the feeling of sonic potential a single like that gives me.”

Added Black Pumas: “We were really attracted to the message [of Lou Rawls’ ‘Christmas Will Really Be Christmas’], the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling. 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.” 

The playlist also includes Ruston Kelly’s “O Holy Night,” Camilo singing “5 Pa Las 12,” Dashboard Confessional’s “Blue Christmas,” and more. You can hear it here.